3 weeks ago
Last Updated:October 30, 2024, 21:56 IST
Kamala Harris appeared to blunt the impact of Biden's 'garbage' remark aimed at Donald Trump's supporters that kicked off a political storm in the US.
US Vice President Kamala Harris sought to blunt the impact of Biden's recent remark. (AP)
US Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday distanced herself from President Joe Biden’s controversial remark referring to Trump’s supporters as “garbage” that kicked off a political firestorm with less than a week to go before Election Day on November 5.
Harris told reporters that she “strongly” disagrees with criticizing people based on who they vote for, CNN reported. When asked if she has spoken to the president about his comments, Harris said that Biden called her Tuesday evening but that the president’s comments “didn’t come up.”
“Listen, I think, first of all, he clarified his comments, but let me be clear: I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for. You heard my speech last night and continuously throughout my career. I believe that the work that I do is about representing all the people whether they support me or not,” Harris said.
“I am sincere in what I mean: When elected president of the United States, I will represent all Americans, including those who don’t vote for me, and address their needs and their desires,” Harris said.
On Wednesday morning, Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, downplayed Biden’s comments in television interviews. He told “CBS Mornings” that Biden “was very clear that he’s speaking about the rhetoric we heard,” not the supporters themselves.
How Biden’s Remarks Sparked A Political Storm?
Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, made the comment to reporters as she prepared to campaign in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Her words were an attempt to blunt the controversy over Biden’s rhetoric aimed at Trump supporters following vulgar and racist remarks at the former President’s recent rally in New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The tumult began Tuesday night around the time that Harris was delivering a unifying message in a speech near the White House. Inside the building, Biden was criticizing Trump’s recent Madison Square Garden rally, where comedian Tony Hinchcliffe described Puerto Rico as an “island of floating garbage.”
“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American,” Biden said in a campaign call organized by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino. “It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been.”
Biden and the White House rushed to explain that the president was talking about the rhetoric on stage, not Trump’s supporters themselves. But Republicans seized on Biden’s comments, claiming they were an echo of the time when Hillary Clinton, as the Democratic nominee against Trump in 2016, said half of Trump’s supporters belonged to a “basket of deplorables.”
Trump Refuses To Apologise For Comedian’s Remarks
Notably, Trump has his own history of insulting and demonizing rhetoric, such as calling the United States a “garbage can for the world” or describing political opponents as “the enemy within.” Trump has also described Harris as a “stupid person” and “lazy as hell,” and he’s questioned whether she was on drugs.
Trump has also refused demands to apologize for the comment about Puerto Rico at his rally, acknowledging that “somebody said some bad things” but adding that he “can’t imagine it’s a big deal.”
Political attack lines have a history of occasionally boomeranging back on people who use them. For example, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, now Trump’s running mate, once described Democrats as beholden to “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made.”
(with AP inputs)
Location :Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
First Published:October 30, 2024, 21:56 IST
News world 'I Strongly Disagree': Harris Distances Herself From Biden's 'Garbage' Remark at Trump
