Categories: Politics

‘Trump supporters are garbage’: Biden’s gaffe overshadows Kamala Harris’s big moment–Trump pounces

With only six days left in a nail-biting race, Vice President Kamala Harris seized her moment onstage, delivering what was meant to be her defining speech.

In front of a roaring crowd of tens of thousands, she promised: to turn the page on the political drama and restore a sense of calm. Harris cautioned her supporters that Donald Trump posed a direct threat to democracy, calling him a “petty tyrant” at the very site where, on January 6, 2021, Trump had once held a rally before his supporters stormed the Capitol.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris smiles as she looks at a screen of the crowd and layout as she prepares to walk onstage for her speech, during a campaign rally at the ellipse, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

But as Harris rallied voters, her boss, President Joe Biden, delivered a gaffe that handed Trump ammunition to shoot back in the last days of the 2024 election drama.

Biden’s Gaffe About Trump Voters as ‘Garbage’ Undercuts Harris’s Campaign

It was a last-minute twist, as President Joe Biden inadvertently diverted attention from Harris’s speech with his own remarks, setting off a firestorm and risking a major distraction as her campaign reached the homestretch. The president, in a clumsy virtual address aimed at helping Harris with Latino voters, mentioned Puerto Rico, reacting to derogatory comments made at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally.

In his effort to defend Puerto Ricans, Biden’s words ignited fresh controversy.

“And just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico ‘a floating island of garbage.’ Well, let me tell you something … I don’t know any Puerto Rican or any Puerto Rico like that,” Biden passionately declared during a Latino event, as he sought to back Harris in swing states with significant Latino populations.

Biden went on, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” adding, “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.” However, this line quickly spurred backlash, prompting the White House to clarify that the president had been referring to the rally’s “hateful rhetoric,” not Trump’s supporters at large.

FILE – Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, speaks during a campaign rally at Greensboro Coliseum, on Oct. 22, 2024, in Greensboro, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

Trump Strikes Back, Turning Gaffe Into a Rallying Cry

Wasting no time, Trump seized upon Biden’s slip-up, likening it to Hillary Clinton’s infamous 2016 “basket of deplorables” comment, which had become a rallying cry for his base. Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity, “They’ve taken someone who’s got nothing to do with our campaign, made a big deal about it, but I don’t know who this comedian even is.”

The original remark, delivered by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at Trump’s rally, had likened Puerto Rico to a “floating island of garbage.” While Trump tried to distance himself, saying he had no connection to the comedian’s words, Biden’s response had already provided the perfect opening for Trump to fire back.

Herbert Bauernebel

Herbert Bauernebel has been reporting from New York since 1999 and currently works for Bild.de, OE24 TV, and US Live. He also runs the news portal AmerikaReport.de. Bauernebel has covered nearly all major US events of the past quarter-century, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Barack Obama’s election, Donald Trump’s surprise victory, the pandemic, last year’s election showdown, as well as natural disasters such as hurricanes and oil spills. He has also reported firsthand on international events, including the Asian tsunami, the Haiti earthquake, and the Fukushima disaster. He lives in Brooklyn with his family and holds degrees in communication and political science from the University of Vienna. Bauernebel is the author of a book about his experiences on 9/11, And the Air Was Full of Ash: 9/11 – The Day That Changed My Life.

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