Senate Democrat on Biden, Cuban comments about Trump supporters: 'I don't like it'

Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) on Friday criticized comments made in recent days by President Biden and entrepreneur Mark Cuban about former President Trump's supporters.

The Vermont Democrat did not hide his displeasure when asked by reporters about Biden appearing to call Trump backers "garbage" and Cuban saying in an interview that the ex-president is never seen with “strong, intelligent women.”

“I don’t like it,” Welch told reporters at the Capitol. “We all know there’s really smart women. Some of them support Trump, some of them support Harris. This is not about qualified men or women who support either candidate. 

“It’s about who’s the best candidate,” Welch continued. “Who’s going to be the best for the economy, for average everyday Americans and who’s going to protect our democracy, which is so fundamentally important to the well-being of our democracy.” 

Biden and the White House have insisted that he was not referring to Trump's supporters, but to the rhetoric of comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” during Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. The White House press office released a transcript showing that Biden said “supporter’s” in the singular, referring to Hinchcliffe — though The Associated Press reported that the White House's press office altered the transcript provided by stenographers.

Vice President Harris was also forced to walk Biden’s purported statement back, saying that she disagrees “with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.” 

“I will represent all Americans, including those who don’t vote for me,” she told reporters.

Cuban, meanwhile, has apologized for his remarks, which the Trump team has targeted following his appearance on “The View.” Trump said that women everywhere “should be angry about this weak man's statement.” 

"When I said this during the interview, I didn't get it out exactly the way I thought I did,” Cuban wrote on social platform X. “So I apologize to anyone who felt slighted or upset by my response. As I said, it wasn't about Trump voters, supporters or employees. Current or former."