By It appears that Joe Biden’s administration has blatantly violated the law in an effort to clean up the president’s mess. White House press officials altered the official transcript of a recent call in which Biden disparaged supporters of former President Donald Trump, calling them “garbage.” The edits prompted objections from the federal stenography team responsible for documenting such remarks, according to two government officials and an internal email obtained by The Associated Press.
President Biden’s comments came during a call with Latino activists on Tuesday, where he responded to racist remarks made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally, referring to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” Biden, according to the original transcript prepared by White House stenographers, replied to the activists, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”
Sometimes the Democrat elite tell us what they really think of us. Hillary Clinton thinks we are “deplorables”. Joe Biden thinks we are “garbage.” Kamala Harris thinks we are so stupid as to believe her lies.
We deserve better. Vote Trump pic.twitter.com/cwEBnGSbLj
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) October 30, 2024
The official White House transcript, however, modified the wording, changing “supporters” to “supporter’s,” which the administration claimed rephrased Biden’s criticism as aimed specifically at Hinchcliffe rather than Trump’s supporters. This alteration led to immediate internal tension. In an email, the head of the stenography office labeled the edit a “breach of protocol and spoliation of transcript integrity,” emphasizing that any changes must be approved by the office.
The edited transcript was published amid a media storm around Biden’s comments, drawing swift fundraising responses from Trump’s campaign. Trump himself staged a photo op inside a garbage truck to amplify his criticism of Biden’s words, while Vice President Kamala Harris expressed disapproval, marking a significant public departure from Biden’s comments. “I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” she stated.
Biden, attempting to clarify, posted on social media that his comments were aimed specifically at “hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico.” Nevertheless, the incident drew scrutiny from House Republicans.
Representative Elise Stefanik and House Oversight Chairman James Comer accused the White House of issuing a “false transcript” and have requested the administration retain all internal communications concerning Biden’s remarks, citing possible violations of the Presidential Records Act.
White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates defended the transcript as reflecting Biden’s intent to condemn Hinchcliffe’s rhetoric. As Republican lawmakers consider launching an investigation, the controversy continues to raise questions about the White House’s handling of presidential transcripts and their political implications.
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