Donald Trump said President Joe Biden calling his supporters “trash” is worse than Hillary Clinton’s 2016 “basket of deplorable” comments.
Trump spoke Tuesday evening to thousands of fans gathered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with just seven days to go until the election.
The 81-year-old commander-in-chief responded Sunday to a comedian at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden who compared Puerto Rico to a “floating island of trash.”
Biden said during a campaign Zoom on Tuesday night, “The only trash I see floating out there is his [Trump’s] supporters.’
It immediately sparked backlash from MAGA fans, including Trump himself, who spoke about it in the middle of his rally.
“Wow, that’s something [Biden] says…garbage. I think it’s worse [than deplorables],” he fired back.
He was referring to Hillary Clinton’s now infamous 2016 rant about the “basket of deporables” Trump supported during his first run.
“Please forgive him because he doesn’t know what he’s saying. To be honest, he doesn’t. And I’m convinced he likes me better than Kamala,” Trump continued, with a nod to Biden’s declining mental faculties.
Trump spoke to thousands of fans gathered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday evening
‘No!’ the crowd shouted back at the former president.
Trump’s allies quickly piled on criticism of Joe Biden’s comments.
“Just now Joe Biden said our supporters are trash. I hope their campaign is on the verge of an apology,” said Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.
“We are not trash, we are patriots who love America.”
JD Vance quickly condemned Biden, saying, “This is disgusting.
‘This is disgusting. Kamala Harris and her boss Joe Biden are attacking half the country. There is no excuse for this. I hope the Americans reject it.’
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris called Trump “unstable” and denounced his “obsession” with “grievance” and “revenge” from The Ellipse with the White House as the backdrop, seven days before what could be one of the closest races in history.
“Please forgive him because he doesn’t know what he’s saying. To be honest, he doesn’t. And I’m convinced he likes me more than Kamala,” Trump continued
The Democratic candidate told the crowd that Trump stood “in this very place” on January 6 to “incite” a mob to storm the Capitol.
She also recalled claims that the former president said “so what” as the rioters called for Mike Pence to be hanged.
“We know who Donald Trump is. He is the person who stood in this place almost four years ago and sent an armed mob into the United States Capitol to overthrow the will of the people in a free and fair election.”
In most of the swing states that will ultimately determine the winner, there is less than a one-point difference between the candidates, while betting markets show Harris’ chances of winning have plummeted.
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris called Trump ‘unstable’ and denounced his ‘obsession’ with ‘grievance’ and ‘revenge’ from The Ellipse
More than 50 million Americans have already voted in the race that will go down to the wire.
At his rally in Allentown, Trump brought out an array of Hispanic supporters and surrogates to speak to show off his continued support from the Puerto Rican community.
He is trying to make amends with the Hispanic community after the row over a joke at his rally at Madison Square Garden that offended this key demographic of voters.
The call included pre-program remarks from Senator Rubio, whose parents are Cuban, Puerto Rico’s “shadow Senator” Zoraida Buxó and former Allentown mayoral candidate Tim Ramos.
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe opened the show in New York City on Sunday and stunned listeners by calling Puerto Rico a “floating pile of trash.”
Puerto Rican celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin all condemned the prank – and social media erupted with claims that this just illustrates the kind of mentality Trump has about minorities in the US.
Outside Trump’s rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a group of Latino demonstrators gathered Tuesday evening and waved Puerto Rican flags as they marched and chanted in protest of the former president’s event.
Meanwhile, inside the venue, a handful of Puerto Rican and Latin American speakers took the stage, and some supporters in the arena also waved the island territory’s flag.
Shadow Senator Buxó told her fellow Puerto Ricans not to believe Trump was racist.
“It is easy to be distracted or misled by propaganda, emotional manipulation and distortion of the truth and facts,” Buxó said. “I urge you to be on your guard and stay focused on what really matters as you cast your vote.”
“We need change, and Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are not the option to bring about the kind of change you need and want,” she concluded.
Previously, the invocation was given by a man who said, “I stand here as a proud Puerto Rican.”
Zoraida Buxó, the ‘shadow senator’ from Puerto Rico, supported Trump on stage
“We need change, and Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are not the option to bring about the kind of change you need and want,” she concluded.
Former Allentown mayoral candidate Tim Ramos spoke after the national anthem.
“I want to start by expressing my love for the islanders of Puerto Rico,” he said.
“We are a beautiful people from a beautiful island,” Ramps continued. “We need a leader who sees that and understands that… Donald Trump is that leader.”
About 60 miles outside Philadelphia, Trump addressed an excited crowd in Allentown at the PLL Center, which has a capacity of 8,500 seated attendees.
As with most gatherings, more seats were added to the arena floor for additional spectators who wanted a chance to see the former president up close.
Early voting ended Tuesday in Pennsylvania and won’t reopen until the morning of Election Day on Nov. 5.
Throughout the day, Trump sowed doubt about the election process in the state.
Early voting ended Tuesday in Pennsylvania and won’t reopen until the morning of Election Day on Nov. 5
‘Wow! York County, Pennsylvania, has received THOUSANDS of potentially FRAUDULENT voter registration forms and mail-in voting applications from a third party,” Trump alleged in a message to X on Tuesday afternoon.
He continued in the same post, “This is on top of Lancaster County being caught with 2,600 counterfeit ballots and forms, all written by the same person.”
“Really bad stuff.” WHAT HAPPENED IN PENNSYLVANIA??? Law enforcement needs to do their job immediately!!! WOW!!!’
The former president also made sure to be present in the state during the early voting period.
On Tuesday afternoon, he attended a town hall in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, speaking to voters just eight miles from downtown Philadelphia.