White House officials adjusted the official transcript of a call where President Joe Biden appeared to criticize supporters of Donald Trump, as reported by two U.S. government officials and an internal email obtained by The Associated Press. This modification drew objections from federal workers responsible for documenting such remarks for historical records.
Earlier this week, Biden caused controversy with his comments to Latino activists about racist remarks made at a Trump rally by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” According to a transcript prepared by White House stenographers, Biden stated during a Tuesday evening video call, “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 transcript released by the White House press office altered the word “supporters” to “supporter’s,” suggesting Biden’s criticism was directed at Hinchcliffe rather than Trump’s supporters. The press office amended the transcript after “conferring with the president,” according to an internal email from the head of the stenographers’ office. Two government officials verified the authenticity of the email, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The supervisor of the stenographers’ office described the handling of the issue as “a breach of protocol and spoliation of transcript integrity between the Stenography and Press Offices.” The email also stated that the press office could withhold the transcript in case of differing interpretations but should not alter it independently. It noted that the official transcript provided to the National Archives and other recipients now differed from the version publicized by the press office.
The transcript amendment occurred as the White House faced numerous inquiries from journalists regarding Biden’s comments, which contrasted with Vice President Kamala Harris’ simultaneous speech advocating respect for Americans with differing political views. The Trump campaign quickly used the situation for fundraising, with Trump conducting a photo opportunity inside a garbage truck to capitalize on Biden’s remarks.
Harris distanced herself from Biden’s comments, stating to reporters on Wednesday, “I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.” Biden later clarified on social media that his remarks were specifically directed at “the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally.”
The stenographers’ office is responsible for preparing accurate transcripts of the president’s public and private remarks for the National Archives and public distribution. The two-person team on duty during the call, comprising a “typer” and “proofer,” stated that any transcript edits require approval from their supervisor. Since the supervisor was not available to review the audio immediately, the press office proceeded with publishing the altered transcript on the White House website and distributed it on social media to mitigate the issue.
White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates posted the edited quote on social media, stating that Biden referred to the rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as “garbage.” The supervisor, a career White House employee, raised concerns about the press office’s actions in an email to White House communications director Ben LaBolt, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, and other press and communications officials, emphasizing the importance of maintaining consistent protocol for transcript edits and releases.
When asked for comment, Bates did not address the transcript alteration directly but stated that the President’s tweet reflected that he was speaking about the hateful rhetoric from the Madison Square Garden rally comedian. House Republicans are considering launching an investigation into the incident, with House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik and House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer accusing White House staff of distributing a false transcript of Biden’s remarks. They have requested the administration retain documents and communications pertinent to the remarks and the transcript’s release, suggesting the actions might violate the Presidential Records Act of 1978.
