The White House is under scrutiny for altering the official transcript of President Joe Biden’s recent remarks, where he seemed to criticize supporters of former President Donald Trump.
During a video call with Latino activists on Tuesday, Biden responded to disparaging comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally, calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”
Biden’s original comment reportedly said, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”
However, the White House press office altered the wording in the transcript, replacing “supporters” with “supporter’s,” changing the statement’s context, the Associated Press reported.
This modification led to objections from the stenography team responsible for accurately documenting presidential remarks.
An internal email obtained by the Associated Press reveals the stenographers’ supervisor raised concerns, calling it a “breach of protocol.”
The supervisor noted that while the press office may choose to withhold a transcript if necessary, it should not independently edit it without following established approval processes.
The White House reportedly made the alteration after “conferring with the president,” but the press office has yet to provide a full explanation.
Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates tweeted the edited version, clarifying that Biden meant to condemn Hinchcliffe’s “hateful rhetoric,” not Trump’s supporters as a whole.
Nonetheless, the alteration has spurred a reaction from Trump’s team, who used the statement to fundraise and even staged a photo op involving a garbage truck to mock Biden’s remarks.
Vice President Kamala Harris also reacted to Biden’s comment, distancing herself by affirming her belief in respecting all Americans, regardless of political views.
This response, given during a public address, is one of the clearest distinctions she has made from Biden since taking over as the Democratic frontrunner.
The edited transcript sparked outrage among House Republicans, with Representatives Elise Stefanik of New York and James Comer of Kentucky criticizing the White House for releasing what they called a “false transcript.”
They warned that altering presidential records could violate the Presidential Records Act and urged the administration to retain all documents and communications related to the edit for a potential investigation.
The White House stenographers’ team, a career office tasked with producing accurate records for the National Archives, expressed concern over the press office’s unilateral actions.
The supervisor advised White House communication leaders to follow the necessary protocols to maintain transcript integrity moving forward.
This article was written with assistance from artificial intelligence.
