Clip of Trump Calling Harris Allies 'Scum' and 'Garbage' Resurfaces - Newsweek

Nov 02, 2024

A video of Donald Trump calling people close to Kamala Harris "garbage" has resurfaced after Trump criticized Joe Biden for using the same word against Trump supporters.

The clip was posted on X, formerly Twitter, by the anti-Trump conservative group The Lincoln Project. It shows a portion of Trump's rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin, on September 7.

Trump discussed the possibility of Harris winning the presidency, and went on to say, "It's not her, it's the people that surround her. They're scum. They are scum, and they want to take down our country. They are absolute garbage."

It comes after Trump called out Joe Biden for appearing to refer to some Trump supporters as "garbage."

The Lincoln Project's post on Wednesday of Trump's prior remarks about people surrounding Harris gained traction, receiving over 4 million views and 22,000 likes.

Influencer Leigh McGowan appeared on CNN and also brought up his comments, saying, "I think it's weird that we're asking Kamala to answer for what Joe Biden said, but we're not asking Trump to answer for what Trump said."

Newsweek has contacted the Trump campaign via email outside of working hours for comment.

Biden's comments themselves stemmed from comedian Tony Hinchliffe calling Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" during Trump's New York City rally on October 27.

The comments received huge backlash from Democrats, and many celebrities of Puerto Rican descent. Biden discussed the comments the following day during a videocall for grassroots organization Voto Latino.

"The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters ... his his his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and it's un-American," Biden said.

In a previous comment to Newsweek, Andrew Bates, a spokesperson for the White House said: "The president was referring to the hateful rhetoric coming out of the Madison Square Garden rally and not supporters of Trump."

The Trump campaign has sought to distance itself from Hinchliffe's comments, saying "This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign."

Donald Trump and JD Vance have both posted about Biden's remark, with Trump saying: "You can't lead America if you don't love the American People."

Vance wrote: "This is disgusting. Kamala Harris and her boss Joe Biden are attacking half of the country."

Seemingly in reference to the comments, Trump rode a garbage truck to his Wisconsin rally yesterday, telling reporters, "This truck is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden."

Harris has in turn distanced herself from Biden's comments, saying she strongly disagrees with "any criticism of people based on who they vote for."

"You've heard my speech last night and continuously throughout my career. I believe that the work I do is about representing all the people, whether they support me or not," she said.

She also said Biden had "clarified" his comment on X, where he wrote, "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. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That's all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don't reflect who we are as a nation."

According to 2021 census data, there are 472,213 Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania, at least 100,000 Puerto Ricans in Georgia and North Carolina, and around 60,000 in Arizona and Wisconsin, which are all key swing states.

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