(Washington) By calling Donald Trump supporters “rubbish”, Joe Biden did not just make yet another blunder. He confirmed that he was a liability for Kamala Harris, who is now keeping him as far away from her campaign as possible.
The octogenarian president made this mistake on Tuesday, in a video call during which he criticized the comments, denounced as racist, of a comedian. He compared Puerto Rico to a “floating island of garbage” during a Donald Trump rally on Sunday.
“The only garbage I see floating around here is his supporters,” Joe Biden said, sparking consternation in the Democratic camp.
The White House and the unpopular president himself quickly reversed course, asserting that only the comedian's “odious rhetoric” was targeted, and not Donald Trump's supporters.
But the damage was done and the Republicans did not waste a minute to exploit the blunder.
Apologies demanded
“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris hate America,” said Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for the Republican candidate. “Kamala must answer for this shameful attack on tens of millions of Americans. »
“It’s terrible to say that,” insisted Donald Trump, at a meeting in Pennsylvania. During this same rally, Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican tenor, demanded an apology from Joe Biden. “We are not trash. We are patriots who love America,” he said.
The day after an emblematic evening which saw her bring together tens of thousands of activists in Washington, Kamala Harris found herself on Wednesday having to limit the damage caused.
“I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” she said.
In the Democratic camp, everyone keeps in mind the resounding mistake made by Hillary Clinton during a fundraising evening in September 2016 in New York. She estimated that half of Donald Trump's supporters were “pitiful” people.
Despite the public regrets of the Democratic candidate, this contemptuous expression was proudly repeated over and over again by the Trumpists, with the billionaire even making a television advertisement for it.
And, when it came time to take stock of Hillary Clinton's defeat, the impact of the insult was considered notable.
Last week, Joe Biden gave the Democrats another cold sweat, declaring, still regarding Donald Trump: “We have to lock him up.” He then corrected the situation, claiming to have meant “lock him up politically”.
Could his latest gaffe work against Kamala Harris come voting time? “It’s possible. It’s so tight that anything can count,” John Hansen, a political scientist at the University of Chicago, told AFP.
In video – Controversial remarks about Puerto Rico: Trump says he does not know the comedian
Beyoncé, not Biden
Having replaced Joe Biden in the race for the White House in July, Kamala Harris initially placed her candidacy in the footsteps of the president, claiming to take responsibility for his program and his record.
But in recent weeks she has understood her interest in promising a change of direction for the executive, if she is elected, and in distancing herself from the leader worn down by the years.
In recent days, the vice president has also carefully chosen the people who join her on her campaign stands. Among a line-up of stars, she was able to count on Beyoncé, global pop star and Bruce Springsteen, rock legend. Or Barack Obama and especially his wife Michelle, a political phenomenon.
“Harris should obviously avoid appearing together with Biden until the election is over. Biden is quite unpopular, he is rusty and he has lost his touch,” political science professor Larry Sabato summarizes to AFP.
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