Donald Trump isn’t letting go of President Joe Biden‘s “garbage” comment. On Wednesday, October 30, the 78-year-old Republican candidate held a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and instead of starting the event from the stage, Trump talked to supporters and the media from a white garbage truck.
“How do you like my garbage truck?” Trump said, according to the Associated Press. “This is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden.” Trump then insisted that he “loves Puerto Rico” and that “Puerto Rico loves [him].” He concluded the staged drive-in by telling reporters, “I hope you enjoyed this garbage truck. Thank you very much.”
Earlier this week, Biden, 81, appeared on a call with the advocacy group Voto Latino. In it, he referred to the comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” during Trump’s rally at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Hinchcliffe, 40, made additional racist comments about Latinos, claiming that they “love making babies.”
Hm, interesting choice to place the garbage in the front of the truck.pic.twitter.com/CdQzp4fycZ
— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) October 30, 2024
While recalling Hinchcliffe’s derogatory comments, Biden said, “Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. Well, let me tell you something, I don’t — I don’t know the Puerto Rican that I know, the Puerto Rico where I’m fr — in my home state of Delaware. They’re good, decent honorable people.”
The president added that the “only garbage [he sees] floating out there is his supporters,” referring to Trump’s fans.
“His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American,” Biden concluded. “It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been.”
In a follow-up message, Biden took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify his statement.
Holy moly. Kamala’s campaign IMMEDIATELY turned Trump’s huge mistake into a brilliant ad:
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) October 31, 2024
“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,” Biden tweeted. “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.”
In response to the president’s comment, Vice President Kamala Harris emphasized that she doesn’t exclude people based on their political party affiliation.
“I’ve been very clear with the American public, I respect the challenges that people face,” she told reporters earlier this week. “I am serious, what I mean when elected president, I will represent all Americans, including folks who don’t vote for me and address their needs and their desires.”
For Trump’s part, the Republican was asked for his reaction to Hinchcliffe’s controversial remarks.
“I don’t know anything about the comedian,” Trump insisted, according to the AP. “I don’t know who he is. I’ve never seen him. I heard he made a statement, but it was a statement that he made. He’s a comedian, what can I tell you. I know nothing about him.”
