‘I have to begin by saying 250 million Americans are not garbage,’ Trump told rallygoers.
Former President Donald Trump spoke to the press from the passenger seat of a garbage truck on Wednesday—a reference to President Joe Biden’s comments many have taken as calling Trump supporters “garbage.”
The truck was emblazoned with Trump campaign messaging and American flags.
“How do you like my garbage truck? This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden,” Trump said to reporters from the passenger seat.
The former president later took to the stage at a campaign rally wearing an orange safety vest.
“I have to begin by saying 250 million Americans are not garbage,” Trump said in opening his speech.
Trump appears to be capitalizing on comments made by Biden during a campaign call in response to a joke about Puerto Rico made by roast comedian Tony Hinchcliffe earlier in the week. Hinchcliffe was speaking at a Trump campaign rally at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
“Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage,’” Biden said, according to video footage of his remarks. “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”
The president later clarified that his comments were referring to the comedian and not Trump supporters in general.
The Trump campaign highlighted Biden’s remarks on social media and called on the Harris campaign to denounce the remarks.
Vice President Kamala Harris sought to distance herself from Biden’s remarks on Oct. 30.
“Listen, I think, first of all, he clarified his comments, but let me be clear: I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” Harris told reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews.
“You heard my speech last night and continuously throughout my career. I believe that the work that I do is about representing all the people whether they support me or not.”
At a rally on Oct. 30 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Trump linked Biden’s comments to Harris.
“And now, speaking on a call for her campaign last night, Joe Biden finally said what he and Kamala really think of our supporters. He called them garbage,” Trump said. “And they mean it. … My response to Joe and Kamala is very simple: You can’t lead America if you don’t love Americans. … And you can’t be president if you hate the American people.”
“I have no idea who he is, never saw, never heard of him, and don’t want to hear of him,” Trump said.
Biden wrote on social media later that evening, “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.”
