“The Only Garbage I See Is His Supporters”: White House Alters Transcript of Biden’s Swipe at MAGA Supporters

A minor punctuation change in the official transcript of a call between President Joe Biden and Latino activists has sparked significant controversy. As reported by the Associated Press on Thursday night, White House press officials modified the transcript of Biden’s remarks in response to MAGA supporters of former President Donald Trump, sparking accusations of altering the president’s words to soften their impact.

The original incident occurred on a video call Tuesday night when Biden, reacting to Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally, described certain supporters as “garbage.” During the call, Biden remarked, “Well, let me tell you something…the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.” The statement was a response to a racist joke made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, also known as “Kill Tony,” who had directed derogatory comments toward Puerto Rico during the rally.

Biden’s remark quickly gained traction as a potential gaffe, leading to an outcry from conservative circles who criticized the president’s wording. Shortly after, Biden’s team moved to clarify his comments on social media, emphasizing that the president’s critique was aimed specifically at Hinchcliffe, not Trump supporters at large. However, the controversy grew when the official White House transcript modified the statement to read “supporters” rather than “supporters.”

This subtle change shifted the statement to imply Biden was referring only to Hinchcliffe rather than to a broader group of Trump supporters, fueling further debate about the White House’s handling of the situation. The Associated Press noted that federal stenographers—responsible for documenting the president’s statements verbatim—were overruled in this instance.

An internal email obtained by the AP from the head of the stenographers’ office criticized the alteration, calling it “a breach of protocol and spoilation of transcript integrity between the Stenography and Press Offices.” The email indicated that Biden himself was “conferred with” before the change was implemented, suggesting that the White House press team sought his input to manage the potential fallout.

While Biden worked to reframe his statement, Vice President Kamala Harris has distanced herself from his remarks, maintaining a careful stance on the issue. Meanwhile, Trump has capitalized on the controversy, incorporating Biden’s words into his own political messaging. Trump’s team quickly transformed the remark into a fundraising opportunity, using it as fuel to rally his base. Trump even appeared in a garbage truck for a photo-op on Wednesday, embracing the term to underscore his opposition to Biden.

This incident sheds light on the sensitivity around political rhetoric, particularly when it involves divisive terms aimed at voters. The alteration of the transcript, despite being a minor grammatical adjustment, has raised questions about transparency in the White House’s portrayal of presidential statements. Critics argue that any alteration of official transcripts undermines the integrity of presidential records and the public’s ability to hold leaders accountable for their words.

As the controversy around Biden’s remark continues to unfold, both sides have leveraged it for political gain, with Trump using it to consolidate his base and Biden’s team attempting to mitigate potential fallout.

Ultimately, this incident exemplifies the intense scrutiny of public figures’ language and the influence of even the smallest changes in official documents. With the 2024 election season heating up, every word choice has become an opportunity for political maneuvering, underscoring the deeply polarized nature of American politics today.