What did US President, Joe Biden, communicate?
In a virtual conversation taking place on a Tuesday, President Biden responded to an inquiry about the disapproved jest made against Puerto Rico by Tony Hinchcliffe, a stand-up comedian, during a Trump rally held in New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden. Hinchcliffe labelled Puerto Rico, a US territory in the Caribbean, as a “floating island of garbage”, stirring controversy. The island sits in a unique position— not an independent entity or a US state, yet its residents, living across several states, namely New York, Florida, and the critical pivot state, Pennsylvania, have a distinctive political clout. The ill-timed gaff by the Republicans, in the lead up to the presidential race, left them backpedalling.
What was the verbatim quote from the President?
Biden retorted to the derogatory remark by stating, “Just the other day, a speaker at his rally labelled Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage’,”, proceeding to mention, something that appeared to be, “The only rubbish I observe floating out there are his supporters – his, his vilification of Latinos is unscrupulous, and it is distinctly un-American.” Following this, a clarification was made by the White House, emphasising that Biden was referring solely to Hinchcliffe when he referred to “his supporter’s demonisation”, by adding an apostrophe for clarity.
What has been the response to this?
There was a swift reaction to Biden’s words with the clip gaining traction across various social media outlets. Republicans capitalised on the statement, asserting that the President was unambiguously referring to all Trump advocates. At another Pennsylvania rally, this time with Trump in attendance, Republican senator, Marco Rubio, aired his discontent about Biden’s remark. He addressed the crowd and Trump, saying, “Just moments ago, Joe Biden stated that our supporters are rubbish – are rubbish,” amid boos from the audience and a disapproving shake of the head from Trump. Rubio continued to stoke the fire with, “He’s talking about the border patrol. He’s talking about nurses. He’s talking about teachers. He’s addressing everyday Americans who love their country and have dreams of a better future and stand by you, Mr President.” This sentiment was echoed by other Trump supporters into the following day.
Why is this significant?
With merely six days until the polls open, the political tension is escalating as each camp tries to seize any available edge in what is expected to be a closely fought battle. This situation brings to mind the calamitous remark made by Hillary Clinton during a 2016 fundraising event for her presidential campaign, when she categorised half of Trump’s backers as fitting into ‘what she termed,’ the basket of deplorables’, adding, ‘the racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic – to name a few. Sadly, individuals of this calibre do exist. He has emboldened them.’ The ‘deplorables’ label evolved into a mark of pride amongst Trump fans, stimulated the Republican foundation and solidified a view of Clinton as a member of the aloof elite.
Did Biden label Trump fans ‘garbage’? Would this affect Harris’s poll prospects?
Biden is taken to task for denying tagging Trump supporters as ‘garbage’
Harris warns of an impending ‘petty tyrant’ at the location Trump gave his infamous January 6th rallying call.
Donald Trump’s evident missteps could be a shrewd move.
Will it matter?
It remains to be seen. In contrast to Clinton, Biden is not the presidential nominee. His blue-collar “Scranton Joe” persona provides a buffer against elitism allegations. He also has a reputation for verbal blunders and misspeaking, characteristics that have become more pronounced with age. The swift clarification from the White House demonstrates that the Democrats acknowledge the potential harm of the comment. Corrections seldom spread like wildfire, though. The incident has undoubtedly provided an opportunity for the Republicans to shift focus from the pervasive negative feedback of the Madison Square Garden rally. For this, they will be expressing their gratitude to Biden today.
[ Opinion: Donald Trump’s apparent blunders could be a calculated manoeuvreOpens in new window]