Donald Trump donned a bright orange safety vest and climbed into a garbage truck on Wednesday. For those not closely following election news, it might beg one question: Why?
Trump’s truck, with his name and campaign slogan, appeared at a Wisconsin airport ahead of his scheduled rally in the battleground state later that day.
“How do you like my garbage truck?” Trump told reporters while leaning out of the passenger-side window. “This truck is in honor of Kamala [Harris] and Joe Biden.”
Here’s a look at what happened and how we got here:
Donald Trump holds a press conference from inside a trash hauler at Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport on October 30, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Trump’s stunt was in response to claims President Biden called the Republican’s supporters “garbage.”
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Puerto Rico ‘Garbage’ Joke at Trump Rally
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe was met with widespread criticism after he called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” in a joke during a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27.
“I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” he told the New York City crowd.
Famous Puerto Ricans, including rapper Bad Bunny and singer and actor Ricky Martin, later endorsed Kamala Harris to their tens of millions of followers on social media.
Joe Biden ‘Garbage’ Remark
Two days later, President Biden found himself in hot water over his own “garbage” remarks.
Asked about Hinchcliffe’s joke during an October 29 Zoom call with the Voto Latino nonprofit, Biden was quoted by media as saying: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”
Several major news outlets, including CNN, reported the comments as having been a gibe at Trump’s supporters, with many Republican figures expressing outrage.
The president denied that he was referring to Trump supporters. Instead, the White House said Biden was addressing Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico.
The dispute centered on where the apostrophe fell.
The White House released a transcript of the Zoom call that showed Biden used the term “supporter’s” in reference to Hinchcliffe’s joke, rather than to Trump supporters in general.
“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s—his—his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American,” the transcript reads.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates told Newsweek Biden was referring to the “hateful rhetoric coming out of the Madison Square Garden rally” and not Trump supporters.
Harris also distanced herself from the apparent attack from Biden, telling reporters: “I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.”
Donald Trump Driving the Garbage Truck?
Trump has looked to capitalize on Biden’s remark, arguably taking the spotlight off Hinchcliffe’s joke at his rally.
Sitting in the garbage truck at a Wisconsin airport, Trump likened Biden’s “garbage” comment to Hillary Clinton‘s “basket of deplorables” remarks about Trump supporters in 2016, which were blamed for damaging the then-Democratic candidate’s campaign.
“This is deplorable for Hillary, and I think this is worse, actually,” Trump said from the truck on Wednesday. “For Joe Biden to make that statement, it’s really a disgrace.”
Later, Trump told a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, that he was driven about “two feet” in the garbage truck before he switched to another vehicle. He appeared at the rally wearing the same orange safety vest he wore while in the garbage truck.
There is no indication that Trump drove the truck himself at any point. Under Wisconsin state law, a person must have a valid Commercial Driver License to operate a garbage truck or any vehicle weighing over 26,000 pounds.
Trump has had a regular driver’s license. A copy of his New York license, obtained by Politico through an open-records request in 2016, showed it required renewing in 2020.
