Examining “waste” under the microscopeposted at 1:27 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time on October 30

1:27 p.m. GMT October 30

Anthony Zürcher
BBC North America Correspondent

In sports, “garbage time” refers to the end moments of a match, when teams are still playing but the winner is clear.

The final days of this presidential race, the outcome of which is still very uncertain, are redefining the term.

Joe Biden’s ‘garbage’ gaffe, which follows a political storm over a comedian’s reference to Puerto Rico as “a garbage island” at a Donald Trump rally, has given Republicans the opportunity to shift the political discourse and put the Democrats center stage. defensive.

The political power of this garbage exchange comes in part because it appears to confirm what many in each party believe about their opponents — with Democrats believing that Trump’s camp demeans ethnic minorities, while Republicans are convinced that the left views the former president’s supporters as worthless.

Biden has a history of verbal stumbles, the growing number of which is one reason the party has pressured him to abandon his re-election bid.

In recent weeks, Biden’s usefulness as a political advocate has been a concern for Harris’ team, which has reportedly been reluctant to offer him high-profile campaign events despite his desire to step aside.

That should settle this debate — and give Democrats another reason to be thankful they went with Harris in July.

The Democratic faithful will not fail to point out all the mocking comments that Trump has made during his rallies and during his interviews, such as last Friday calling America the “trash of the world”. But in the final week of the campaign, and with the margins seemingly so close between the two candidates, even small political twists and turns can be amplified into a deafening roar.