Trump's rubbish stunt escalates Puerto Rico controversy
Donald Trump, the former President of the USA, decided to mock Joe Biden and Kamala Harris unusually in Green Bay, Wisconsin. After disembarking from a private plane, he donned a bright orange reflective vest, got into a rubbish lorry, and addressed the journalists: "How do you like my garbage truck?"
As noted by "Independent," the approaching election day has allowed both candidates to capitalise on racist comments about Puerto Rico made during Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden. A comedian called this US territory a "floating island of garbage." The remark caused a storm and became a flashpoint in the campaign.
"I don’t know anything about the comedian. 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," he said, sticking his head out the rubbish lorry's window. "I love Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico loves me. Nobody’s done more for Puerto Rico than me. I took care of them when they had the two hurricanes. And nobody gets along better with Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican people than me. They love me and I love them," he stated.
Trump, trying to divert attention from the scandal, commented on Biden's slip-up, accusing him of calling Trump's supporters "garbage."
Reaction to "garbage" remarks
It all started with a performance by right-wing comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, known for the "Kill Tony" podcast at Trump's rally.
Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico - a US-associated territory - a "garbage island", claimed that Latinos "love to make babies," and also used stereotypes about African Americans and Jews in his jokes.
"The only garbage I see floating out there is [Trump's] supporter’s… his demonisation of Latinos is unconscionable, and it's un-American," Biden said on Tuesday during a Zoom videoconference with the Latino organisation Voto Latino.
Biden's words caused a stir among Republicans. Senator Marco Rubio commented on the statement: "He's talking about Border Patrol, nurses, teachers, everyday Americans who love their country." Meanwhile, Trump's campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated, "There’s no way to spin it: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris don’t just hate President Trump, they despise the tens of millions of Americans who support him."
On Tuesday evening, Biden clarified on platform X that he referred to the hateful language towards Puerto Ricans, not Trump voters, as "garbage". "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," he said.
