Donald Trump rides garbage truck in bid to mock Joe Biden after Puerto Rico comments continue to cause a stink
31 October 2024, 08:40 | Updated: 31 October 2024, 09:10
Donald Trump has boarded a garbage truck as he hit back at comments by President Joe Biden about his supporters.
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Republicans were facing pushback for comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally - where he described Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage".
Biden later slammed the comments saying: "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters".
The Republican hopeful then seized on the comment with the stunt as he walked down the steps of the Boeing 757 that bears his name in Green Bay, Wisconsin, walked across a rain-soaked tarmac and, after twice missing the handle, climbed into the passenger seat of the white garbage truck that also carried his name.
"How do you like my garbage truck?" Mr Trump said, wearing an orange and yellow safety vest. "This is in honour of Kamala and Joe Biden."
After arriving for an evening rally, Mr Trump climbed into the garbage truck and carried on a brief discussion with reporters while looking out the window - similar to what he did earlier this month during a photo opportunity he staged at a Pennsylvania McDonalds.
Trump also tried to distance himself from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, whose joke had set off the firestorm, but did not denounce it.
He also said he did not need to apologise to Puerto Ricans.
"I don't know anything about the comedian," Mr Trump said.
"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."
A spokesperson for Mr Trump said the joke does not reflect his views, but the former president has not addressed it himself.
"I love Puerto Rico and Puerto Rico loves me," Mr Trump said from the garbage truck.
He ended the brief appearance by telling reporters: "I hope you enjoyed this garbage truck. Thank you very much."
When he took the stage a short time later, he was still wearing the orange vest.
In a call organised by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino on Tuesday, Biden said: "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.
"His demonisation of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American.
"It's totally contrary to everything we've done, everything we've been."
President Biden later tried to clarify the comment afterwards, saying he had intended to say Mr Trump's demonisation of Latinos was unconscionable.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Mr Biden "referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as 'garbage'".
Mr Biden also posted on X to say his garbage comment "referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico", saying it was the "only word I can think of to describe it".
"The demonisation of Latinos is unconscionable," he wrote. "That's all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don't reflect who we are as a nation."
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. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That's all I meant to say. The…
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 30, 2024
Puerto Ricans cannot vote in general elections despite being US citizens, but they can exert a powerful influence with relatives on the mainland.
Following the New York rally, a number of high-profile Puerto Ricans condemned the comments.
One of the biggest artists on the planet, the Grammy-award winning Puerto Rican superstar, Bad Bunny, threw his support behind vice president Kamala Harris, shortly afterward.
Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martinez, shared a video to his Instagram account - with 45m followers - detailing the origins of Puerto Rico and its inhabitants' prominence in politics, sports and entertainment. The caption read: "Garbage."
"We have been fighting since day one of our existence, we are the definition of heart and resistance," he wrote in Spanish.
"Here we stand, here we are, and for those who forget who we are ... don't worry, we proudly remind you."
Actor Aubrey Plaza addressed the remarks at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards on Tuesday night, saying her grandmother, if alive, would respond profanely to Hinchcliffe's characterisation of Puerto Rico.
"I just wanted to very quickly respond to the racist joke that was made at that Trump rally about Puerto Rico, where most of my family is from," Plaza told attendees.
"Thankfully, my sweet abuelita wasn't here to hear that disgusting remark."
Ricky Martin, who had previously endorsed Ms Harris, was also offended by the comment and said "that's what they think of us", on Instagram.
