(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's supposed attempt to call out racist remarks by a speaker at a campaign rally for Donald Trump backfired as Trump and other Republicans accused him of calling their supporters "garbage".
Just days ahead of a razor-tight contest between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Trump that will decide who takes control of the world's leading economy, Biden and his White House quickly sought to stem any further fallout from the gaffe.
The saga started when comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" at a rally at New York's Madison Square Garden on Sunday, one of a series of vulgar and racist remarks by Trump allies at the event.
Speaking during a fundraising call on Tuesday, 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," according to a transcript posted on X by a White House spokesperson.
Several news organizations cited the same quote but without the apostrophe amid criticism that Biden had appeared to direct his garbage comment at Trump supporters more broadly.
Biden also sought to clarify matters on X.
"Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump's supporters at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage — which is the only word I can think of to describe it," he posted.
"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."
But Republicans seized on the comment, comparing it to a remark by Hillary Clinton in 2016 referring to Trump supporters as "deplorables". Clinton later lost to Trump in a major election upset.
Trump, who trails Harris by just a single percentage point, 43% to 44%, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, ahead of the Nov. 5 election, also weighed in on Biden's remark.
"Now, on top of everything, Joe Biden calls our supporters 'garbage'. You can’t lead America if you don’t love the American people," Trump posted on X.
His running mate, JD (NASDAQ:JD) Vance, said: "This is disgusting. Kamala Harris and her boss Joe Biden are attacking half of the country."
Vance had earlier defended Hinchcliffe's comment, saying: "We have to stop getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America."