Donald Trump appeared at the rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin still wearing the orange reflective safety vest he had earlier donned while climbing into the passenger seat of a garbage truck.
It was to call attention to a comment by President Joe Biden on Tuesday that he said revealed the disdain Democratic leaders feel towards Trump’s supporters.
Biden’s Tuesday comment, in which he appeared to describe one or some Trump supporters as “garbage,” undercut Kamala Harris’ pitch to work with those who disagree with her and move past the bitter divisions that define U.S. politics.
Biden, an 81-year-old incumbent who ended his reelection bid in July after a disastrous debate performance against Trump, has a history of misspeaking.
He said he was referring to racist comments made by a single speaker at a Sunday Trump rally.
But Trump accused Biden of referring to all those who support him. “We’re ‘garbage.’ And I call you the heart and soul of America,” Trump said.
During the rally later he drew comparisons with Hillary Clinton referring to Trump supporters as “deplorables” during her failed 2016 presidential bid.
He also joked that aides persuaded him to wear the orange jacket on stage by telling him it made him look thinner.
Since the 2016 campaign, Trump has built broad appeal with working-class white Americans, while Democrats have consolidated their support among more affluent, college-educated voters.
Control of the White House and Congress has flipped back and forth in recent elections, allowing neither party to claim control over both branches of government for long.
