The White House later pushed back, issuing a transcript of Mr Biden’s remarks that included a longer quote and an apostrophe that suggested he had misspoken.
The White House later said that Mr Biden was specifically referring to Tony Hinchcliffe, the individual who made the “garbage” comment, releasing a transcript which put an apostrophe between the “r” and “s” of “supporter’s”.
“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s ─ his ─ his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American,” the White House transcript reads.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said Mr Biden’s words had been “taken out of context.”
“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,” she told reporters.
Asked about the incident on Wednesday, Ms Harris said Biden had “clarified his comments”, adding: “Let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.”
