Donald Trump pulled an election stunt with a garbage truck on Wednesday as the White House campaign was disrupted by President Joe Biden’s disorganized comments about Republican supporters, causing a headache for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Had gone.
Harris was expected to spend the day elaborating on last week’s “closing argument,” which she made at a massive Washington rally the night before — but she found herself dismissing Biden’s remarks that Trump supporters. She was seen labeling it as “garbage”.
Trump — who, unlike Harris, recently publicly called his political opponents “trash” — was ready to take advantage of the misstep with a photo op, climbing into a garbage truck at an airport in Wisconsin. And answered the questions of journalists.
The controversy began over the weekend when a warm-up speaker at a Trump rally called the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico “a floating island of trash,” initially putting the Republican campaign on the defensive.
Yet Biden’s mistake provided Trump with an opportunity to play the victim.
BREAKING: Donald Trump is picked up by a garbage truck in Green Bay, Wisconsin, just a day after Joe Biden called Trump supporters “trash.” pic.twitter.com/jqjiX6a43V
– Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) 30 October 2024
“How do you like my garbage truck? This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden,” Trump said from the cabin of the vehicle.
“If you hate the American people, which I believe they do, you can’t be president,” Trump said later at his rally in Green Bay, still wearing his high-visibility jacket.
But as Republicans expressed outrage over Biden’s comments, the anti-Trump political group The Lincoln Project shared a video from the Republican’s Sept. 7 rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin — verified by AFP — in which he described the vice president as “people surrounded.” Said. “Trash.”
Trump recently attacked Harris over employment data, previously saying: “And it’s not her, it’s the people who surround her. They’re scum. They’re scum, and they’re our They want to destroy the country. They are complete garbage.”
Harris, meanwhile, traveled to North Carolina and then Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, again focusing on three of the seven battleground states that could determine who wins the closest election in modern American history.
In Madison, Wisconsin he told supporters: “People are tired and want this to stop, fingers crossed. Now is the time for us to start uniting as the people who rise and fall together “
More than 57 million people have already cast their ballots through early or mail-in voting, more than a third of 2020’s total turnout.
‘unstable, obsessive’
Trump – who has 34 felony convictions for crimes related to the 2016 election – is expected to contest Tuesday’s results if he loses.
Republicans are already seizing on normal verification processes by election officials to amplify their claims of widespread “fraud.”
Harris, meanwhile, was forced to answer questions about Biden’s gaffe, which occurred when the president reacted to a comedian at a Trump rally calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” Was.
As the White House sought to clarify that he was referring to Trump’s rhetoric, not his supporters, Biden said, “The only garbage I see floating around out there is his supporters.”
“Let me be clear, I completely disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” Harris, Biden’s vice president, said.
In North Carolina, Harris hammered home her campaign’s message to “turn the page” on Trump, leading the crowd to chant “We’re not going back!” Started raising slogans.
“This is a man who is unstable, prone to vindictiveness, prone to grudges and a desire for unchecked power,” Harris said.
‘Fraud’ claim
In Washington, Harris spoke at the same location where Trump incited a mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a violent attempt to keep him in power, even if He lost the 2020 election to Biden.
Trump has taken to social media to repeat his claims of voter fraud, setting the stage for a repeat showdown around the baseless claim that his 2020 loss to Biden was rigged.
He condemned what he said was “fraud on a scale never seen before” in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania.
At his North Carolina rally, Trump again cast doubt on the fairness of voting machines and called for the return of paper ballots.
His campaign made a new plea for campaign donations on Wednesday by referencing Biden’s comments.
But one person who will not be voting for Trump on November 5 will be actor and former Republican Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, who endorsed Harris.
“It is un-American to reject the results of the election,” he said of Trump.
Inflation and the economy have been major issues in this election and new data on Wednesday showed solid economic growth despite a slight recession.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
