Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday urged Americans to “stop pointing fingers” as she distanced herself from President Joe Biden’s controversial remark calling Trump’s supporters “garbage”. Harris focused her closing campaign rallies in key states on unity and overcoming division, shifting the spotlight back onto her Republican opponent.
Speaking to voters in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, Harris framed the election as an opportunity to “turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump, who has been trying to keep us divided”. She emphasized her aim to “make progress”, saying, “I’m not here to score political points”.
The controversy surrounding Biden’s comment began Tuesday, while Harris was near the White House giving a speech on unity. During a call with the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino, Biden commented on a recent rally where a comedian had referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage”.
Biden said, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.” Republicans quickly equated Biden’s remark to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 “basket of deplorables” comment.
Attempting to downplay the backlash, the White House clarified that Biden’s “garbage” remark referred to rhetoric from Trump’s rally, not his supporters. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated, “The President does not view Trump supporters or anybody who supports Trump as garbage”.
Harris also spoke to this, saying she “strongly disagrees with any criticism of people based on who they vote for”.
In North Carolina, Trump seized on Biden’s comment, telling supporters, “They’ve treated you like garbage. They’ve treated our whole country like garbage.” Later, he posed in a garbage truck, adorned with flags and campaign signs, and added, “Joe Biden should be ashamed of himself, if he knows what he’s even doing.”
Some Harris supporters shrugged off the issue. Travis Waters, 54, attending Harris’s Harrisburg rally, said, “Donald Trump has said so much about so many other groups, and I don’t hear the media having the same outrage.”
Despite Biden’s clarified statement, Republicans continue to highlight his comment, overlooking Trump’s own history of divisive rhetoric, including calling America a “garbage can for the world.”
Harris also faced interruptions from pro-Palestinian protesters, opposing her support for Israel’s campaign in Gaza. Responding to one such group in Madison, Harris said, “We all want the war in Gaza to end and get the hostages out,” before adding, “Everyone has a right to be heard, but right now I’m speaking.”
With only days left in the campaign, Harris’s supporters remained energized, with Holly Meyer, 65, at the Madison rally sharing, “I’m nervous, but I’m also optimistic. People seem to be energized by Vice President Harris”.
