Donald Trump dressed up as a garbage man at multiple campaign events Wednesday, after a clip that purportedly showed President Joe Biden calling Trump’s supporters “garbage” was seized on by right-wing media and politicians in the election’s final days.
Biden and the White House have denied that’s what Biden said, with both insisting that he was simply referring to the racist rhetoric at Trump’s rally in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Despite this, clips of his remark have gained traction online.
After Trump on Tuesday compared his interpretation of Biden’s comment to the infamous moment Hillary Clinton called half of his supporters “deplorable” in 2016, he seemed to embrace that new label, manufactured or not, while campaigning Wednesday in Wisconsin.
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Trump, who has called those close to Vice President Kamala Harris “absolute garbage” and the United States a “garbage can,” wore a high-visibility vest, and, after some trouble, managed to climb up into the cab of a garbage truck to talk to reporters while in Green Bay. Sitting on the passenger side, he refused to apologize to Puerto Ricans for comedian Tony Hinchcliffe calling the island territory a “pile of garbage” at the former president’s rally on Sunday.
Instead, Trump claimed he didn‘t “know anything about” Hinchcliffe, who himself hasn’t apologized, either.
Later that night, Trump kept the vest on for a speech in the same city.
“People came in and said, ‘Sir, the word ’garbage' is the hottest thing right now... Sir, would you like to drive a garbage truck?‘” said Trump.
He also seemed to acknowledge the difficulty he had getting into the truck. “The first stair was like up here. I was like, ‘s--t,’“ he said, indicating waist-level, even though it was opening the door that gave him a hard time.
”So I had the adrenaline going, and I made it," Trump said to applause.
Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre, who is being sued for alleged welfare fraud, also alluded to the “garbage” narrative while introducing Trump. “I can assure you,” he said, “We are not garbage.”
