Staff Reports
Biden’s week took a turn straight out of a late-night comedy sketch when he called Trump supporters “garbage,” igniting a fiery backlash from Republicans who clearly know how to turn an insult into political capital. Such a comparison to Hillary Clinton’s infamous “deplorable” comment is hardly flattering for the current president, yet here we are, in a perpetual loop of Democrats demeaning half of America.
During a recent interview, Biden snapped off his quip about Trump’s supporters while rifling through what must be a never-ending list of cute nicknames for anyone who disagrees with him. Republican leaders and voters were quick to pounce on this verbal misfire, recalling how Clinton’s label nearly derailed her 2016 campaign. It’s as if the left is running a masterclass on political faux pas while the right takes diligent notes on how to capitalize on every single gaffe.
Biden just called over half the country garbage. This is the Democratic Party. This is how they view you and your children. Remember, trash gets taken out; they mean it. https://t.co/8xtUFmAoIs
— Blue Ridge Balrog 🏔 (@FeastOnHisFlesh) October 30, 2024
Democrats, attempted damage control in earnest this time—the good governor of Pennsylvania jumped in front of cameras at CNN to declare he wouldn’t insult good Americans, even if they backed candidates he doesn’t approve of. Can it be an act of desperation? Or an awakening to the fact that slinging insults at half the country might just be a one-way ticket to electoral oblivion? Rep. Tom Suozzi also took a stab at redeeming the dignity of his party by stating he didn’t agree with Biden’s remarks. But many have to wonder if the statement suggested more about the Democrats than about Trump’s supporters.
In a scene reminiscent of a sitcom where the characters keep digging deeper holes, Republican leaders were quick to liken Biden’s comment to a modern-day “deplorables” moment, perhaps hoping to milk it for campaign material. Elon Musk even weighed in, stating that Biden just insulted half of America with a casual flippance that can only be rivaled by the average barista at a hipster coffee shop. Meanwhile, those entrenched House Democrats who helped create the policy mess under Biden got slapped with a “condemn it now” directive. When an insult is hurled just before an election, these guys are scrambling to clean up the mess after tossing out the suggestion that it’s really the left that should be apologizing for being rude.
Trump, having caught renegade wind of Biden’s careless choice of words, could barely suppress his amusement. One can only imagine the twinkle in his eye when he quipped that Biden probably didn’t even understand his own comments. Trump knows the art of counter-punching, and he’s the master at turning whatever is thrown at him into propellant for his campaign. With a wink to his loyalists, he referenced how much Biden likely prefers him over Kamala Harris—because who wouldn’t love the guy that offends half the nation and makes the other half feel all warm and fuzzy inside?
When Biden tried to backtrack like an NFL quarterback who suddenly realized it was fourth down with the game on the line, he clarified that the “garbage” remark was aimed at rhetoric about Puerto Rico, rather than dissing an entire swath of American voters. The subsequent statement from the White House, which essentially contorted his original comment into an exercise in semantics, came off as a clumsy attempt to patch a sinking ship. Instead of clarifying the waters, it only deepened suspicions that someone in Biden’s camp is no stranger to linguistic gymnastics.
It’s a captivating spectacle to watch political opponents doing a political dance, each side executing their best moves to draw attention away from the missteps of their own. In the end, Biden may need more than a fancy flowchart to distinguish between supporters’ “garbage” and actual rhetoric before he finds himself deep in uncharted waters with voters who demand respect, not condescension. This debate could easily fuel the fire in the hearts of those who yearn to “Make America Great Again” while reminding politicians that they might want to think twice before calling any group of people “garbage.”
