October 30, 2024
Former President Donald Trump made a dramatic entrance at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, arriving in a white garbage truck emblazoned with “Trump Make America Great Again 2024.” Wearing an orange reflective vest, Trump turned heads with his entrance as he rolled up to the Resch Center, taking a jab at President Joe Biden’s recent comment, where Biden reportedly referred to Trump supporters as “garbage.”
“How do you like my garbage truck?” Trump quipped to reporters as he arrived. “This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden,” he added, alluding to what he and supporters see as the administration’s ongoing disparagement of Trump supporters.
The stunt references recent remarks Biden made during a campaign call, where he criticized Trump’s relationship with the Latino community, especially Puerto Ricans. Responding to a controversial joke at a Trump rally by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who described Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage,” Biden took aim at the former president, saying, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.” Biden continued, “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”
This latest back-and-forth continues a long history of rhetoric that critics say has deep roots in the Democratic Party’s approach toward Republicans and, at times, Americans as a whole. During the 2016 campaign, former Secretary of State and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton infamously referred to Trump supporters as a “basket of deplorables,” sparking outrage and a fierce backlash that galvanized Republican supporters. Clinton later walked back her statement, acknowledging it may have gone too far, but the label stuck with many voters as emblematic of how the Democratic elite perceived working-class Americans who felt left out by Washington.
Historically, Democrats have made divisive comments about their Republican counterparts and conservative supporters, even dating back to the Civil War era and post-Reconstruction period. At that time, prominent Democrats promoted the “Black Codes” and segregationist policies that undermined African Americans’ freedoms. As the Civil Rights Movement gained traction, many Democrats clung to segregationist ideologies, eventually fracturing the party and leading to significant political realignment. Many feel echoes of that condescension today, pointing to comments from Democratic leaders labeling Republicans as extremists or radicals.
More recently, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have faced criticism for their remarks toward conservatives. Harris drew ire for comparing Trump supporters to members of the Ku Klux Klan, while Biden’s administration has frequently labeled “MAGA Republicans” as a threat to democracy. During his presidency, Biden has at times compared Trump supporters to “Nazis,” a comparison that Republican leaders have decried as divisive and extreme.
Trump’s garbage truck entrance is likely intended to resonate with his base, who feel that mainstream media and many Democratic leaders have dismissed and belittled their concerns. The rally, with his dramatic entrance, comes amid rising tensions in the lead-up to the 2024 election. Trump has continually used such incidents to emphasize his message that his supporters are frequently marginalized by the political establishment.
“Joe Biden can say what he wants, but America sees what’s going on,” Trump told the crowd in Green Bay. “They call you ‘garbage,’ they call you ‘deplorables,’ and they say you’re a threat to democracy, all because you love your country.”
Trump’s arrival in a garbage truck symbolized a jab at what he sees as disdainful comments made by Democratic leaders, underscoring his promise to “drain the swamp” of what he describes as an out-of-touch political elite. As his campaign ramps up for 2024, Trump seems to be leaning into the notion that he stands up for Americans whom he believes have been labeled unfairly by his opponents.
