Harris, Trump back in battleground states; Biden “garbage” comment sparks outrage

Billionaire Elon Musk has been ordered by a judge to attend a Philadelphia court hearing Thursday morning after he was sued by District Attorney Larry Krasner over his $1 million giveaway to voters, according to court documents.

Musk, who founded Tesla and SpaceX, has thrown his full support behind former President Donald Trump in his run for a second term in the White House. Nearly two weeks ago, he vowed to hand out $1 million a day until Election Day on Nov. 5 to voters who signed his PAC’s petition supporting the First Amendment and Second Amendment of the Constitution.

Last week, Krasner sued Musk, alleging that Musk and his super PAC are trying to influence voters through the effort.

Some experts have questioned the legality of Musk’s actions to give voters $1 million.

“The actions that we’re seeing…it violates federal law pretty clearly. Actually, I don’t think it’s a particularly close call,” Adav Noti, executive director of the Campaign Legal Center, told CBS News last week. 

Read more here. 

A video making the rounds on social media claims “foreigners” were allowed to cut the line at a remote voting location in South Park in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County. But county officials said that’s not true and those in line were registered voters.

The video was purportedly recorded Saturday, Oct. 26, and claims “foreigners” cut in front of others standing in line and were given special treatment, but the Allegheny County Elections Division said that didn’t happen. 

In a statement, the county elections division said a group of voters who came to apply for mail-in ballots needed the help of translators. There was a brief conversation between the voters, their translators and a county employee. The group initially moved to the front of the line for instructions.

“The deadline to register to vote was October 21. Therefore, any individual who requested a mail-in ballot this past weekend only would have been given a ballot if they  were already registered. Only US Citizens may register to vote,” the county said in a statement.

Read full coverage from CBS Pittsburgh.

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday climbed into a trash truck adorned with Trump signs and American flags to speak to reporters ahead of a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin. 

Wearing an orange vest, Trump said the truck was in honor of people that voted for him, a reference to President Joe Biden’s comments in the wake of a joke comparing Puerto Rico to garbage at Trump’s rally in New York City.

“We’re not garbage,” he said. “I can tell you who the real garbage is but we won’t say that.”

It was the latest salvo as both Democrats and Republicans have seized on the comments to motivate voters in the waning days of the election. Trump said the truck was in honor of Mr. Biden and the Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Joe Biden should be ashamed of himself, if he knows what he’s even doing. And she should be ashamed, because she shouldn’t let him do it. She’s the Vice President, but I assume she’s acting as the president. She should never have let that happen,” Trump said Wednesday ahead of his rally in Wisconsin. “I hope you enjoyed this garbage truck.”

—Jake Rosen and Olivia Rinaldi

In the home stretch of the 2024 election, after a racist comment at a Trump rally comparing Puerto Rico to garbage, both parties are trying to fan political flames to burn the opposition on congressional races, in addition to the presidential contest.

In the hours after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe told a racist joke about Puerto Ricans at a rally for former President Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Democrats circulated a list of competitive U.S. House races in which people of Puerto Rican descent make up large percentages of the electorate.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Republican operatives have tried to seize on a gaffe by President Biden, in which he used the term “garbage” to describe the Trump supporter who made the racist joke. But Republicans have accused Mr. Biden of instead referring to all Trump supporters as “garbage” and are trying to tie Democratic congressional candidates to their accusation regarding the president’s words. 

Read here for more about the congressional candidates’ responses to the “garbage” controversies.

Speaking in Charlotte, North Carolina, Walz commented on Harris’ speech at Washington, D.C.’s Ellipse that drew tens of thousands of her supporters. 

“I heard people kind of making what happened was, it was, it was her closing statement,” Walz said. “That wasn’t a closing statement. That was the opening of her presidency.”

Authorities in Portland, Oregon, offered more details Wednesday after explosive devices were placed in ballot boxes in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. Local authorities believe the incidents in Portland and Vancouver are connected. 

Police said they believe the suspect is a white male between 30 and 40 years old, with a “wealth of experience in metal fabrication,” according to Portland Police Bureau spokesman Mike Benner. 

“It’s very possible the suspect continues targeted attacks across the area,” Benner said. 

A judge ruled that Bucks County voters will be able to apply for, receive, vote, and return a mail-in ballot until the close of business on Friday, Nov. 1 after campaigns for former President Donald Trump and Republican Sen. candidate Dave McCormick sued the county over long lines and voters being turned away. 

The suit, filed in the Court of Common Pleas in Bucks County, asked for mail ballot voting on demand to be offered for one more day. On Wednesday, the judge agreed. 

The docket from the Common Pleas of Bucks County, Pennsylvania states, “Defendants [Bucks County Board of Election] actions in turning away voters who sought to apply for a mail-in ballot and receive one in person before the deadline of 5 p.m. on Oct. 29, violated the Pennsylvania Election Code. Defendants shall permit any persons who wishes to apply for, receive, vote, and return a mail-in ballot to appear at the Elections Bureau office and do so during normal business hours before the close of business on Nov. 1.”

Pennsylvania doesn’t have early voting on voting machines like other states — the closest thing to it is called mail ballot voting on demand.

Read more from CBS Philadelphia. 

— Jan Carabeo, Josh Sanders, Tom Dougherty, Joe Brandt, Nikki DeMentri

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the handful of ballot box fires around the country “unacceptable,” and said the Biden administration is working with state officials to replace ballots and protect against future incidents. 

“It is unacceptable,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre siad. “Every eligible American has the right, has the right to make their voices heard, and so we are committed to making sure that Americans’ right to vote … occurs, right? We are committed to that, and we want to make sure that is not undermined. And so, we’re working with state officials providing replacement ballots to those affected and are working to protect against future incidents.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tried to clarify the president’s “garbage” comments Wednesday, as the White House continues to clean up the president’s Tuesday night remarks. 

“Just to clarify, he was not calling Trump supporters garbage, which is why he put out, this is why he wanted to make sure that we put out a statement that clarified what he meant and what he was trying to say,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. “He does not view Trump supporters, or anybody who supports Trump as garbage. That is not what he views.”

With Election Day nearing, authorities in Oregon and Washington have opened investigations and stepped up security measures after two ballot drop boxes were set ablaze on Monday. 

Three ballots were damaged after an incendiary device was found inside a ballot box in Portland, Oregon, on Monday. And on the same day, officials feared hundreds of ballots were damaged by a fire in a ballot box in nearby Vancouver, Washington. Police said a “suspicious device” was found next to the box. 

Ballot drop boxes have historically been targets of misinformation, according to experts, who say the false claims surged in 2020 when then-President Donald Trump raised doubts about the security of mail-in ballots. Drop boxes are now facing growing physical threats, according to election officials and internal U.S. government warnings. 

U.S. intelligence officials said “domestic violent extremists” may target ballot drop boxes because of their accessibility, according to internal reports issued by the Department of Homeland Security and FBI in the months leading up to the election. 

Read more here. 

“You are not garbage! I love you! You are the best our nation has to offer.” That’s the subject line of Trump’s latest fundraising email, after the president’s “garbage” comments Tuesday night. 

“Last night, Kamala’s boss crooked Joe Biden just called ALL my supporters GARBAGE – HE WAS TALKING TO YOU!” the fundraising email said. 

Harris sought Wednesday morning to distance herself from Mr. Biden’s comments, saying she “strongly” disagrees with “any criticism of people based on who they vote for.” Harris said she will represent all people, “whether they support me or not.” 

Days after a comedian at Trump’s rally held at Madison Square Garden in New York City insulted Puerto Rico, calling it a “floating island of garbage,” Puerto Rican artist Nicky Jam rescinded his endorsement of the former president. 

In a video posted to Instagram, he said, “I initially backed Trump was because I thought it was the best for the economy in the United States,” adding “I never thought in my life that a month later a comedian would come along and criticize my country, speak poorly of my country, therefore I renounce any support for Donald Trump.” 

Nicky Jam and Trump appeared together at a campaign rally in Las Vegas last month, during which the singer said, “We need Donald Trump as president again.”

A former Republican candidate for Congress in Indiana has been charged with stealing election ballots during a voting machine test earlier this month.

Larry Savage, who lost in the Republican primary in the 5th Congressional District in Indiana in May, has been charged with one felony count of destroying or misplacing a ballot, and one misdemeanor count of theft, according to Indiana State Police.

On Oct. 3, officials were conducting a public test of the ballot card voting system in Madison County in central Indiana, using four voting machines and 132 ballots marked for testing, police said. During the test, two ballots were discovered to be missing after an initial tabulation.

Read more CBS Chicago. 

As the Latino vote gains attention in the 2024 election, concerns arise over targeted misinformation. Roberta Braga, co-founder of the Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas, joins “CBS Mornings” to discuss how false narratives are impacting this key demographic.

In a key U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania, Democratic incumbent Bob Casey is still ahead. His lead over Republican Dave McCormick currently stands at six points, which is within the margin of error.

More of the state’s voters describe Casey’s positions as generally “reasonable” than “extreme” — and on this measure, he has an advantage over McCormick who draws more mixed views. 

Read more about the poll here.

Buzz Aldrin, the second person to walk on the moon, revealed in a statement shared to social media that he is supporting Trump in the race for president, citing in part his administration’s approach to space and the creation of the U.S. Space Force.

Aldrin, who served as the lunar module pilot on Apollo 11, said the nation is facing challenges at home and abroad, and said the U.S. needs a “proven, serious, tested leader for president.”

“Most citizens rightly consider it an honor to cast their vote for a leader they believe will best serve the nation – our government by, for and of the people,” he said. “For me, for the future of our nation, to meet enormous challenges, and for the proven policy accomplishments above, I believe the nation is best served by voting for Donald J. Trump. I wholeheartedly endorse him for President of the United States. Godspeed President Trump, and God Bless the United States of America.” 

Aldrin said that the job of the president “requires sober analysis of frightening scenarios, and the instinct to lead with resolve,” and the presidency mandates an “understanding of human nature, clarity in judgment, decisiveness, knowledge, understanding and calm under pressures” that he said few have.

“In this election, we have a choice. We all have one vote,” he said. “For some, the choice may not be easy – but in times of uncertainty real leaders are most needed – to guide and inspire a people, to push through the noise, recognize what really matters, and accomplish missions critical to all citizens.” 

With less than a week to go until Election Day, some top elections officials – including in key battleground states – are recommending voters with mail-in ballots to return them in person.

The U.S. Postal Service released a statement on Tuesday telling voters it was “ready to deliver the nation’s election mail” and that for voters with ballots due on Election Day, “it would be a good idea to mail it by this Tuesday, Oct. 29.”

With that date now passed, some officials in states where ballots are due on Election Day are asking voters to take charge and hand in their mail ballots themselves.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 32 states require absentee or mail-in ballots to be returned on or before Election Day. Others allow for late delivery as long as ballots are postmarked by Election Day – some require it to be postmarked by the day before.

In the battleground state of Pennsylvania, mail-in ballots cannot be accepted if they arrive after 8 p.m. on Election Day. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt gave a recommendation Tuesday that did not encourage voters to mail their mail-in ballots.

Read more from CBS Philadelphia. 

More than 55 million people have cast their ballots either in person or by mail during early voting as of Wednesday afternoon, weighing in on the presidential contest and down-ballot races ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5.

Data compiled by the University of Florida Election Lab shows that more than 29 million early votes have been cast at polling places in-person, and another 25.9 million mail ballots have been returned. There were more than 65.6 million mail ballots requested.

Read the full story here.

Republicans are investing more in advertisements in three key Senate races in the final week of the campaign, according to AdImpact. Of the four races considered by the Cook Political Report to be tossups — Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio — Republicans have invested more in advertising in three, while Democrats have an edge in advertising in Ohio in the final week of the campaign. 

Republicans have also invested more money in Nevada, Texas and Florida advertisements, while Democrats have done the same in Montana, Arizona and Maryland — races that will also be key to holding or building a majority in the chamber.

Republicans are looking at a favorable map in the Senate this election cycle, defending far fewer seats than Democrats as they fight to flip control of the Senate. 

As of Wednesday, there were still about 140,000 outstanding absentee ballots statewide, according to Gabe Sterling, chief operating officer of the secretary of state in Georgia, who spoke at a news conference today. The secretary of state’s office is urging Georgia voters to check the the state’s voter page to make sure their ballot is accepted. If their ballots are not accepted by Thursday evening, when early voting ends in Georgia, the state’s voters are being urged to go and vote early in person on Friday.

Once all the election results are in, Sterling said the office is expecting lawsuits from both sides.

“We have already talked with the governor’s office about getting additional resources,” Sterling said.

With Election Day nearing, authorities in Oregon and Washington have opened investigations and stepped up security measures after two ballot drop boxes were set ablaze on Monday. 

Three ballots were damaged after an incendiary device was found inside a ballot box in Portland, Oregon, on Monday. And on the same day, officials feared hundreds of ballots were damaged by a fire in a ballot box in nearby Vancouver, Washington. Police said a “suspicious device” was found next to the box. 

Ballot drop boxes have historically been targets of misinformation, according to experts, who say the false claims surged in 2020 when then-President Donald Trump raised doubts about the security of mail-in ballots. Drop boxes are now facing growing physical threats, according to election officials and internal U.S. government warnings.

Read the full story here.

Less than a week before Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris picked up an endorsement from a prominent Republican: former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“I don’t really do endorsements. I’m not shy about sharing my views, but I hate politics and don’t trust most politicians,” Schwarzenegger wrote in a lengthy post on X, adding that as a former governor, he understands why people look to him to weigh in on key races. 

Schwarzenegger said he will “always be an American before I am a Republican,” adding that Trump’s comments about the nation being a garbage can for the world are “so unpatriotic, it makes me furious.”

“That’s why, this week, I am voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,” he said. 

Schwarzenegger was a constant critic of Trump and his administration – and notably didn’t endorse his fellow Republican in either 2016 or 2020.

Read more from CBS Sacramento here.

In neighboring New Jersey towns, political differences are on stark display, with Harris-Walz signs scattered across laws in one, and Trump-Vance signs in the other. “CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil sat down with two local couples from who disagree on politics to watch their favorite cable news channels — and discuss how the country has become so divided. 

Watch the full conversation in the player above.

An 18-year-old Florida man is in custody after he wielded a machete at a polling station in Florida Tuesday, in an apparent attempt to harass voters who did not share his political views, police said. The man came with a group to the polling site to demonstrate support for former President Donald Trump, authorities said.

Caleb Williams is charged with aggravated assault on a person 65 years of age or older and improper exhibition of a firearm or dangerous weapon for his alleged role in the incident, said Neptune Beach Police Chief Michael Key at a news conference. 

The incident happened at around 4:00 p.m. ET Tuesday afternoon in the parking lot of Beaches Branch Library, which operated as an early voting facility ahead of the Nov. 5 election, the police chief said. Williams arrived at the property with a group of teenagers who traveled to the polling location “to protest and antagonize the opposing political side,” Key said.

Read more here.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed Virginia to move forward with its removal of roughly 1,600 alleged noncitizens from its voter rolls just days before the 2024 election.

The high court granted a request from state officials to pause a lower court order that blocked Virginia from continuing its systematic voter removal program that was launched in August, exactly 90 days before Election Day. A provision of the National Voter Registration Act requires states to complete programs aimed at purging ineligible voters from registration lists up to 90 days before federal elections.

Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson said they would have denied the request from Virginia officials.

Virginia officials had asked the Supreme Court to grant its request for emergency relief by Tuesday. They claimed that the district court’s order violates Virginia law “and common sense,” and “mandates a variety of disruptive measures.” 

The injunction issued by the lower court will harm “Virginia’s sovereignty, confuse her voters, overload her election machinery and administrators, and likely lead noncitizens to think they are permitted to vote, a criminal offense that will cancel the franchise of eligible voters,” state officials wrote.

Read more here. 

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger held a news conference Wednesday morning to discuss the election as his state’s early voting period continued into its second week. With six days still to go before polls close on Nov. 5, Raffensperger said more than 3 million ballots have already been cast at in-person early voting stations, which he called “unprecedented in Georgia history.”

Raffensperger centered his remarks around the importance of a peaceful transfer of power once votes are certified and a winner is declared. Georgia is a battleground state where both Trump and Kamala Harris have and continue to focus their 2024 campaigns, and in 2020, Raffensperger was pressured by Trump to “find” nearly 12,000 additional votes. 

“This will be my team’s second presidential election. We have overseen thousands of elections since 2018, with thousands of elected officials successfully and wonderfully accepting their own wins, and thousands of opponents gracefully conceding to those who have won,” Raffensberger said Wednesday. 

He went on to recount an anecdote about his grandson’s baseball team showing good sportsmanship when they congratulated their competitors after losing a playoff game.

“I think that’s what America is. It’s gracefully accepting your win but also gracefully accepting your losses,” Raffensperger said. “And I have no control over human behavior, but I have made sure since 2018 that I will hold both parties accountable to you, the voters of Georgia. And I stand ready to defend the results of the election with election officials all across the states who will do our job.”

Early voting began Wednesday in Oklahoma, with polls open from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. ET until Friday and then 9 a.m. to 3 p.m ET on Saturday.

More than 55 million Americans have voted early in dozens of states. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia offer some form of early or mail voting.

Tulsa County Election Board Secretary Gwen Freeman told CBS Tulsa affiliate KOTV that “The lines are going to be long. That you can absolutely rely on.” 

Harris sought to clarify Mr. Biden’s comments on Tuesday night that appeared to refer to “garbage” supporters of Trump. Since the remarks caused an uproar among Republicans, Mr. Biden has said that he was referring to the comedian who made the racist jokes about Puerto Rico, not all of Trump’s supporters. 

“First of all, he clarified his comments but let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” Harris said Wednesday before boarding Air Force Two. “You heard my speech last night: I believe the work that I do is about representing all the people, whether they support me or not and as president of the United States, I will be a President for all Americans if you vote for me or not.”

Trump, Harris and Walz will all be campaigning in North Carolina on Wednesday, with Trump visiting the western part of the state, while Harris hitting Raleigh and Walz in Charlotte and Greensboro. 

Although North Carolina has only voted for a Democrat in one presidential election since 2008, both candidates are seeking the state’s 16 Electoral College votes. 

Trump will be holding a rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, which has been hit hard by Hurricane Helene. Trump also visited Asheville, Greenville and Greensboro last week — all in hard-hit western North Carolina. 

Rocky Mount is located in Nash County, which voted for McCain in 2008, Obama in 2012, Trump in 2016 before Mr. Biden won it by 120 votes in 2020. This is Trump’s 15th stop this cycle in North Carolina. 

Harris, meanwhile, headed to Raleigh Wednesday morning for a campaign rally. Walz is participating in campaign events in Charlotte, Greensboro and Asheville. 

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, said Wednesday that Americans are “hungry to find a unifying message” as he and Vice President Kamala Harris make their final appeal to voters less than a week before Election Day. 

“People are hungry to come back together,” Walz said on “CBS Mornings.” “They’re hungry for us to find solutions.”

Harris delivered her closing argument in the campaign Tuesday night from the same site that her opponent, former President Donald Trump, spoke to his supporters before they marched to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to try to stop the counting of the electoral votes. 

Walz said Harris’ speech, which sought to contrast her vision for the country with Trump’s in the final stretch of the campaign, represented “the best of America.”

Read more here and watch the full interview in the player above. 

Cell phones across the country have been inundated with text messages about the election, particularly in the last few months. Jonquilyn Hill, host of Vox’s “Explain it to Me” podcast, joined CBS News to discuss the onslaught of these text messages.

With just a week to go, it’s a tied race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in Pennsylvania — the biggest electoral vote prize of the battleground states in the 2024 election. 

Trump is helped by voters’ negative perceptions of today’s economy and by the fact that more voters think they would be better off financially with him in the White House than Harris. When they look back, far more Pennsylvania voters say things were going well in the U.S. during Trump’s presidency than say that today. 

Harris leads Trump among voters who say the state of democracy and abortion are major factors, and she has an edge on some personal qualities. More think she has the cognitive health to serve as president than think Trump does, and voters are more apt to see Harris’ positions as reasonable and to see Trump’s as extreme.  

And while Harris has not convinced most Pennsylvania voters that she would strengthen U.S. democracy (Trump hasn’t either), slightly more think Trump will weaken it.

There’s been little movement in the race here since September. 

Read more here. 

A group of election canvassers say a driver allegedly tried to run them over with his car earlier this month in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, and are now demanding justice.

Political campaigns sometimes use the VFW Bruce Post parking lot to hand out materials for both Democratic and Republican candidates. That’s exactly what the St. Clair Shores Democratic Club was doing on Saturday, Oct. 12.

“Overall, it was just a really great day and we had a few people here and there that stopped and thought we were the Trump tent,” said Melissa Crook, volunteer for the St. Clair Shores Democratic Club. 

Crooks says a man took things to another level when he learned their tent was set up in support of Vice President Kamala Harris.

“As soon as he found out we were the Harris-Walz tent, he went from zero to 100 very quickly,” she said.

Read more from CBS Detroit. 

Former President Trump and other Republicans were quick to jump on comments from President Biden as Trump’s campaign sought to pivot away from the controversy over racist remarks at his mega-rally on Sunday. Caitlin Huey-Burns is in Pennsylvania, where Trump spoke last night. 

Harris delivered her closing argument against Trump at the same site he encouraged his supporters to “fight like hell” on Jan. 6, 2021, before they marched to the U.S. Capitol and tried unsuccessfully to halt the certification of President Biden’s victory. 

Harris, speaking to a massive crowd at the Ellipse near the White House, is trying to draw a contrast between her vision for the country and Trump’s as she seeks to win over undecided voters a week before Election Day. The campaign said 75,000 people were in attendance, with crowds overflowing on the National Mall all the way to the Jefferson Memorial. 

“We know who Donald Trump is,” Harris said. “He is the person who stood at this very spot nearly four years ago and sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol to overturn the will of the people in a free and fair election, an election that he knew he lost.”

“America, we know what Donald Trump has in mind. More chaos. More division. And policies that help those at the very top and hurt everyone else. I offer a different path. And I ask for your vote,” she said. 

She vowed to work with Republicans and independents alike to help improve Americans’ lives.

Telling the crowd that in less than 90 days, “Donald Trump or I will be in the Oval Office,” and “on Day One, if elected, Donald Trump will walk in with an enemies list.” 

“I will walk in with a to-do list full of priorities for what I will get done,” she told the cheering crowd.

Harris called her Republican rival “unstable,” “obsessed with revenge,” “consumed with grievance” and “out for unchecked power.” 

Trump on Tuesday night addressed the crude and racist jokes that comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made toward the beginning of his Madison Square Garden rally Sunday. Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage,” and made racist jokes about birth control and Black people eating watermelon. Tuesday was the first time Trump has addressed them directly, although he has previously said “nobody has done more for Puerto Rico” than he has. 

“I have no idea who he is. Somebody said there was a comedian that joked about Puerto Rico or something, and I have no idea who he was, never saw him, never heard of him, and don’t want to hear of him, but I have no idea,” Trump said in a Fox News interview about Hinchcliffe and his comments. “It’s nobody’s fault, but somebody said some bad things.”

He went on: “I can’t imagine it’s a big deal. I’ve done more for Puerto Rico than any president, I think, that’s ever — that’s ever been president.” 

He also said he had “no idea” who booked Hinchcliffe.

Speaking on a Zoom call with supporters Tuesday, President Biden appeared to call former President Donald Trump’s supporters “garbage.” Republicans seized on the comments, while the White House offered a different explanation of what Mr. Biden said.

The president was responding to a joke made at a Trump rally Sunday at Madison Square Garden by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, in which Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”

In the video clip obtained by CBS News, Mr. Biden was speaking by video to the left-leaning group Voto Latino. “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” he seemed to say. “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable.”

But the White House denied that the president had said this about Trump supporters and released a transcript with a statement noting that “supporters” was in fact “supporter’s,” and that Mr. Biden was referring to Hinchcliffe and his joke.

“Garbage, I think, is worse,” Trump said Tuesday, adding that it was “terrible to say a thing like that.”

Read more here.