Biden's 'garbage' comments prompt Harris to address the issue.

• President Joe Biden's remark about supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump being "garbage" was not endorsed by Vice President Kamala Harris.
• At a campaign rally for Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made a racist joke about Puerto Rico, and Biden stated that he was referring to this joke when he criticized the president's handling of the hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico.
• The presidential candidate traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina, for campaign activities.

On Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris dissociated herself from President Joe Biden's contentious remark that seemed to denigrate supporters of Donald Trump as "rubbish."

Before flying to Raleigh, North Carolina, for campaign events, Harris stated that she strongly disagrees with any criticism of individuals based on their voting preferences.

"Last night, I delivered a speech and I believe that my work is to represent all individuals, regardless of their support for me," Harris stated. "As president, I will serve all Americans."

Harris added that Biden had "elucidated" the remark he made on Tuesday.

She emphasized that her campaign is actively seeking any votes possible and is concerned about losing any votes with less than a week remaining before Election Day.

Harris stated that he would be devoting his time entirely to conversing with individuals, regardless of their previous voting history.

The vice president stated that she had conversed with Biden on Tuesday night, but they did not discuss what he had said earlier in the evening.

On Tuesday, Biden discussed outreach to Latino voters during a video call when the conversation shifted to the racist jokes made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a rally for the GOP nominee and former president in New York City on Sunday.

"Yesterday, at a rally, a speaker referred to Puerto Rico as a 'floating island of garbage,' " Biden stated during a call.

"Biden stated that Puerto Ricans are good, decent, and honorable individuals. He criticized the president's supporters for being the only "garbage" floating out there. Biden also condemned the president's demonization of Latinos as unconscionable and un-American, stating that it goes against everything they have worked for."

The White House released a revised transcript of Biden's remarks, clarifying that he was referring to Hinchcliffe's criticism of Latinos, not Trump supporters.

Biden made a statement, saying he did not intend to call Trump supporters "garbage."

In a tweet on X late Tuesday night, Biden described the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spoken by Trump's supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as "garbage," which is the only word he could think of to describe it.

"His condemnation of Latinos is unjustifiable. That's all I intended to convey. The remarks at that rally do not represent our country's values."

Biden's comment, despite the cleanup efforts, disrupted the Harris campaign's plan to emphasize her commitment to governing for all Americans, regardless of political affiliation.

Now, Harris allies appearing on Wednesday's morning news shows must address what Biden said.

The backlash to Hinchcliffe's joke about Puerto Rico complicated the Harris campaign's plan to use Biden's comment to their advantage.

In the 2024 election, Pennsylvania, a highly sought-after swing state, is home to nearly 500,000 Puerto Rican residents, who make up the largest share of Latino voters in the state.

In Pennsylvania and other places, at least some Puerto Rican voters were potentially turned off by Hinchcliffe's remark.

In the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton lost Pennsylvania to Trump by less than 1% of the vote, which amounts to fewer than 45,000 votes.

In 2020, Trump lost the state to Biden by less than 1.2% or 81,000 votes.