Anxious Democrats fume over Biden's "garbage" comment
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President Biden speaks at an Investing in America event at the port of Baltimore on Oct. 29, 2024. Photo: Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images.
Democrats are chafing at President Biden's seeming inability to keep his foot out of his mouth after Republicans accused him of calling supporters of former President Trump "garbage."
Why it matters: The White House has vigorously disputed that interpretation of the quote — saying it leaves out crucial context — but to many Democrats, the real headache is the inarticulacy that led to the dispute.
- Lawmakers told Axios that the fight currently being waged over the quote is a clear demonstration of why the 81-year-old president has been largely kept off the campaign trail.
- "Someone needs to park Biden out of sight till after the election," one swing-district House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to offer candid thoughts about the president, told Axios.
- The fracas comes just days before the Nov. 5 election as Democrats are already grappling with significant anxiety over the closeness of the race.
Driving the news: The comment at issue was made during a video call with the progressive group Voto Latino, in which Biden took aim at comedian Tony Hinchcliffe for likening Puerto Rico to an "island of garbage" at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday.
- According to a White House transcript, Biden said: "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter's -- his -- his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American."
- Republicans have accused Biden of saying "supporters," and thus denigrating individual Trump voters, drawing parallels to Hillary Clinton's infamous 2016 "basket of deplorables" remark.
- A White House spokesperson told Axios' Alex Thompson that staff spoke to Biden about what he meant to say to inform the transcript, but they declined to offer more details.
What we're hearing: A senior House Democrat said the comment shows why it is "definitely smart to keep [Vice President Harris] out front and not Joe," and that they are "less concerned after Kamala quickly disassociated" from it.
- Another senior House Democrat said the comment is "very strongly" illustrative of why Biden was pushed to withdraw his reelection bid, and has not been very visible on the campaign trail.
- "I think you're not going to see him out there a lot," the lawmaker predicted.
The latest: Several Democrats in tight races publicly admonished Biden on Wednesday.
- "He shouldn't have said it, it's inappropriate," Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), who is running for U.S. Senate, said in a local radio appearance.
- Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), who is seeking reelection in a district Trump won by 7 percentage points in 2020, said in a post on X: "Any elected official or candidate who calls Americans or America 'garbage' is flat out wrong."
Yes, but: A fourth House Democrat said that while it is "evident to me that the President made a gaffe," it was one he "realized in real time and corrected in real time."
- "The President's absence from the campaign trail probably has more to do with his unpopular incumbency than with his propensity for gaffes," the lawmaker said.
- A fifth House Democrat argued Biden was "clearly" talking about Hinchcliffe's comments, but acknowledged that the public back-and-forth has drawn attention away from Democrats' closing message.
Between the lines: Although Democrats have pushed back on the notion that the comment is a salient issue on the campaign trail, the backlash has been enough to force Harris to respond.
- "Listen, I think that, first off all he clarified his comments, but, let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for," she told reporters.
- The Democratic nominee added: "As president of the United States, I will be a president for all Americans whether you vote for me or not."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
