The White House is facing intense scrutiny following revelations that officials altered the transcript of President Joe Biden's remarks in which he described rhetoric at a pro-Trump rally as "garbage." The adjustment, which added an apostrophe to modify "supporters" into "supporter's," has drawn objections from the White House Stenography Office and criticism from GOP lawmakers who argue the alteration undermines transparency.
During a video call with Voto Latino on Tuesday, President Biden criticized a speaker at former President Donald Trump's Madison Square Garden rally who referred to Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage." Biden's remarks included a line where he said, "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters - his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American," according to an internal transcript from the stenographers.
However, the White House Press Office's published transcript revised the phrase to "supporter's" to indicate Biden was referring specifically to the speaker at the rally, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, rather than Trump's broader base of supporters. The White House Stenography Office raised concerns about the alteration, labeling it a "breach of protocol and spoliation of transcript integrity." In an internal email obtained by the Associated Press, the stenography supervisor wrote, "If there is a difference in interpretation, the Press Office may choose to withhold the transcript but cannot edit it independently."
The issue highlights tensions between the White House Stenography Office, a team of career federal employees responsible for maintaining accurate historical records of the president's statements, and the White House Press Office, which oversees the administration's public messaging. "Our Stenography Office transcript - released to our distro, which includes the National Archives - is now different than the version edited and released to the public by Press Office staff," the supervisor added.
Amid backlash, House Republicans, including House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), issued a letter to White House Counsel Edward Siskel demanding preservation of all related documents and internal communications. "White House staff cannot rewrite the words of the President of the United States to be more politically on message," the letter reads, further stating that the alteration risks violating the Presidential Records Act.
Responding to media inquiries, White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates sidestepped questions about whether the transcript was altered. Instead, Bates reiterated Biden's focus on the inflammatory language from the rally, stating, "The president confirmed in his tweet on Tuesday evening that he was addressing the hateful rhetoric from the comedian at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally."
President Biden, addressing the fallout on X (formerly Twitter), clarified that his remarks were directed at the "hateful rhetoric" and not at Trump supporters as a whole. "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," he wrote.
The controversy has sparked additional Republican criticism, with former President Trump quickly seizing on the remarks. Speaking at a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Trump labeled Biden's comments as "terrible," drawing a parallel to Hillary Clinton's infamous "basket of deplorables" comment in 2016. Trump also used the remarks to rally his base, including a symbolic appearance in the cab of a garbage truck at a subsequent event.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris has distanced herself from Biden's comments, stating that while she respects his clarification, she disagrees with blanket criticisms of voters based on their political affiliations. Her response suggests a divergence in approach just days before the Nov. 5 election, where both parties are vying for Latino and Hispanic voter support.
The handling of Biden's remarks and the subsequent transcript edit underscore ongoing concerns within the administration regarding message control and public perception. Stenography officials noted that the decision to alter the transcript without their review disrupted established practices, potentially undermining the integrity of official records. According to two officials who spoke anonymously to the AP, the press office moved forward with publishing the adjusted transcript despite not consulting the Stenography Office supervisor, who oversees the integrity of recorded statements.
