(NewsNation) — Vice President Kamala Harris says she “strongly disagrees” with criticizing people based on who they vote. Her comments come one day after President Joe Biden called former President Donald Trump’s supporters “garbage.”
“I believe the work that I do is about representing all the people, whether they support me or not,” Harris told reporters before reporters before heading to North Carolina for a campaign event. “And as president of the United States, I will be a president for all Americans whether you vote for me or not. That’s my responsibility and that’s the kind of work that I’ve done my entire career and I take it very seriously.”
The back-and-forth name-calling began during a weekend Trump rally at Madison Square Garden, where a comedian and guest speaker called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”
Biden responded Tuesday saying: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been.”
He later clarified the statement on social media.
“Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage — which is the only word I can think of to describe it,” Biden said. “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.”
At a rally in North Carolina Wednesday, Trump said Biden “finally said what he and Kamala really think of our supporters.”
“My response to Joe and Kamala is very simple: you can’t lead America if you don’t love Americans,” Trump said.
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