Staff ReportsThe Democrat Party is clearly sweating bullets following President Joe Biden’s cringe-worthy comments about Donald Trump’s supporters, whom he casually labeled as “garbage.” This verbal slip, made during a virtual chat with Voto Latino meant to pump up Vice President Kamala Harris’s flagging campaign, has sent a wave of panic through the ranks of the left. Democratic operatives are flailing around like fish out of water, desperate to put some distance between their party and what has become a cringe-inducing moment for the Biden administration.
The fallout began as soon as Biden dropped his bombshell comment. In an attempt at damage control, the White House rushed to edit his narrative, claiming he was actually referring to the “hateful rhetoric” from one of Trump’s supporters at a Madison Square Garden rally. Biden tried to reframe his statement, emphasizing that it was the comments made at that rally—which included a rather unsavory joke about Puerto Rico—that were “garbage.” However, it’s safe to say that not even the most skilled spin doctors could polish this turd. As the backlash from Republicans began to swell, even members of Biden’s own party expressed their discomfort.
The official White House transcript needs to be immediately corrected. Notice the use of the apostrophe in the transcript
Joe Biden’s words were clear that he was stating Trump’s supporters were the garbage
Not Biden discussing Trump’s supporter’s garbage floating around pic.twitter.com/xDyyHZsZ53
— Kylie Jane Kremer (@KylieJaneKremer) October 30, 2024
In a move that could only be described as political gymnastics, some Democrats privately acknowledged to Axios just how detrimental Biden’s words could be for Harris’s campaign. One House Democrat, whose name remains concealed for obvious reasons, bluntly proposed that it might be best to keep Biden out of sight until after the election. It’s likely that the last thing Harris needs right now is the baggage that comes with having an increasingly muddled and gaffe-prone president standing behind her.
The vice president fumbled through her own spin on the situation when pressed about Biden’s remarks on the tarmac. She insisted she “strongly disagrees” with any form of criticism aimed at anyone based on their political choices. Remarkably, this comment appeared almost as a reflex, as she reiterated her long-standing commitment to “representing all Americans”—a statement that’s beginning to sound more like a political platitude than a genuine principle. Even with Harris’s rapid disavowal of Biden’s comments, the question emerges: is she truly capable of shaking off a president with a penchant for setting the media—and her campaign—on fire?
Even seasoned political analysts couldn’t believe Biden’s blunder during what was, ostensibly, a “low-pressure” Zoom interview. One observer noted it was akin to playing bowling but managing to throw a gutter ball that somehow set the entire room ablaze. The imagery certainly paints quite the picture. As the Democrats rush to clean up the mess, the embarrassment from the president’s remarks is palpable and raises serious questions about Biden’s influence going forward.
The latest from poll aggregator Nate Silver indicates Biden might just be the albatross hanging around Harris’s neck. He is painted as “one of Kamala Harris’s biggest impediments to victory,” a statement that certainly doesn’t lend much confidence to the Democrats’ hopes for the upcoming election. With supporters pointing fingers at Biden for sabotaging Harris’s campaign, it’s clear that Democratic primaries could rapidly devolve into another round of “who can throw who under the bus.” As the Democrats grapple with their internal chaos, it’s becoming increasingly evident that an inept presidential figure could speed up what many see as a winding road toward a Trump comeback.
