Ohio Senator JD Vance escalated political tensions Monday by referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as “trash” during an Atlanta rally, as controversy continues to swirl around President Joe Biden‘s recent “garbage” comments about Donald Trump‘s supporters.
The inflammatory remarks came as Republicans rejected White House explanations of Biden’s comments during a recent Voto Latino advocacy group video call, where he responded to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe‘s characterization of Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage” during a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden.
While speaking at the Cobb Galleria Centre outside of Atlanta, the Republican vice-presidential nominee responded to Biden by targeting Harris.
“Our message to Kamala Harris is very simple,” Vance told the cheering crowd. “The citizens of this country are not garbage for thinking you’re doing a bad job. The citizens of this country are not racist for thinking you ought to close down that damn southern border. The citizens of this country are not garbage for wanting to be able to afford groceries and a nice place to live. But in two days, we are gonna take out the trash in Washington, D.C. And the trash’s name is Kamala Harris.”
Newsweek contacted Trump and Harris’ campaigns via email on Monday for comment.
Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., urged voters to “turn the page” in the upcoming election on X, formerly Twitter. Critical Race Theorist Tim Wise pointed to what he called a double standard in political discourse, while Political Affairs analyst David Rothkopf described the comments as “beyond the beyond, so offensive.”
Culture and politics commentator Reecie Colbert delivered a sharp rebuke, saying “Trash is what JD Vance sees when he looks in the mirror, not when he looks at Madam Vice President Kamala Harris.” Former NBCUniversal Senior Executive Mike Sington characterized the rally moment as “disgusting” and “jaw-dropping.”
Conservative voices, however, rallied behind Vance. Commentator Graham Allen shared the viral clip, declaring “JD VANCE IS READY TO TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE.”
The White House has vigorously defended Biden’s original remarks, releasing a transcript showing the president said: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s—his—his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.” The transcript notably included an apostrophe in “supporter’s” to emphasize that Biden was referring to the demonization of Latinos as garbage, not Trump supporters themselves.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates told Newsweek that Biden was specifically addressing the “hateful rhetoric coming out of the Madison Square Garden rally.” However, questions have emerged about whether Biden was consulted regarding the interpretation of his unscripted remarks before the transcript’s release.
The controversy bears startling similarities to Hillary Clinton‘s “basket of deplorables” comment about Trump supporters in 2016, which was widely credited with damaging her campaign. Political analysts suggest Hinchcliffe’s Puerto Rico remarks could similarly impact Trump’s standing in key swing states like Pennsylvania.
Harris has distanced herself from Biden’s comments, stating, “I strongly disagree.”
Trump’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, responded to the ongoing controversy by highlighting Trump’s diverse base of support. “President Trump is backed by Latinos, Black voters, union workers, angel moms, law enforcement officers, border patrol agents, and Americans of all faiths—and Harris, Walz, and Biden have labeled these great Americans as fascists, Nazis, and now, garbage,” Leavitt said.
In an attempt to clarify his position, Biden later issued a statement focusing specifically on Hinchcliffe’s remarks: “Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage—which is the only word I can think of to describe it. 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.”