The White House press team made alterations to the official transcript of a call where President Joe Biden reportedly criticized Donald Trump supporters, causing objections from federal employees responsible for accurately recording such remarks. Two government officials and an internal email obtained by the Associated Press confirmed the incident.

Earlier in the week, Biden’s comments to Latino activists in response to racially insensitive remarks made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally in Madison Square Garden drew widespread attention. According to the White House stenographers’ official transcript, Biden told the activists, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”

The transcript released by the press office, however, changed the word to “supporter’s,” suggesting Biden’s remark targeted Hinchcliffe, rather than Trump supporters in general. An internal email from the head of the stenography office revealed that the alteration was made after consulting with the president. Two officials verified the email’s authenticity on condition of anonymity.

In the email, the head of stenography called the modification a “breach of protocol” that undermined the transcript’s accuracy. They noted that if there was a difference in interpretation, the press office could choose to withhold the transcript rather than independently edit it. The White House’s altered version differed from the original, which was distributed to the National Archives and other official channels.

As the White House managed mounting media inquiries, Biden’s remarks contrasted with Vice President Kamala Harris’s concurrent message advocating respect for Americans with differing views. The Trump campaign quickly responded, using the incident for fundraising, and Trump staged a photo op with a garbage truck in response to Biden’s comments.

Harris publicly distanced herself from Biden’s statement, her most notable departure from him since taking over the ticket, stating, “I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.” Meanwhile, Biden clarified on social media that he was specifically addressing the “hateful rhetoric” from Hinchcliffe at the rally, not all Trump supporters.

The stenography team, responsible for producing accurate records for the National Archives, stated any transcript changes must be authorized by their office supervisor. Although the supervisor was unavailable to review the audio, the press office proceeded to publish the altered transcript on the White House website and social media.

The stenography office head, a career White House employee, raised concerns about the incident in an email to senior press officials, emphasizing the need to maintain consistent protocols for transcript edits.