Former President Donald Trump’s rally erupted Tuesday after news surfaced that President Joe Biden appeared to call Trump supporters “trash” in an appeal to Latino voters.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio took the podium at Trump’s rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and told the crowd he had some “breaking news” to announce.
“Moments ago, Joe Biden said our supporters were trash,” Rubio said, as the crowd began booing and jeering.
The Florida Republican was referring to remarks made earlier in the day by President Joe Biden during a Zoom call with the Voto Latino organization.
Biden referenced Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden in the call, specifically comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s description of Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”
AP/Matt Rourke
“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and un-American,” Biden said on the call, according to a clip broadcast on CNN.
“He’s talking about the Border Patrol, he’s talking about nurses, he’s talking about teachers, he’s talking about everyday Americans who love their country and want to dream big again and support you, Mr. President,” Rubio said in response to the comments of Biden. “And I hope their campaign is about to apologize for what Joe Biden just said. We’re not trash, we’re patriots who love America. Thanks for running, Sir the President.”
Trump returned to the podium as the crowd began cheering and applauding him.
“Wow,” Trump said. “It’s terrible. That’s what it says. That’s what it says.”
He then drew parallels to when Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton called Trump supporters “deplorables” during the 2016 election, a move for which she was widely criticized.
“You did it, remember Hillary, she said deplorable, then she said irremediable, right?” » Trump said. “But she said deplorable, and it didn’t work. Waste, I think, is worse, isn’t it? But he doesn’t know, you must please forgive him. If he please forgive him, for he does not know what he said.
The White House released a statement Tuesday evening seeking to clarify Biden’s comments.
“The president called the hateful remarks made at the rally at Madison Square Garden trash,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said.
He also provided a transcript of the White House call, in which Biden reportedly said that Puerto Ricans “in my home state of Delaware are good, decent, honorable people.” The only garbage I see floating out there is from his supporters – his – his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and un-American, it’s completely contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been. »
Biden also posted a response from his official account on X, formerly Twitter.
“Earlier today, I called the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by a Trump supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally trash, which is the only word I can think of for describe it,” we can read in the message. “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I wanted to say. The comments at this rally do not reflect who we are as a nation.”
