Apostrophe added to transcript White House allegedly altered transcript of Biden's "garbage" comment
White House press officers have altered the transcript of a video call by Joe Biden in which the US president referred to supporters of his predecessor Donald Trump as "garbage", according to the AP news agency.
01.11.2024, 05:34
01.11.2024, 05:47
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- White House press officers are said to have altered the transcript of a video call made by Joe Biden in which the US president called supporters of his predecessor Donald Trump "garbage".
- This was reported by the AP news agency, citing two US government officials familiar with the events.
- Biden's remarks drove Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris up the wall during the election campaign - the US president's latest misstep sent the Democratic Party into a panic.
The incident just days before the US presidential election sparked dissent among US officials who document such correspondence for posterity, two US government officials who wished to remain anonymous confirmed, according to an email obtained by the AP on Thursday.
Biden, speaking to a Latino group on Tuesday night (local time), according to the transcript prepared by official White House stenographers, said: "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters." And, "His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and un-American."
However, an apostrophe was added to the transcript published by the White House press office, which decisively changes the meaning of the sentence. Instead of "supporters", it reads "supporter's". This would make the translation of the sentence read: "The only garbage I see floating around out there is that of his supporters."
Comedian at Trump event called Puerto Rico "garbage island"
According to the internal email correspondence, the change was made after the head of the stenography office consulted with the president. The authenticity of the communication was confirmed to the AP by the two government representatives.
Biden's remarks came as a blow to Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris during the election campaign: almost simultaneously, she gave a speech at the White House in which she called for Americans with dissenting views to be treated with respect.
Biden's remarks referred to a speech at a Trump campaign rally in New York in which comedian Tony Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as a "floating garbage island".