When former President Donald Trump was in Green Bay, Wisc., this week he jumped into a garbage truck with a Trump logo while wearing an orange vest. Then he started honking.
The New York Post described the truck as a “big, beautiful MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN Garbage Truck.”
“How do you like my garbage truck? This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden,” said the former president from the passenger seat, per a report from The Hill.
To continue with the theme, Trump even walked on stage for a campaign rally at the Resch Center Wednesday in the orange vest. Why?
These stunts were in service of a new complaint about his Democratic opponents that the GOP presidential candidate trotted out at the rally. According to The Hill, the intent was to “capitalize on outrage,” caused by a recent comment by President Joe Biden.
“I have to begin by saying that 250 million Americans are not garbage,” Trump told the cheering crowd.
Now, the word “garbage” has been thrown around more than once during the 2024 election season – by Trump himself, by Biden and by others. Here’s a quick timeline of times Audacy tracked “garbage” being used this election cycle.
This summer, shortly after Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pa., he told the media not to expect him to be “nice” to his political opponents after the incident.
“I’d like to be nice, but I’m dealing against real garbage,” he said. At that time, Biden was still the presidential candidate, but he would soon leave the race and be replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump again used the word “garbage” during a rally last week in Tempe, Ariz. In fact, he likened the whole of the U.S. to a garbage can.
“When Kamala came in, she dismantled our border and threw open the gates... to an invasion of criminal migrants from prisons and jails, from insane asylums and mental institutions, from all over the world,” he said. “We’re a dumping ground. We’re like a garbage can for the world. That’s what’s happened. That’s what’s happened to our – we’re like a garbage can.”
Then, on Sunday, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe opened for Trump at his Madison Square Garden rally in New York City. Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage,” leading to backlash. Trump, claimed that he did not know who Hinchliffe was. Though he hasn’t been shy about using the word “garbage” in the past, he also said that he didn’t support Hinchcliffe’s comment.
Biden responded to Hinchcliffe’s words with his own “garbage” comment this Tuesday during a video call with the progressive group Voto Latino.
“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His, his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been,” Biden said in a clip.
Some have compared the comment to Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” dig at Trump supporters in 2016, according to The Hill. The White House tried to walk back the comment, and argued that Biden was actually referring to the rhetoric at Trump’s Sunday rally as “garbage,” not his supporters. Harris also sought to distance herself from the remark.
“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,” she told reporters earlier Wednesday.
Trump has been adding photo-op stunts such as the garbage truck event into his current campaign schedule. Earlier this month, he got behind the counter of a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania to serve up some food. That stunt was intended to highlight his claim that Harris did not work at McDonald’s for a summer during college, as she has told reporters.