North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum faced an awkward moment on “Meet the Press” when he criticized President Joe Biden’s response to a comedian’s racist joke about Puerto Rico, only to falter when a clip of Donald Trump making similar derogatory remarks was played.
Burgum had dismissed concerns over comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s comment—calling Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage” at a Trump rally in New York last weekend—arguing it wouldn’t sway voters. He insisted that the crowd at the rally reacted negatively to the joke, saying, “This is not how Trump supporters feel. The crowd was groaning. There was no approval from a very supportive Trump audience.”
The governor compared Hinchcliffe to a “comic that no one’s ever heard of” and criticized Biden for allegedly calling half the voters in the country “garbage.” He referenced Biden’s remarks from a Latino voter outreach call, in which the president defended Puerto Ricans as “good, decent, honorable people” and condemned the demonization of any group. Later, the White House clarified that Biden’s comments were directed at the rhetoric surrounding the rally, not at Trump supporters themselves.
However, Burgum’s stance quickly wavered when moderator Kristen Welker played a clip of Trump labeling those around Vice President Kamala Harris as “scum” and “garbage” during a September rally. When pressed about the implications of Trump’s remarks, Burgum downplayed their significance, stating, “The parsing of comments from the last seven days is not what’s going to determine the election.”
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While Burgum was quick to criticize Biden, who highlighted the dignity of Puerto Ricans and condemned the demonization of any group, his attempt to defend Trump’s disparaging remarks exposed a troubling hypocrisy within Republican rhetoric as the election approaches.
Watch the exchange in the clip below:
Amazing — moments after denouncing Biden on Meet the press for his "garbage" comment, Doug Burgum completely changes his tune when Welker plays him a clip of Trump calling Harris supporters "scum" and "absolute garbage."
"Most Americans don't have time to listen to this soap… pic.twitter.com/v7Vyqs57IF
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 3, 2024
