“The Only Garbage I See Is His Supporters”: Biden’s Response to Racist Remarks at Trump Rally Sparks Backlash on Social Media

President Joe Biden’s strong response to racist remarks made at Donald Trump’s New York City rally quickly ignited reactions across social media, with MAGA supporters and Fox News commentators seizing on his words. The exchange began after Biden called out Trump’s rally speaker for derogatory comments about Puerto Rico, drawing the ire of Trump supporters and sparking comparisons to Hillary Clinton’s infamous “deplorables” remark in 2016.

At a campaign event on Tuesday night, Biden referenced the rally, where a speaker described Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” Biden responded with a fiery rebuke: “Well, let me tell you something…the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.” The statement quickly lit up social media, with Trump supporters and conservative commentators denouncing Biden’s choice of words.

Afterward, Biden sought to clarify his comments on social media, explaining his intent. “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 posted on X (formerly Twitter). “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.”

The clarification, however, did little to calm Trump’s supporters. Conservative radio host Dana Loesch voiced her disapproval on Fox News, saying, “Wow. The orderlies need to be notified. He has gotten loose, Joe Biden has gotten loose. Wow. There goes the ‘live, laugh, love’ campaign of Harris, and post-Biden, there goes the dignity in the White House.” Loesch went on to suggest that Vice President Kamala Harris should “repudiate” Biden’s comments, calling his response “completely the opposite of everything this campaign has been lecturing about from the get-go.”

Fox News host Jesse Watters drew parallels between Biden’s statement and Hillary Clinton’s controversial “deplorables” comment in the 2016 election, a comparison that quickly gained traction among conservatives online. “It is the deplorable moment again,” echoed entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary on Watters’ show. “I’m really surprised he said that because when you’re called human garbage, it motivates you to get off your rear end and get off the sofa and go vote.”

Others joined in, suggesting the comments would mobilize Trump’s base. “Kamala’s boss just called 80+ million Americans garbage. I’m sure she’ll be asked about this tomorrow,” tweeted Alberto E. Martinez, former chief of staff to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy also weighed in, calling Biden’s remarks “not a bad October surprise” and speculating that Biden’s words could be a strategy “to inflict long-overdue revenge on Kamala.”

Meanwhile, some Democrats defended Biden’s statement, arguing that Republicans were taking his comments out of context. Democratic pollster and strategist Matt McDermott tweeted, “Republicans are intentionally taking Biden’s comments tonight out of context. The transcript is clear: he was referring to the ‘garbage’ spewed by the racist comedian. Shame on anyone taking this out of context.”

Biden’s forceful remarks and the swift reactions they sparked illustrate the charged atmosphere of the final days of the campaign. As both sides mobilize their bases, the fallout from Biden’s comments—and the intense interpretations from his critics—underscore the high-stakes nature of this election season, where every word is scrutinized and weaponized to galvanize voters.