US President Joe Biden has taken a swipe against Donald Trump's supporters as he reacted to the Republican presidential nominee's weekend rally at Madison Square Garden, which was overshadowed by crude and racist rhetoric.
In a call organised by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino, Biden responded to a comedian at Trump's rally who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage”.
Biden's initial comments were garbled.
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The tumult began on Tuesday night (Wednesday afternoon AEDT) around the time that Democratic nominee Kamala Harris was delivering a unifying message in a speech near the White House. Inside the building, Biden was criticising Trump's recent Madison Square Garden rally.
"The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonisation of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American," Biden said in a campaign call organised by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino.
"It's totally contrary to everything we've done, everything we've been."
Biden and the White House rushed to explain that the president was talking about the rhetoric on stage, not Trump's supporters themselves.
But Republicans seized on Biden's comments, claiming they were an echo of the time when Hillary Clinton, as the Democratic nominee against Trump in 2016, said half of Trump's supporters belong to a "basket of deplorables".
In referring to Trump's supporters as “garbage”, Biden's tone was at odds with the message that Harris is seeking to present as she aims to cast a broad appeal, including to disaffected Republicans.
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Harris said she disagreed "with any criticism of people based on who they vote for".
"I will represent all Americans, including those who don't vote for me," the vice president said.
Harris made the comment to reporters as she prepared to campaign in three states. Her words were an attempt to blunt the controversy over Biden's rhetoric with less than a week until the end of the campaign.
Republicans quickly highlighted Biden's remark.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio interrupted Trump's rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to recount what happened.
“Moments ago Joe Biden stated that our supporters, our patriots, are garbage,” Rubio said.
“He’s talking about everyday Americans who love their country.”
In attacking Biden, and by extension, Harris, Republicans are glossing over Trump's own history of insulting and demonizing rhetoric, such as calling the United States a "garbage can for the world" or describing political opponents as "the enemy within".
Trump has also described Harris as a "stupid person" and "lazy as hell" and he's questioned whether she was on drugs.
Some prominent Democrats also began to distance themselves from Biden's comments.
Speaking on CNN, Pennsylvania Governor 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”.
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The comments recalled then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton dismissing Trump supporters during a 2016 fundraiser in New York by saying that half would fit into a “basket of deplorables”.
Clinton later called that characterisation “grossly generalistic”.
But it became a defiant rallying cry for many Trump backers who said the insult encapsulated the elitist attitudes of Clinton and the Democrats.
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With Election Day now just a week off, Biden has worked to maintain relevance, furiously promoting his administration’s accomplishments while Harris in her race against Trump.
But his efforts to remain in the political spotlight might not always be so helpful for the top of the Democratic ticket he’s now promoting.
That’s because, while Harris has been sharply critical of Trump for months, repeatedly calling him “unstable” and “unhinged” and even suggesting that he was “fascist”, she has been careful not to decry his supporters.
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In fact, the vice president has campaigned extensively with former Republican Liz Cheney and other former GOP elected officials — hoping to woo conservative crossover voters.
The Democratic convention — and Harris ads — have highlighted the stories of everyday Americans who talked about having voted for Trump in the past but now say they are supporting the vice president.
On his call, Biden also said that Trump “doesn’t give a damn about the Latino community” and urged rejection of the former president even as Trump’s campaign says its support is rising among Hispanics, particularly men.
“Vote to keep Donald Trump out of the White House,” Biden said.
“He’s a true danger to, not just Latinos but to all people. Particularly those who are in a minority in this country.”
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