White House denies that Biden referred to Trump supporters as ‘garbage’

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre denied that President Biden was referring to Trump supporters when he said Tuesday, ‘The only garbage I see out there is his supporters.’ 

‘Just to clarify, he was not calling Trump supporters garbage,’ Jean-Pierre told reporters at the daily White House press briefing on Wednesday, reiterating that Biden put out a statement to clarify his remarks.

‘He does not view Trump supporters or anybody who supports Trump as garbage,’ she said, adding that Biden has said numerous times that he is a ‘president for all,’ including those who did not vote for him in red states and blue states. 

During a Zoom call on Tuesday, Biden was asked about a comment made Sunday during a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden in which comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage.’

Outrage spewed from Democrats over the next two days saying Trump’s campaign should not refer to Puerto Rico like that.

Then, as Vice President Kamala Harris was holding her last major campaign event – and not far from the White House – Biden was asked what he thought of Hinchcliffe’s comedy bit at the Trump rally in New York.

‘The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,’ Biden said. ‘[Trump’s] demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it is un-American.’

Biden tweeted later that evening, ‘Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporters 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.’

Harris responded to the controversy earlier Wednesday, observing that Biden had ‘clarified his comments.’ 

‘I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,’ Harris said. ‘You heard me last night and continuously throughout my career. I believe that the work that I do is about representing all the people, whether they support me or not.’

Harris added that Biden had called her Tuesday night after the event, but she said they did not discuss his ‘garbage’ comment.

Fox News Digital’s Scott McDonald and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.