Former President Donald Trump pulled another election stunt with a garbage truck on Wednesday, after President Joe Biden referred to Trump supporters as ‘garbage’, creating a challenge for Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris.
According to AFP, Trump climbed into a garbage truck—painted with ‘TRUMP 2024’ — at a Wisconsin airport, where he was answering reporters’ questions.
The controversy started after a warm-up speaker at a Trump rally called the US territory of Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage”. Following this, Biden commented on the racist joke where he that the “only garbage I see floating out there is his [Trump’s] supporters”, he said the demonisation of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.
“How do you like my garbage truck? This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden,” Trump said from the cabin of the vehicle. “You can’t be president if you hate the American people, which I believe they do,” Trump added later at his rally in Green Bay, still wearing his high-visibility jacket, according to AFP.
While Republicans voiced outrage over Biden’s remarks, anti-Trump political group The Lincoln Project, shared a video from the Republican’s September 7 rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin in which he called “the people that surround” the vice president “garbage.”
He attacked Harris over employment figures before he said, “And it’s not her, it’s the people that surround her. They’re scum. They’re scum, and they want to take down our country. They are absolute garbage.”
However, following the ‘garbage’ comment from the weekend, Harris said, “Let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for”.
In North Carolina, Harris hammered home her campaign’s message to “turn the page” on Trump, leading the crowd in chants of “we are not going back!”
“This is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance and out for unchecked power,” said Harris.