Kamala Harris Deflects Again on Biden's 'Garbage' Remark

Vice President Kamala Harris again sidestepped a question this week about whether President Joe Biden’s “garbage” remark could negatively impact her campaign.

When asked by reporter Yamiche Alcindor if she was worried that President Biden’s comments about Trump supporters could “undermine” her image as someone aspiring to be “a president for all Americans,” Harris responded:

“Well, I’ve already shared my views on those remarks. First, the president clarified what he meant. But, second, I firmly believe – and I’ll speak personally here – that we should never disparage people based on who they support. Now, let’s focus on what’s at stake in this election. On one side, we have Donald Trump, a person who frequently uses degrading language and, in doing so, strips away the dignity that every person deserves. He fixates on ‘the enemy within,’” Harris explained.

“He speaks disparagingly about America. He portrays us as a ‘garbage can.’ But most Americans are fed up with this divisive rhetoric, exhausted by an approach that has Trump encouraging us to turn on one another. People are ready to move past this, to embrace a fresh generation of leadership – and I’m here to offer that,” she added.

Alcindor followed up, asking if Harris was “at all concerned” that Biden’s words might “undermine” her own messaging as Trump and his supporters “seize on that language.”

“I am very clear that in this election, what the American people want most is to know that I have a plan, that we have a plan to bring down the cost of living and invest in American families, invest in small businesses, invest in our economy,” Harris responded.

She added that she is “proud” to have support from “leading economists” who believe her “specific plan” will help “strengthen America’s economy,” contrasting it with Trump’s approach, which she described as offering “very little” besides tax breaks for the wealthiest – a plan she argued would “actually weaken” the economy.

Pollster Frank Luntz, appearing on CNN, claimed Biden’s “garbage” slip-up could be “huge” and possibly a “turning point” in the race, potentially swaying undecided voters toward Trump.

On Tuesday, Biden remarked, “The only people I see floating out there with garbage are his supporters.” However, he later clarified, saying he intended to single out “a supporter” – specifically comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who had recently performed a controversial act at a Trump rally in New York City. Yet the backlash required both Biden and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris to address it.

CNN’s Brianna Keilar asked Luntz on Wednesday if this gaffe would “move voters” toward Trump. Luntz responded that it could be significant, noting, “This isn’t just any comedian saying something inappropriate. This is the president, endorsing his vice president, making a comment that – regardless of interpretation – was inappropriate.”

“I’ve already seen Trump capitalize on this. The ‘basket of deplorables’ comment in 2016 was impactful, and this could have a similar effect in 2024. Trump is mobilizing his base with it. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are ads as soon as tonight,” he added.

Luntz believes the moment might influence the final few undecided voters, estimating this group to be around “3%” of the electorate.

He continued, noting that while “Trump offends” undecided voters who may “dislike him personally,” “Harris unsettles them because her stance is less familiar.”

The White House later released a statement to assert that Biden was not referring to Trump supporters as a whole. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates clarified that Biden was referencing “the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally.”

According to Bates, “The president was referencing a joke by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who described Puerto Rico as ‘floating garbage’ in the middle of the ocean.”

Biden later reiterated that his comments were directed at Hinchcliffe, not Trump supporters. “Earlier today, I condemned the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico from Trump’s supporters at Madison Square Garden – that’s the only word I could use for it,” Biden wrote in a post on X. “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.”