On Wednesday, October 30th, United States Republican presidential candidate Trump (Trump) made a unique entrance at a rally in Wisconsin by wearing a reflective vest and arriving in a garbage truck adorned with campaign slogans and American flags. This move was widely interpreted as a response to controversial remarks made by President Biden.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Trump said to reporters, “What do you think of my garbage truck? This truck is a tribute to Ho Jinli and Joe Biden.”
Later, Trump appeared on stage wearing a reflective vest and at the beginning of his speech, he said, “I want to make it clear that 250 million Americans are not garbage.”
Trump’s special entrance in Wisconsin seemed to be a direct response to comments made by Biden the day before.
On October 29th, Biden mentioned Trump’s campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York during a phone conference with the non-profit organization Voto Latino. Biden stated, “Just a few days ago, a speaker at his (Trump’s) rally referred to Puerto Rico as a ‘floating garbage island’.” He then added, “The only floating garbage I saw was his supporters.”
The White House later released the verbatim transcript of these comments.
While Biden later clarified that his remarks were directed at the invited comedian speaker, not Trump supporters, Trump’s campaign team condemned Biden’s statements on social media and called for Ho Jinli’s campaign team to also condemn the remarks.
Ho Jinli, on the other hand, attempted to distance herself from Biden’s comments.
Speaking to reporters on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base on Wednesday, she said: “First and foremost, Joe Biden clarified his comments, but let me be clear: I strongly oppose any comments that criticize or condemn voters based on their choices.”
Ho Jinli stated, “You heard my speech last night, a view I have reiterated throughout my entire career. I believe my job is to represent all people, regardless of whether they support me.”
She emphasized that as president, she would represent all Americans, including those who did not vote for her.
At a rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on October 30th, Trump once again referenced comments made by Biden and Ho Jinli.
Trump stated, “Joe Biden in last night’s campaign call finally expressed his true feelings about our supporters. He called them (Trump’s supporters) trash, and he meant it.”
“My response to Joe and Kamala is very simple: if you do not love the American people, you cannot lead America,” Trump said. “If you hate the American people, you cannot be president.”
In response, the White House attempted to further clarify Biden’s statements.
A White House spokesperson wrote on social media that the President was referring to the “hateful speech” at the Trump rally as “garbage.”
Biden further clarified on the evening of the 29th: “Earlier today, I referred to the hateful speech made by Trump supporters at the Madison Square Garden rally regarding Puerto Rico. I called those remarks ‘garbage.’ That is the only adjective I could think of.”