Vice President Kamala Harris continues to distance herself from President Joe Biden’s “trash” comment being taken advantage of by Republicans in the final days of the 2024 campaign.

“Trump says that while you were making your final unity speech last night, President Biden was calling his supporters trash. What did you think when you heard President Biden make those comments?” Mary Bruce, ABC News’ chief White House correspondent, asked Harris in an exclusive interview immediately after her rally Wednesday at the North Carolina battlefield.

“Well, first of all, I think the president has explained what he meant,” Harris responded. “But I’ve said it before, I totally disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for and I’ve made that clear throughout my career, including my speech last night before I think all of this happened, which is what what I intend to do.” “Being president for all Americans, including those who will not vote for me in this election.”

“I take very seriously my obligation and my oath to care about the needs of the American people first and put them before whatever my selfish concerns may be,” Harris added.

Biden sparked a firestorm after appearing to call Trump supporters “trash” while participating in a Voto Latino campaign call Tuesday night.

Republicans seized on the comments as an insult to the half of the country’s voters who support the former president.

Biden and the White House argued that he was referring to racist comments made by Speakers at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sundayincluding comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s comment calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”

The White House released a transcript of Biden’s remarks with a possessive apostrophe over the word “partisans.”

“Well, let me tell you something. I don’t… I… I don’t know the Puerto Rican that… that I know… or a Puerto Rican, where I’m French… in my house. state of Delaware, they are people good, decent and honorable. The only garbage I see floating around is that of his supporters, their demonization of Latinos is excessive and un-American. It is totally contrary to everything we have done, everything we have been,” he said. Biden.

Biden also offered an explanation in his own statement.

“Today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by the Trump supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage, which is the only word I can think of to describe it. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable,” said. “That’s all I meant. The comments at that rally do not reflect who we are as a nation.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also did damage control when she was peppered with questions at Wednesday’s press conference about the comment.

“No, he doesn’t consider Trump supporters or anyone who supports Trump trash,” Jean-Pierre said.