Harris seeks distance from Biden comments calling Trump supporters 'garbage'
Comments came during video call discussing racist remarks made by Trump supporters
Harris pledges to be "president for all Americans"
White House attempted clarification with transcript edit
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris sought to distance herself Wednesday from comments by US President Joe Biden appearing to refer to Republican Donald Trump's supporters as "garbage."
Biden caused a firestorm with the remarks in a campaign call with the nonprofit VotoLatino on Tuesday, as he addressed a row that erupted after one of Trump's warm-up speakers at a New York rally referred to Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage."
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a speech in a video footage in Washington, U.S., October 29, 2024, in this screen grab obtained from handout video.Reuters
"Listen, I think that first of all, he clarified his comments," Vice President Harris told reporters at Joint Base Andrews near Washington when asked about the outgoing president's words.
"But let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for."
As she headed back on the campaign trail, Harris, 60, insisted she would be a "president for all Americans, whether you vote for me or not."
U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris talks to reporters before boarding Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, U.S., on October 30, 2024.Reuters
Republicans pounced on Biden's comments, which threatened to overshadow a major election speech by Harris outside the White House on Tuesday in which she called for unity instead of what she said was chaos and division under Trump.
The row over the remarks by the 81-year-old Biden, who dropped out of the White House race in July, also underscored his growing marginalization from the Harris campaign.
US media have reported that Harris aides had feared that Biden is an electoral liability and rejected his suggestions to make joint appearances on the campaign trail.
"The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters," said Biden. "His, his, his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and it's un-American."
Biden later said on X, formerly Twitter, that he had "referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump's supporter."
"That's all I meant to say," he said.
Screenshot of an X post by President Joe Biden on October 30, 2024, attempting to clarify his earlier controversial remarks JoeBiden / X
The White House later released a transcript adding a single apostrophe -- claiming that Biden said "supporter's" instead of "supporters," in a bid to back up his assertion that he was referring to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s comments at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally.
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