President Biden sparked a political firestorm Tuesday after calling supporters of former President Trump “garbage,” which could spell trouble for several incumbent Democratic senators running for re-election in key swing states where Trump is popular.
Fox News Digital reached out to five Democratic senators — Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Montana Sen. Jon Tester, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen, Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey and Arizona Senate candidate Ruben Gallego — for comment on Biden’s remarks.
“Tammy Baldwin does not agree with President Biden,” Andrew Mamo, Tammy Baldwin’s campaign spokesman, told Fox News Digital.
“Tammy is fighting for all Wisconsinites no matter who they are or who they vote for.”
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President Biden was widely criticized for his “garbage” remark about former President Trump’s supporters. (Getty Images)
A Rosen spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “Sen. Rosen strongly disagrees with disparaging anyone based on who they vote for. As one of the most bipartisan and independent senators, she works hard to find common ground across party lines and represent all Nevadans.”
“Jon Tester doesn’t agree with those comments and is proud to have the support of Montanans of all political stripes, including those who are voting for Donald Trump,” said Monica Robinson, spokesperson for Montanans for Tester.
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President Biden speaks at an election campaign event in Pittsburgh Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
“Sherrod doesn’t agree with that and fights for all Ohioans, regardless of who they vote for,” Brown campaign spokesperson Matt Keyes told Fox News Digital.
“I am running to represent all Arizonans, regardless of who they vote for,” Gallego told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“Sen. Casey respects all Pennsylvanians regardless of how they vote,” Casey campaign spokesperson Maddy McDaniel told Fox News Digital.
Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, running for Senate in the swing state of Michigan, spoke in opposition of Biden’s comment too.
“He shouldn’t have said it. It’s inappropriate,” Slotkin said during an appearance on local radio Wednesday morning. “For me, I just think that kind of talk is the last thing we need in our politics.”
While all the Democrats Fox News Digital reached out to condemned Biden’s “garbage” comment, some have disparaged Trump supporters, including Gallego and Brown. Gallego previously called Trump supporters “dumb” and the “worst people in the world.” Brown accused Trump’s supporters of “racism” and said it “works for them.”
During a virtual Kamla Harris campaign call with Voto Latino, Biden took a swipe at former President Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden, which made headlines after insult comedian Tony Hinchiffe made jokes mocking different ethnic groups. In one joke, he referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.”
“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.”
Former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, arrives to a Q&A with Pastor Paula White at the National Faith Advisory Summit Oct. 28, 2024, in Powder Springs, Ga. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
His remarks were quickly likened to Hillary Clinton’s labeling of half of Trump supporters as belonging in “a basket of deplorables” in 2016, a comment that was widely seen as undermining her campaign.
The White House attempted to clean up Biden’s remark.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich President Biden “referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage.’”
“The president was referencing a joke by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe in which he likened Puerto Rico to an island of floating ‘garbage’ in the middle of the ocean,” he said.
“So just to clarify, he was not calling Trump supporters garbage, which is why he put this out and is why he wanted to make sure that we put out a statement that clarified what he meant and what he was trying to say. And, so, just want to make that very clear for folks who are watching,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday.
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VP Kamala Harris distanced herself from Biden’s remarks Tuesday.
“I think that, first of all, he clarified his comments, but let me be clear. I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” Harris said.
Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report