OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Vice President Kamala Harris dodged a question again this week when asked if President Joe Biden’s “garbage” comment would hurt her campaign.
Reporter Yamiche Alcindor asked: “Former President Trump also rode around in a garbage truck to call attention to President Biden’s comments about his supporters and their rhetoric. Are you concerned that President Biden’s comments might undermine your own messaging that you want to be a president for all Americans?”
“Well, I’ve addressed how I feel about those comments, one, that the president explained what he meant. But, two, I do not believe, and I will speak for myself, that we should ever criticize people based on who they vote for. But let’s understand again where we are in this election. On the one hand, you have Donald Trump, who refers to people by the most demeaning words, who attempts to really take from them the dignity that they so rightly deserve. He is someone who talks full time about the enemy within,” Harris said.
“He speaks ill of America. He refers to us as a garbage can. And he does not understand that most people are exhausted with his rhetoric, exhausted with that approach, exhausted with an approach that Donald Trump has that’s trying to divide our country and have Americans point fingers at each other. They’re done with it. And they’re ready to turn the page and accept and receive a new generation of leadership, which I offer,” Harris added.
Alcindor jumped in and asked: “As he and his supporters grab onto that language, though, from President Biden, you’re not at all concerned that it might undermine your messaging?”
“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 claimed.
Harris added, “I am proud that I have the support of leading economists in our nation who recognize that I actually have a specific plan and that it will strengthen America’s economy. He has very little of a plan besides giving tax breaks to the richest people, and his plan, whatever it may be, will actually weaken our economy.”
WATCH:
Frank Luntz, a pollster and communications expert, said on CNN that Biden’s “garbage” mistake on Tuesday night would have a “huge” effect and could be the “turning point” that leads to Trump’s victory in the race.
On Tuesday, Biden said, “The only people I see floating out there with garbage are his supporters.”
Biden later said that he meant “supporter’s” instead of “supporters” and that he was only criticizing comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who did a controversial act at Trump’s rally in New York City over the weekend. However, the comments caused a fire that both Biden and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris had to put out.
On Wednesday, CNN’s Brianna Keilar asked Luntz whether Biden’s gaffe would “move voters” toward Trump.
“It’s going to be huge because this is not some comedian saying something stupid and offensive at a rally where he should have been just basically disinvited. This is the president of the United States endorsing his vice president, saying something — and I know that there’s different interpretations about what he said — it’s still inappropriate. He still shouldn’t be doing it,” Luntz said.
“I’ve watched Trump already seize this. The ‘basket of deplorables’ was significant, was meaningful in 2016. In 2024, I can promise you that this is going to drive Trump turnout. And he’s doing it already. I can see — I’m sure there’s going to be ads on as soon as tonight about this,” he continued.
Luntz added, “This may be a turning point for those final 3% — and that’s all it is — who still need to be persuaded.”
Luntz went on to note that while “Trump offends” persuadable voters, who “don’t like him as a person,” “Harris scares them because they don’t know where she stands.”
WATCH:
FRANK LUNTZ: Joe Biden might’ve cost Kamala Harris the election by labeling his supporters “garbage”
H/T: @EndWokeness pic.twitter.com/uM5flUEHAR
— Martin Walsh (@MWalshUS) October 30, 2024
The White House issued a statement trying to claim Biden was not referring to Trump supporters, despite his statement clearly referring to Trump supporters.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Fox News that Biden “referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage.’”
“The president was referencing a joke by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe in which he likened Puerto Rico to an island of floating ‘garbage’ in the middle of the ocean,” Biden said.
Later, Biden tried to clarify his comments further, saying he was denouncing Hinchicliffe’s comments—not Trump supporters.
“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,” 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.”
