Republican nominee Donald Trump appeared in a garbage truck Wednesday in Green Bay, Wisconsin, after President Joe Biden seemingly called his supporters “garbage” in response to a racially offensive standup routine during Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden over the weekend.
Biden’s comments gave Trump new ammunition to attack Democratic nominee Kamala Harris on the campaign trail after she pledged to turn the page on the divisive rhetoric that has dominated politics since Trump came on the scene in 2016.
“I have to begin by saying, 250 million Americans are not garbage,” Trump stated while wearing a reflective work vest, presumably to draw a connection between blue-collar workers and the middle class. Meanwhile, the garbage truck he rode in on looked fresh off the assembly line and had been outfitted with flags and Trump’s campaign logo.
“This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden,” Trump said after climbing down from the front passenger seat of the trash hauler.
Trump began the day in Rocky Mount, N.C., where he described Biden’s comments as “what he and Kamala really think of our supporters,” adding, “My response to Joe and Kamala is very simple: you can’t lead America if you don’t love Americans.”
The controversy arises as polls indicate Harris leading her Republican opponent in Wisconsin and Michigan while they are neck-and-neck in Pennsylvania, prompting Trump to intensify his efforts to connect with middle-class voters.
Biden made the gaffe in a video chat Tuesday night while criticizing Austin-based comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s set at Trump’s rally, where he targeted Puerto Ricans and people of color, saying, “There’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now, I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
The fallout over Hinchcliffe’s jokes has shaken the presidential race in its final days, as Puerto Rican voters represent a crucial demographic in Pennsylvania—a must-win state for both Trump and Harris.
The uproar created a major distraction for Harris on Wednesday as she campaigned in key swing states like North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, forcing her to address Biden’s gaffe despite her lack of involvement in the controversy.
“Let me be clear: I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” Harris told reporters in Raleigh, North Carolina, before reiterating her commitment to be a president of the people.
“I believe the work that I do is about representing all the people, whether they support me or not. I will be a president for all Americans,” she said before admonishing her supporters to “be intentional about building coalitions” in the final days of the campaign.
Hinchcliffe also spoke controversially about various ethnic groups, including Jews, Palestinians, and Black people, joking about carving watermelons with a Black friend and suggesting that all Hispanics should leave the country due to stereotypes about birth control and family size.
As outrage exploded across the country, the Trump campaign swiftly tried to distance itself from Hinchcliffe’s remarks, aware that millions of Puerto Rican voters would be casting ballots on Nov. 5.
Two days later, Biden injected himself into the controversy from the Oval Office, where he seemed to call Trump supporters “garbage” while attacking Hinchcliffe’s speech.
“And just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage,’” the 81-year-old commander-in-chief told Voto Latino on Tuesday. “Well, let me tell you something. I don’t — I — I don’t know the Puerto Rican that — that I know — or a Puerto Rico, where I’m fr- — in my home state of Delaware, they’re good, decent, honorable people. The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”
After Biden spoke, the Trump campaign swiftly fired back, reframing the narrative surrounding Trump’s rally and portraying Biden’s remarks as an inflammatory attack aimed at Trump supporters nationwide.
In what appeared to be a coordinated response, GOP surrogates voiced anger over Biden’s comments, drawing parallels to remarks by other prominent Democrats, most notably Hillary Clinton’s 2016 infamous remark about the “basket of deplorables.”
“You know, Barack Obama said that we were bitter clingers. Hillary Clinton said we were deplorables … And then Joe Biden says that we’re garbage. Well, we have news for the Democrat elites. We’re none of those things. We are Americans,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said at Trump’s rally in Rocky Mount.
North Carolina’s Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, whose campaign for governor was rocked by scandal in September, came under fire after he took to X to criticize Biden.
“Biden calls us garbage. I call us patriots. A new dawn is rising. We are going to Make America Great Again!” he wrote.
But at least one X user took aim at the hypocrisy, pointing to allegations that Robinson had posted racist and sexually explicit messages to a pornography website a decade ago, which came to light last month.
“Dude, you called yourself a ‘black Nazi.’ Garbage would be a step up for you,” they wrote.
As for Biden’s remarks, the White House immediately issued a transcript, insisting that Biden had said “supporters” to refer to the comedian’s quote and not “supporters” in reference to all Trump voters.
The same evening, Biden took to X to explain that he had unintentionally put his foot in his mouth.
“Earlier today, I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s 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. That’s all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.”
Later, Harris appeared at a rally at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, where former President Barack Obama appeared last week on the first day of early voting in the state.
“I pledge to put country above party and self and be a president for all Americans,” Harris said. “We love our country, and when you love something you fight for it.”
Meanwhile, Trump capitalized on the uproar surrounding Biden’s gaffe. On stage at his rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, he continued to wear the reflective orange work vest from earlier in the day as Lee Greenwood’s iconic song “God Bless the USA” played in the background.
Some supporters arrived wearing trash bags over their clothes to show unity with Trump, with many liberals criticizing the display of one of Trump’s gimmicks.
On X, political commentators collectively criticized Trump’s response to the controversy, with one person calling it “Cringe at max level.”
Aaron Rupar, who covered Trump’s rally at the Resch Center, couldn’t resist making a pointed remark in a post comparing Trump’s complexion to his bright orange attire.
“Folks, look at the color of this man’s face. It’s more orange than his orange garbage man outfit. What are we doing here,” he quipped.
Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre also criticized President Biden’s comments after taking the stage at Trump’s rally in Green Bay.
“It’s an honor to be back here where it all started to campaign with the next president of the United States, Donald J. Trump,” he said before slamming Biden.
“I can assure you, we’re not garbage,” Favre said. “How dare he say that? Looking out, I see police officers, teachers, nurses, grandparents, students. I see everyday Americans that make this country great.”
Favre blasted Vice President Harris in his closing statement, saying it would be “insane to give Kamala four more years in office.”
“It’s time to bench Kamala and put in the star quarterback,” he added.
Later, a number of social media users slammed Favre for his comments, labeling him “garbage” due to his involvement in a Mississippi welfare scandal where hundreds of thousands of dollars were allegedly funneled to various pet projects supported by the NFL star after his career ended.
Both Harris and Trump plan to return to the stump in Wisconsin on Friday.
