In Response to 'Garbage' Comment, Trump Rides in Garbage Truck

Donald Trump made the most of President Biden's controversial "garbage" comment, going so far as to don an orange safety vest and ride in an actual garbage truck Wednesday during a campaign appearance in Green Bay, Wisconsin. "How do you like my garbage truck? This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden," Trump said. The trash truck was Trump campaign-themed and was part of his motorcade, the Hill reports. Of the high-visibility vest, Trump joked, "When they said I'd look thinner, I said in that case, I'll wear it onstage. I may never wear a blue jacket again." He also skewered Kamala Harris for running a campaign of "hate" and "vitriol," Fox News reports.

At issue, of course, is whether Biden referred to Trump's actual supporters as garbage or whether he was referring, as his office says he was, to a particular Trump "supporter's" garbage, meaning that comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, the Trump supporter in question, was spewing "garbage" when he made disparaging jokes about Puerto Rico. Trump, obviously, wasn't buying the White House's explanation of Biden's comments, saying in Wisconsin that "crooked Joe Biden finally said what he and Kamala really think of our supporters, he called them 'garbage.'" He said the comment "blows deplorables out of the water," a reference to Hillary Clinton's line about Trump voters in 2016.

Meanwhile, Harris also addressed Biden's comment during an appearance in Maryland, USA Today reports. "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 said. "I've been very clear with the American public: I respect the challenges that people face. 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." The New York Times takes an extensive look at the comment's affect on Harris' campaign, and notes that Harris has rarely appeared with Biden, and that his campaign appearances for her have been limited and not very large in scope when they are held. (More Election 2024 stories.)