Joe Biden issued a statement on Tuesday in which he previously “meant to say” that a pro-Trump comedian's “hateful rhetoric” about Puerto Rico is “garbage.” But in an edited video clip that was already widely shared on social media Tuesday night, one sentence from Biden's mouth was: “The only trash I see floating out there is his supporters.”

Republican politicians and right-wing media quickly seized on the clip, arguing that Biden had called Trump's supporters trash and comparing his comments to Hillary Clinton's description that half of Trump's supporters in 2016 belonged in “a basket of deplorables,” one op-ed said , which has been widely circulated, is seen as undermining their campaign.

Biden's full comments on Tuesday are somewhat garbled, and some journalists who transcribed the remarks argued that Biden appeared to actually be trying to refer to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe's comments, not all of Trump's supporters, while others reported that the President Trump actually suggested the supporters themselves were trash.

Biden's comments came during a Zoom call with Voto Latino, in which Biden referenced Hinchcliffe's comments and said the Puerto Ricans he knows are “good, decent, honorable people.” The only trash I see floating out there is that of his supporters – his – his demonization of things is unconscionable and un-American and completely contradictory to everything we've done.” However, it wasn't entirely clear whether he was singular “supporters” or the plural “supporters,” thereby describing Trump’s base more generally.

In the official transcript of Biden's remarks released Tuesday evening by the White House press office, the comment includes an apostrophe: “The only garbage I see floating out there is that of his supporters – his – his demonization of Latinos is incomprehensible and un-American.” “ .”

At a campaign rally with Trump, Sen. Marco Rubio called the remark “breaking news” and told Trump supporters that Biden had dismissed large numbers of everyday Americans as “garbage,” while conservative media outlets amplified the remark. Biden quickly tweeted that he “meant to say” that the comedian's comments were “garbage.”

The uproar over Biden's “garbage” remarks comes on what was supposed to be a big night for Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, as she tried to make her closing argument on the campaign trail and urge the country to “do this.” Turning the tide on Trump.” . Harris spoke to tens of thousands of supporters in Washington DC. She made her case at the site where Trump addressed his supporters on January 6, before many of them stormed into the US capital to prevent the certification of Biden's 2020 election victory.

Biden's slightly distorted original comments represent another faux pas for a gaffe-prone politician on the eve of a very close election.

Polling averages show Harris and Trump remain locked in a presidential race that the Guardian's poll tracker describes as extremely close.

On Tuesday night, pollster Nate Silver tweeted that if Harris loses, “you'll get a strong opinion from me about Joe Biden.”

Hinchcliffe, the host of a podcast called “Kill Tony,” was the first speaker at a pro-Trump rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night. His racist comments sparked widespread condemnation, including from Republicans, and were even disavowed by the Trump campaign.

“Right now there is literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean. Yes. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” Hinchcliffe said. He also said that Latinos “love having babies… There's no backing out.” They don't. They are coming in, just like they did in our country.”

NBC reported that Hinchcliffe tested the same joke about Puerto Rico at a comedy show in New York the night before the Trump rally and that the joke was a resounding success.