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Biden's “garbage” comment is criticized by some Democrats

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WASHINGTON – Two congressional Democrats running in close races in 2024 became the latest members of President Joe Biden's party on Wednesday to criticize his “garbage” remark about Donald Trump's supporters.

Elissa Slotkin, the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, and Rep. Jared Golden, who is running for a fourth term in Maine, both expressed objection to the sitting president of the United States' comments.

“In light of what President Biden said yesterday, he shouldn’t have said it. I mean, it's inappropriate. And I just think that kind of talk is the last thing we need in our politics,” Slotkin told WWJ Newsradio, a local Michigan radio station.

Slotkin argued that most Michiganders want Democrats and Republicans to discuss their issues “in a civil and reasonable manner and not, you know, resort to name-calling.”

“I just didn't like that, I thought it was unnecessary, but that's why I think we're all ready for this election to be over,” she added.

In a post on X, Golden also expressed concerns about Biden's comments. “Any elected official or candidate who calls Americans or America 'trash' is dead wrong. We don’t need leaders to add fuel to the partisan fires that divide us.”

“Americans are connected to one another as citizens of our great country,” Golden added in a follow-up tweet. “What we need most is working together toward common goals and addressing common challenges for the benefit of our communities and our country.”

Golden is a large rural county spanning central and northern Maine. According to the Cook Political Report, his race against Republican challenger Austin Theriault, a former NASCAR driver, is considered a failure.

Slotkin, a three-term U.S. congresswoman, is running against Republican Mike Rogers for a Senate seat left open by retiring Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow. Numerous polls show Slotkin leading Rogers by several percentage points.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro have also sought to distance themselves from Biden's comments just days before Election Day on Nov. 5.

Biden's comments came after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe said Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage” during Trump's Madison Square Garden rally in New York on Sunday. During a Zoom call with a nonprofit, the president said that the only “trash” he saw “floating out there” was “the trash of his supporters,” although it was not clear at the time whether he was referring to Hinchcliffe or referred to all Trump supporters. Many Republicans interpreted it as the latter.

Biden later posted on

Shapiro told CNN on Tuesday night that he would “never insult the good people of Pennsylvania or any American, even if they chose to support a candidate that I did not support.” Harris said on Wednesday that the president did clarified his comments, but she was firmly against criticizing anyone “based on their vote.”

Contributors: Rebecca Morin and Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY

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