Trump fundraises off Biden’s ‘garbage’ comment:’ I love you!’

The Trump campaign decried President Biden’s calling MAGA supporters garbage and quickly aimed to raise money off the remark.

A fundraising email sent to supporters Wednesday said, “Breaking from Trump: You are the best this nation has to offer!”

“Moments ago, Kamala’s boss crooked Joe Biden just called ALL my supporters GARBAGE,” it said, adding, “HE WAS TALKING TO YOU!”

“FIRST Hillary called you a DEPLORABLE! THEN they called you a FASCIST! And moments ago Kamala’s boss Biden called you GARBAGE!”

The email said the comment was “nothing further from the truth.”

“My patriotic supporters are the BEST PEOPLE in the country — I LOVE YOU!” it said.

In a call Tuesday organized by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino, Mr. Biden defended Puerto Ricans, saying “They’re good, decent, honorable people.”

“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” Mr. Biden went on to say. “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been.”

The comment came after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe joked about Puerto Rico during the Trump rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

“I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” he said.

Republicans were quick to jump on Mr. Biden’s comment. Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an email Tuesday that Mr. Trump is “backed by Latinos, Black voters, union workers, angel moms, law enforcement officers, border patrol agents and Americans of all faiths — and Harris, Walz and Biden have labeled these great Americans as fascists, Nazis and now garbage.”

She added, “There’s no way to spin it: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris don’t just hate President Trump, they despise the tens of millions of Americans who support him. Kamala does not deserve four more years. President Trump will be a president for ALL Americans.”

White House spokesman Andrew Bates tried to clarify the president’s statement, saying he was referring “to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as garbage.”

But Mr. Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that the comedian’s joke wasn’t so horrible.

“Somebody said some bad things. Now, what they’ve done is taken somebody that has nothing to do with the party, has nothing to do with us, said something and they try to make a big deal,” Mr. Trump said. “I can’t imagine it’s a big deal.”

Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday tried to distance herself from both comments.

“I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” she said to reporters before flying to North Carolina for a campaign rally.