In a heated response to a joke made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at former President Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally, Joe Biden on Tuesday referred to Trump’s supporters as “garbage.”

Biden made the statement during a campaign call from the White House, sharply criticizing Hinchcliffe’s controversial remark about Puerto Rico and accusing Trump of lacking regard for the Latino community.

CLAIM: Trump rally speaker claims Puerto Rico is a floating pile of garbage.

TRUTH: This is called comedy and the “speaker” is comedian Tony Hinchcliffe.

Here are the facts:

-This is Tony Hinchcliffe, the host of K*ll Tony, the #1 live podcast in the world.

-Tony is known for… pic.twitter.com/rSfbeyQDeM

— KamalaHQLies (@KamalaHQLies) October 27, 2024

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These people have no sense of humor. Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his “busy schedule” to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist. I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set. I’m a… https://t.co/VFxHRcdv5k

— Tony Hinchcliffe (@TonyHinchcliffe) October 27, 2024

“Donald Trump has no character. He doesn’t give a damn about the Latino community,” Biden said, referencing the “floating island of garbage” joke made by Hinchcliffe during the Sunday rally in New York City. “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”

For those of you keeping score at home.

A comedian at a Trump rally made a bad joke about Puerto Rico being a pile of garbage.

Then, the current President countered by calling 80 million Americans HE IS RESPONSIBLE for, “garbage.”

Which will the media cover more? pic.twitter.com/rBURwPRSg2

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) October 30, 2024

Trump quickly condemned Biden’s comment at a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, later that night, calling it worse than Hillary Clinton’s infamous “deplorables” remark. “Wow… That’s terrible,” Trump said. “You have to remember, Hillary [Clinton] said ‘deplorable,’ and then she said ‘irredeemable’… ‘garbage’ I think is worse.”

Biden just gift-wrapped the election and laid it at Trump’s feet.

Any momentum or optics Kamala was hoping to gain on her big night, was just squandered by Biden calling Trump supporters “garbage”.

Biden just supplied Trump with unlimited ammunition for the final stretch. Not… pic.twitter.com/D9hO5eKh5i

— Clandestine (@WarClandestine) October 30, 2024

The White House later clarified that Biden’s comment was intended to target the rhetoric of the event, not individual supporters, emphasizing that the term “garbage” was directed at the tone of the Madison Square Garden rally.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates insisted that “the president referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage.’”

In an effort to clarify his intentions further, Biden posted on X, stating, “Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage—which is the only word I can think of to describe it. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable.”

Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage—which is the only word I can think of to describe it. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say. The…

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 30, 2024

Despite Biden’s attempts to redirect attention to the rhetoric of the event, Trump’s campaign and supporters reacted strongly.

Republican vice-presidential nominee J.D. Vance took to X to criticize Biden’s statement, writing, “This is disgusting. Kamala Harris and her boss Joe Biden are attacking half of the country. There’s no excuse for this. I hope Americans reject it.”

This is disgusting. Kamala Harris and her boss Joe Biden are attacking half of the country.

There’s no excuse for this. I hope Americans reject it.
https://t.co/oLXa0Misng https://t.co/Y67u7rZXVs

— JD Vance (@JDVance) October 30, 2024

Senator Marco Rubio, who also appeared alongside Trump in Allentown, condemned Biden’s words, stating, “He’s talking about everyday Americans who love their country and want to dream big again.” Rubio added, “We are not garbage. We are patriots. We love America. Thank you for running.”

Biden’s comment comes as he faces mounting pressure from both sides amid a highly competitive election cycle.

Recent polling data shows Trump holding narrow leads over Kamala Harris in key battleground states, and Biden’s slip-ups on the campaign trail have not gone unnoticed.

Just last week, he made headlines when he suggested “locking up” Trump during a New Hampshire event, though he later clarified that he meant politically shutting Trump out.

BREAKING: 14 days before the presidential election, Joe Biden calls for the incarceration of Donald Trump:

“We gotta lock him up.”

This is the “tell” as to why the Democrat machine has been feverishly working to imprison Trump. It’s all been intentional. pic.twitter.com/mXK5IfxJlA

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) October 22, 2024

The fallout from Biden’s “garbage” remark also overshadowed Harris’s own campaign efforts, including her scheduled “closing arguments” speech at the Ellipse, where she aimed to rally last-minute support.

With the election only days away, both sides appear to be digging in as they approach the final stretch in a heated contest.

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