Biden’s comment came shortly before Harris delivered a closing speech at the Ellipse in Washington, in which he vowed to “turn the page on the drama and conflict” of the Trump era and give people who disagreed with her “a place to bring to the table.”

“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe that people who disagree with me are the enemy,” she said. “He wants to put them in jail. I will give them a seat at the table.”

Harris tried to reinforce her message of unity Wednesday, telling reporters, “I believe the work I do is about representing all people, whether they support me or not. And as President of the United States, I will be a President for all Americans, whether you vote for me or not.”

She added: “I respect the fact that we all have so much more in common than what divides us, and that most people want a president who understands that, understands that and approaches their leadership role in that way.”

The vice president said she spoke with Biden last night, but they did not discuss the president’s comment.

Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, defended Biden in interviews Wednesday morning, saying the president had clarified his comments. He also echoed Harris’ message of unity. “I’ve made it absolutely clear that we want everyone involved in this,” Walz said during an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

“President Biden was very clear that he was talking about the rhetoric that we heard at that meeting so that it doesn’t undermine it,” Walz said on “CBS Mornings.” “People are hungry to get back together. They are hungry for a unifying message. They want us to find solutions, whether it’s pricing or reproductive care, they want to see solutions.”

Harris has tried to walk a fine line in criticizing Trump without alienating his supporters, pointing to Trump’s divisive rhetoric. During an interview this month on Fox News, host Bret Baier asked Harris if she thought Trump voters were stupid.

“Oh God, I would never say that about the American people,” she said. “And if you listen to Donald Trump, if you watch any of his rallies, he is the one who tends to demean, belittle and belittle the American people.”

Trump’s comments pointed out by Harris and her allies include him repeatedly calling Democrats and his opponents “the enemy within” and referring to the US as a “garbage bin.” Trump has also said that Jewish people who vote Democratic should “have their heads examined” and suggested he could use the military against the “radical left.”

Stephanie Cutter, a senior messaging adviser for the Harris-Walz campaign, said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Wednesday that people should focus their outrage on Trump instead.

“Spare me the false outrage from Donald Trump, JD Vance and his campaign,” she said. “Even as they try to argue that President Biden is disparaging Trump voters, the president is calling the entire country a garbage can.”