President Joe Biden’s outspoken comments about former President Donald Trump’s supporters could hurt his vice presidential campaign, pollster Frank Luntz said Wednesday.
At the Republican presidential candidate’s New York City rally on Sunday, a comedian debating Biden’s comments that appeared to call Trump supporters “garbage” said Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage” in response to a joke. , Lintz said on CNN that Biden’s comments could mobilize voters.
“It’s not a comedian to say something stupid and offensive at a rally where it’s basically supposed to be defiant,” Luntz said. “This president of the United States endorsing his vice president, saying something—and I know there are different interpretations of what he said—is still inappropriate. He still shouldn’t be doing it.”
Biden made the comments on Tuesday, when he appeared in a video and said: “The only garbage I see floating around is his supporters … his demonization of Latinos is irresponsible. It’s bigoted and it’s un-American,” Tony Hinchcliffe’s controversial remarks at Madison Square Garden, quoting the comedian.
“You can’t be president if you hate the American people,” Trump responded after Biden commented. The remarks come despite his disparaging of his rivals and calling them the “enemy within” in recent interviews and rally speeches.
Biden later tried to clarify his remarks in a post on X, formerly Twitter, describing the demonization of Latinos he saw as trash.
On CNN, Luntz compared the comments to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 “basket of deplorables” about Trump’s base.
“In 2024, I can promise you it’s going to drive Trump turnout,” he said. “This could be a turning point for those last 3 percent — and that’s all — who still need convincing.”
Luntz said voter blocs are still at play, including working-class people in the key state of Pennsylvania, which Trump was wooing, as well as Latinos across the U.S., where Harris has a 10-point lead over Trump. were up by 22 points. Survey
On Wednesday morning, the vice president said he was for all Americans, no matter who they voted for.
“I’ve been very clear with the American people,” Harris said. “I respect the challenges that people face. I respect the fact that we all have more in common than what separates us and that most people want a president who understands that, who and thereby attain his role of leadership.”
Lintz said the next few days were important for both candidates when it came to undecided voters, because Trump angered them, but Harris scared them because they didn’t know where she stood on key issues, including immigration. .
She added that Harris focused more on working women, who didn’t trust Trump, but who may not be the decisive group.
“This choice may be determined by men in their 40s and 50s, who were Democratic voters in 2016 and 2020, and just feel that the Democratic Party has abandoned them,” he said. “In the end it’s not that Trump pulled them in, it’s that Harris pushed them.”
Newsweek The Harris campaign was contacted by email Wednesday evening for comment.