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‘Saved it’: Trump’s campaign manager credits a former U.S. president for defusing backlash after Trump rallies

Jon Stewart talking about Tony Hinchcliffe on the Daily Show
(Comedy Central)
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Voters were angered at the racist jokes that were performed at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden (MSG) rally, but outgoing President Joe Biden’s comments right after seemed to have offended voters more.

The controversial comedy set by Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage.” Even other Republicans and Trump allies found the jokes ill-suited for a political rally. Nevertheless, even Trump himself was “aggravated” by the incident. Chief Pollster Tony Fabrizio called the set an “unenforced error.” He added that the team “weren’t happy that it happened.”

Three days after the controversial comedy sketch, President Joe Biden called Trump supporters trash. He stated, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s – his – his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”

Co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita claimed that Biden’s offhanded comment “saved it.” The Trump team planned to just release an apology statement and move on. Instead, Biden’s remark became the talk of the news cycle and was largely condemned. Biden’s words were not taken as a direct condemnation of the offensive comedian. Rather, his words were taken as an insult to Trump’s supporters as a whole.

Problem diverted

In retaliation, Trump supporters decided to dress as garbage cans and trash during Halloween. Biden was forced to clarify and issue an apology. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also stated that Biden “does not view Trump supporters or anybody who supports Trump as garbage.”

Kamala Harris, Trump’s opponent and Biden’s current vice president, attempted to distance herself from the comments. Harris said in an interview, “I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.” Nonetheless, there was still rage against Biden’s comments, which may have harmed Harris’ bid for the presidency. What should have been the problem of the Trump campaign became Harris’ problem, largely through association.

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Author
Vanessa Esguerra
Vanessa Esguerra (She/They) has been a Contributing Writer for The Mary Sue since 2023. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy, she (happily) rejected law school in 2021 and has been a full-time content writer since. Vanessa is currently taking her Master's degree in Japanese Studies in hopes of deepening her understanding of the country's media culture in relation to pop culture, women, and queer people like herself. She speaks three languages but still manages to get lost in the subways of Tokyo with her clunky Japanese. Fueled by iced coffee brewed from local cafés in Metro Manila, she also regularly covers anime and video games while queuing for her next match in League of Legends.

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