Former President Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate, speaks to reporters from inside a garbage truck at Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport on October 30, 2024. Credit: Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images

ohOne man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and in the final week of the presidential election, President Joe Biden’s “trash” gaffe is shaping up to be a gift to former president donald trump.

A day after Biden apparently referred to the Republican candidate’s supporters as “trash,” Trump tried to capitalize on the outrage, while Vice President Kamala Harris He has distanced himself from the comment.

“They treat you like trash. They treat our entire country like garbage,” Trump said at a rally Wednesday night in Green Bay, dressed in a bright orange safety vest. They picked him up at the airport in a garbage truck on the way to the rally. “How do you like my garbage truck?” Trump asked reporters. “This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden.”

Biden’s comment came during a Latino outreach call, captured on video, intended to bolster Harris’ candidacy. In response to a The comedian’s derogatory joke about Puerto Rico—calling the US territory a “floating island of garbage”—during Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on SundayBiden tried to defend the Puerto Rican community but ended up creating a political headache. “The only trash I see floating around is his supporters,” Biden said, also criticizing Trump’s treatment of Latinos as “unconscionable” and “un-American.”

Immediately following Biden’s comments, the White House was quick to clarify that the president did not intend to label Trump supporters “trash.” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden was referring to the “hateful rhetoric”from Trump’s rally rather than his supporters directly. An official transcript placed a silent apostrophe on “supporter.” Biden himself dedicated himself to social networks to reiterate his position, stating that the derogatory comments made about Puerto Rico at the Trump rally do not represent the nation’s values.

However, the damage may already have been done. Trump and his allies quickly seized the opportunity to frame Biden’s vague words as emblematic of a broader disdain for working-class Americans. “Joe Biden finally said what he and Kamala really think of our supporters,” Trump said Wednesday afternoon at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina. Trump contrasted Biden’s comments with what he claimed to be the quality of his supporters: “You can’t lead America.” If you don’t love Americans.”

In Green Bay, Trump acknowledged that his campaign is strategically turning Biden’s comment into a rallying cry: “One of my people came in and said, ‘Sir, you know the word trash is the hottest thing right now. The hottest thing there is. Sir, would you like to drive a garbage truck?’”

Throughout the day, Trump and his surrogates continued to amplify the narrative around Biden’s comments. Retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre, a longtime Trump supporter and Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer, addressed Biden’s comment at the Green Bay rally. “I can assure you that we are not trash,” Favre said. “How dare you say that? When I look, I see police officers, teachers, nurses, grandparents, students. “I see ordinary Americans making this country great.”

Other Trump allies, including Florida Rep. Byron Donalds and former Republican presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, linked Biden’s “trash” comment to Hillary Clinton’s.basket of deplorables” comment during his failed bid for the presidency in 2016.

“Barack Obama once called us bitter, Hillary Clinton has called us deplorables, Kamala Harris refers to us as fascists, and Joe Biden called us trash,” Donalds said at the Green Bay rally. “But we are none of those things; “We are red-blooded Americans and we are taking America back.”

The incident is a stark reminder of the political dangers that Biden’s comments can pose, especially in a campaign environment that has been so tense and highly disputed like this. Biden’s gaffe also reignites questions about his role in the campaign. Although he has appeared sporadically alongside Harris, his comments have increasingly drawn criticism from within her campaign. axios and cnn Both reported earlier this week, even before the “trash” incident, adding that Harris’ campaign had rejected the sitting president’s offers to campaign more actively for her down the stretch.

Read more: Kamala Harris makes final speech for voters to ‘turn the page’ on Donald Trump

Just as Clinton’s infamous “basket of deplorables” comment dogged her campaign, Biden’s language could undermine Harris’ efforts to project a unifying image in the final stretch of the race. Harris, acknowledging the potential consequences, addressed the controversy to reporters Wednesday morning, emphasizing her commitment to representing all Americans, including those who may disagree with her politically. “Let me be clear: I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” she said, attempting to realign the narrative away from Biden’s unforced error.

Despite these efforts, the incident has provided the Trump campaign with new ammunition in the crucial final stretch. A Trump campaign fundraising email seized on Biden’s comments, claiming that Democrats have a history of degrading Trump supporters. “FIRST Hillary called you DEPLORABLE! THEN they called you a FASCIST! And just moments ago Kamala’s boss Biden called you GARBAGE! he read.

Democrats, however, have noted that Trump on multiple occasions this month alone has called his own political opponents “the enemy within” and has previously used similar rhetoric to describe Democrats. “It’s the people around her, they are scum and they want to destroy our country.” Trump said about Harris and her allies at a rally on September 7 in Mosinee, Wisconsin. “They are absolute garbage.”

Still, political analysts note that Biden’s misstep comes at a precarious time for Harris’ campaign. With less than a week until Election Day, any miscalculation, especially one involving language perceived as derogatory, can have far-reaching consequences. The stakes are high in battleground states, where voter sentiment can shift dramatically based on a few chosen words.

“It’s going to be huge because this isn’t a comedian saying something stupid and offensive at a rally,” said Republican pollster Frank Luntz. he told CNN On Wednesday. “I can promise you this will boost Trump’s turnout. …This may be a turning point for that final 3% (and that’s all) who still need to be persuaded.”

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama warned Democrats about the dangers of derogatory language toward Trump supporters. Speaking at the Democratic National Convention, Clinton urged the party to meet voters “where they are,” while Obama warned that a lack of mutual respect could lead to voter disillusionment.

It remains uncertain whether Biden’s comments will significantly affect the outcome of the election. But in a stagnant race, every word counts. As Harris seeks to present herself as a leader who can bridge divisions, she now faces the burden of explaining Biden’s comments while maintaining her vision of an inclusive America.

“They have called us racists, bigots, fascists, deplorables, irredeemables, Nazis, and they called me Hitler,” Trump said in Green Bay. “They harassed you, demonized us, censored us, deplatformed us, and used the power of our own government as a weapon against all of us. …This Tuesday is your chance to stand up and declare that you are not going to take it anymore.”

write to Nik Popli in [email protected].