Biden's criticism of Trump supporters misconstrued, ignored, manipulated by the media: 'It's all about punctuation'

The media pundits and journalists rushed to defend, dismiss or downplay President Biden's suggestion that former President Trump's supporters are "garbage," creating a polarizing news cycle playing out on social media.

Biden criticized Trump's rally in Madison Square Garden during a virtual campaign call with Voto Latino, where comedian Tony Hinchiffe made offensive jokes about different ethnic groups, including Puerto Rico being referred to as a "floating island of garbage."

"His supporters are the only garbage floating out there," Biden said, before adding, "His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and un-American."

The comment made by Biden about his supporter's demonization of Latinos sparked criticism, but many journalists and news organizations rushed to clean up the mess. The White House added an apostrophe to Biden's remarks, making it seem like he 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." Biden later claimed that he was referring specifically to the comedian at a Trump rally whose shot at Puerto Rico went viral over the weekend.

The aftermath of the incident prompted some journalists to defend Biden, while others criticized the press and argued that incidents like this contribute to the public's distrust of the media.

MSNBC host and Politico White House bureau chief Jonathan Lemire defended the quote by stating that it was being "taken out of context" and shared a transcript similar to the White House's version.

Republican strategist Matt Whitlock accused Lemire of "shameful gaslighting."

Whitlock responded by stating that Jonathan is lying and spreading a false transcript, and that it is clear from the audio that Biden said "the only garbage I see out there is his supporters... and ... and... his demonization.." However, the transcript has been edited to say "his supporters' demonization."

Whitlock posted the White House transcript, which he referred to as the "actual" version.

NPR, ABC's "Good Morning America" and MSNBC all took the "Republicans pounce" approach to the story, with NPR publishing the headline, "Biden's 'garbage' remarks give Trump and GOP new fodder on the trail," after ignoring the story during its flagship morning show. On ABC, the story was teased as "Republicans are trying to seize on something President Biden said."

On MSNBC, Lemire stated that the story was "on the right" and that Republicans were attempting to portray the comment as the next "basket of deplorables," alluding to Hillary Clinton's 2016 remark about Trump supporters.

According to MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, it is clear that Joe Biden does not agree with the president's statement.

The View," an ABC talk show with hosts who are against Trump, dismissed Republicans' complaints about Biden's remarks, arguing that Trump had made even worse comments about his opponent's supporters.

"Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of The View, commented on Hillary Clinton's use of the word 'deplorable' to describe certain individuals, saying, 'I don't understand why you're making such a big deal out of it, it was just a tongue slip,'"

John Harwood, a left-wing journalist and former CNN reporter who supports the Biden administration, criticized the "phony outrage" over Biden's comment, while Chris Cillizza, another ex-CNN personality, was reprimanded by far-left media personality Keith Olbermann for his take on the matter.

While Cillizza deemed the White House's explanation as "laughable," Olbermann disagreed.

Olbermann responded on X, "Beneath even you, Chris, descending to whoring yourself and lying for Trump."

Mark Preston, a senior political analyst at CNN, advised Biden to accept the remark rather than making excuses.

Journalist Michael Shellenberger mocked the New York Times headline that portrayed Biden as insulting Trump supporters as "garbage," but quickly tried to clarify.

According to Shellenberger, the New York Times misrepresented Biden's statement by saying he only "appeared" to call Trump voters "garbage." However, the video clearly shows what Biden said. The White House has also altered the official transcript, which could be a violation of the Presidential Records Act.

Shellenberger disagreed with the Washington Post's portrayal of the situation, as the paper's headline suggested that Biden had called Trump supporters "garbage" and that the president had merely misspoken.

Shellenberger wrote that WaPo characterized a "garbage" reference as a "disputed" statement, deemed a "racist remark" about Puerto Rico's trash problem, and attributed the "garbage" smear to Trump's "record of verbal gaffes." However, WaPo also noted that Trump has a history of making "vicious attacks" against his political opponents.

Another Washington Post analysis article was titled, "Biden's 'garbage' remark: Is it accurate to say he called Trump supporters that?" Writer Aaron Blake deemed Biden's explanation of his mistake to be "entirely plausible."

Blake admitted that Democrats should be relieved that the man who consistently makes mistakes like this is no longer their ticket leader.

On Wednesday, Planet Chronicle chief political analyst Brit Hume wrote that while it may be acceptable for media outlets to dismiss Biden's use of the term "garbage" to describe Trump supporters as an unwise statement from an elderly man, it is entirely different to pretend he didn't say it or to ignore it completely, which he believes is an example of media being corrupted by politics.

Planet Chronicle contributor Guy Benson also blasted the press over the entire ordeal.

The controversy surrounding the "garbage" incident is a reflection of the low trust in media. The media spent days overreacting to a Trump rally pre-show warm-up act insult comic's bad jokes, particularly one about Puerto Rico being a garbage island. They made it the lead story in the country, claiming it was significant, moving votes, and part of their already-heated "Nazi/Fascist" narrative.

"The sitting President of the United States referred to his opposition party's supporters as "garbage" in a clear and unambiguous manner, which was captured on video. However, the "news" professionals immediately turned around and attempted to manipulate the quote, offering up various excuses, explaining why it was insignificant, or completely ignoring it altogether. This is a clear example of how bias can lead to self-discrediting behavior, and it serves as a helpful reminder of the importance of objectivity in journalism."