By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-30 15:34:09 | Updated at 2024-10-30 23:34:44
8 hours ago
Democrats were thrown onto cleanup duty after President Joe Biden's damaging 'garbage' comment about Donald Trump supporters.
Prominent Democrat Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro offered no support or explanation for Biden's words and Kamala Harris kept her distance.
'The only garbage I see floating out there is [Trump's] supporters,' said Biden on a fundraising zoom.
Shapiro got asked about Biden's remark just hours after the president uttered it on a zoom fundraising call that undermined Harris' 'unity' message about reaching out to Republicans just as she was delivering it to thousands of fans outside the White House.
'I had not heard that until now, Kaitlan, so I'm kind of giving you my fresh reaction to it,' Shapiro told CNN's Kaitlan Collins Tuesday evening when asked about it.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he 'would never insult the good people of Pennsylvania or any Americans even if they chose to support a candidate that I didn’t support,' when asked about President Joe Biden's 'garbage' comments
'I would never insult the good people of Pennsylvania or any Americans even if they chose to support a candidate that I didn’t support,' he said, effectively throwing Biden under the bus for the flub.
Vice President Kamala Harris herself also distanced herself from Biden in her first comments on the topic Wednesday morning.
'First of all he clarified his comments. I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they voted for,' she told reporters.
She tried to make it clear that it was Biden, not her, who made the damaging statement.
Harris said she 'will be a president for all Americans, whether you voted for me or not.' She said Biden called her last night but the explosive comments 'didn't come up.'
The White House frantically tried to clean up the comment itself last night, after Donald Trump and his allies used it to tear into Biden and compare it to Hillary Clinton's infamous 'basket of deplorables' comment.
'Just the other day, a speaker at [Trump's] rally called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage,"' Biden, 81, told a Latino advocacy group, condemning the comment before stepping in it himself.
'The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters, his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American. It's totally contrary to everything we've done, everything we've been.'
The White House maintained that Biden was referring to comments by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at Trump's Sunday Madison Square Garden rally – and said his remarks contained a critical apostrophe.
'The President referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as 'garbage"' White House spokesman Andrew Bates told DailyMail.com.
He pointed to a White House transcript with the crucial punctuation. It had Biden saying: 'The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s -- his -- his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American. It's totally contrary to everything we've done, everything we've been.'
Allies are being forced to clean up President Biden's 'garbage' comment
Donald Trump and running mate J.D. Vance unloaded on the comment
Running mate Tim Walz joined the cleanup duty, saying and maintained that Biden's remarks did not undermine the campaign's 'unity message'
The Harris camp sent out running mate Tim Walz on damage control duty Wednesday morning.
'You compared Trump supporters to Nazis. Biden called them 'garbage.' Hillary called them 'deplorables.' Doesn't that undercut your fake 'unity' message?' CBS Mornings host Tony Dokoupil asked Walz.
'No, certainly not,' was his reply.
In a separate interview on ABC's Good Morning America Wednesday morning, Walz tried to turn attention back to Trump.
'Donald Trump's divisive rhetoric needs to end. He called this a garbage country and continues on with the enemy from within,' Walz lamented.
He said the Harris campaign message is that 'there's a place for all of us here.'
Biden's comment was damaging on multiple levels. It pushed Democrats off their effort to focus on racist and offensive comments by speakers at Trump's rally and his own threats to go after the 'enemy from within.'
And it under cut the candidate's carefully crafted message in her speech, which is part of an effort to peel off support from Republicans and independents in a razor-tight race for the White House.
Vice President Kamala Harris herself also distanced herself from Biden in her first comments on the topic Wednesday morning
'I pledge to listen to experts' Harris said Tuesday night. 'To those who will be impacted by the decisions I make. And to people who disagree with me.' She contrasted her goals with Trump, who she called a 'petty tyrant.'
One Biden ally told Politico that a harsh reading of Biden's comments didn't hold up, because he was sometimes too cozy with Republicans for Democrats' taste.
'The man is from Scranton, Pennsylvania. He likes Republicans. He was friends with people in Congress that Dems today would definitely make colorful comments about (Strom Thurmond). The man put on a MAGA hat,' said the ally. 'If anything, he’s a bit too friendly with people who like Trump.'
The Harris camp has deployed Biden sparingly, including a trip to New Hampshire where he committed yet another flub, saying it was time to 'lock him up ... politically,' in reference to Trump.
That undermined Harris' own remonstrations to supporters who chant 'lock him up' cheers at her rallies.
