Just days before the 2024 presidential election, President Joe Biden has found himself at the center of controversy, stemming from remarks he made during a campaign event that were later revised in an official White House transcript. The altered transcript, which omits Biden’s characterization of some Trump supporters as “garbage,” has drawn criticism from Republican lawmakers who claim the edit violates federal transparency laws.

The incident unfolded after Biden, in an apparent response to comments made by former President Donald Trump at a New York rally, took a sharp jab at what he described as Trump’s “demonization” of Latino communities. However, Biden’s unscripted comment – where he labeled Trump supporters as “garbage” – was omitted in the official transcript, sparking backlash.

The White House’s alteration of Biden’s remarks may have breached the Presidential Records Act, a federal law mandating the preservation of all presidential records. House Republicans, led by Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Chair of the House Republican Conference, and Representative James Comer (R-KY), Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, quickly seized on the issue. In a letter to White House Counsel Edward Siskel, they demanded the preservation of all related documents and called for the immediate correction of the transcript to reflect Biden’s actual statement.

“Americans were rightfully insulted, then, when President Biden, seeking to boost Ms. Harris’s presidential campaign, referred to an enormous swath of the country as ‘floating . . . garbage,'” Stefanik and Comer stated in the letter.

“Unsurprising too were the White House’s actions after he said them. Instead of apologizing or clarifying President Biden’s words, the White House instead sought to change them (despite them being recorded on video) by releasing a false transcript of his remarks. The move is not only craven, but it also appears to be in violation of federal law, including the Presidential Records Act of 1978.”

“White House staff cannot rewrite the words of the President of the United States to be more politically on message,” the letter continued. “We write to demand the White House retain and preserve all documents and internal communications regarding President Biden’s statement and the release of the inaccurate transcript. We also demand that the White House issue a corrected transcript with the accurate words.”

🚨BREAKING: Biden-Harris White House may have violated the law by altering President Biden’s “garbage” remarks in official transcript.

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) and Oversight Chairman James Comer (@RepJamesComer) are raising concerns… pic.twitter.com/52z6J7EO7q

— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) October 30, 2024

If substantiated, the White House’s actions could indeed constitute a violation of the Presidential Records Act, which requires the preservation of accurate records of all presidential communications. The issue has also served to rally support among Trump’s base, giving the former president an unexpected boost during the final days of his campaign. Trump quickly capitalized on the situation, framing Biden’s remarks as yet another instance of the administration’s hostility toward his supporters.

While the president’s plane was touching down in the battleground state for the first of two rallies on Wednesday, senior Trump advisor Dan Scavino shared a video of a Trump-themed garbage truck waiting at the airport. The white truck was decorated with the official Trump “Make America Great Again” campaign logo while sporting both American and Trump flags on both ends of the vehicle.

After exiting the plane, the Republican nominee traded in his suit jacket for a neon vest and took a seat in the cab of the truck. He then proceeded to take questions from reporters while leaning out of the window.