Biden slams Trump supporters as 'garbage' during virtual campaign event for Harris

President Joe Biden on Tuesday evening called supporters of former President Donald Trump "garbage," after a comedian made a joke about the island of Puerto Rico being "a floating island of garbage" at a Trump event this weekend.

The joke from insult comedian Tony Hinchcliffe has been met with heavy backlash by Democrats, and a handful of Republican lawmakers in the days since. Hinchcliffe also criticized other ethnic groups during the Trump rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. 

Biden turned the "garbage" comment onto Trump supporters during a virtual campaign event for Vice President Kamala Harris with the Hispanic group "Voto Latino." It came while Harris called for "unity" during a speech in Washington D.C. 

“Donald Trump has no character. He doesn't give a damn about the Latino community," Biden said. "Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage?…The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and it is un-American."

A White House spokesperson told NBC News that the comment was directed towards the comedian, and not regular Trump supporters. 

Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance slammed the comment in a post on social media. 

"This is disgusting," Vance said. "Kamala Harris and her boss Joe Biden are attacking half of the country. There's no excuse for this. I hope Americans reject it."

Trump's campaign has distanced itself and the former president from the joke, stating that it "does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign."

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.