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Joe Biden's 'garbage' comment sparks MAGA fury, 'demonising Americans everyday'

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As Kamala Harris urged Americans to reject Trump ’s divisive rhetoric at a rally near the White House, President Joe Biden might have gotten her message in tangles. Biden, on a call with the advocacy group Voto Latino , criticised the remark and said, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.” Republicans immediately seized on his words as an insult directed at all Trump supporters, prompting a furious response.

Trump allies quickly turned Biden’s statement into a rallying cry. The Trump campaign's national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, stated, “President Trump is backed by Latinos, Black voters, union workers, law enforcement officers, and Americans of all faiths — and Biden has labelled these great Americans as garbage. Kamala doesn’t deserve four more years. President Trump will be a president for ALL Americans.”

The phrase “garbage” drew comparisons to Hillary Clinton’s infamous “basket of deplorables” comment from the 2016 election, a remark Clinton later described as an overgeneralisation but which Trump’s supporters embraced as a symbol of Democrats’ elitism. Former Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy dubbed Biden’s statement the “basket of deplorables moment” for the 2024 campaign. “The wheels are coming off,” Ramaswamy said in an interview with Fox News. “The accusations are now piles of garbage, and next you’ll hear about threats to democracy. They’re flailing, and Americans aren’t falling for it anymore.”

MAGA Twitter also erupted in response, viewing Biden’s comment as a blow to Harris’s campaign as it nears the final stretch. “Biden just gift-wrapped the election for Trump,” one Twitter user wrote. Another commented, “Biden’s verbal gaffe overshadowed Kamala’s big speech,” suggesting that any momentum Harris hoped to gain from her rally near the White House had been “squandered.” Some users went further, speculating on Biden’s motivations, with one user posting, “He hates her guts.”

Biden attempted to clarify his comment in a post on social media, writing, “Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter…as garbage…His demonisation of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say.” However, the damage appeared done, as Republicans continued to criticise Biden’s “divisive rhetoric.”

Trump himself responded to the incident, deflecting criticism about the rally’s comments. In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, he claimed no knowledge of the comedian’s joke, adding, “I can’t imagine it’s a big deal.”
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