Donald Trump said President Joe Biden calling his supporters “trash” is worse than Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorable comments” in 2016.
Trump spoke to thousands of fans gathered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday night with just seven days until the election.
The 81-year-old commander in chief was responding to a comedian at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday by comparing Puerto Rico to a “floating island of garbage.”
Biden said on a campaign Zoom Tuesday night: “The only trash I see floating around is his (Trump) supporters.”
It immediately sparked a backlash from MAGA fans, including Trump himself, who addressed the issue in the middle of his rally.
‘Wow, that’s what (Biden) says… rubbish. I think it’s worse (than deplorable),’ he responded.
He was referring to Hillary Clinton’s now-infamous 2016 rant about the “basket of deporables” that supported Trump during his first campaign.
‘Please forgive him because he doesn’t know what he’s saying. Honestly it doesn’t. And I’m convinced he likes me more than Kamala,” Trump continued in a nod to Biden’s declining mental capabilities.
Trump spoke to thousands of fans gathered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday night.
‘No!’ the crowd shouted at the former president.
Trump allies quickly piled on criticism of Joe Biden’s comments.
‘Just moments ago, Joe Biden declared that our followers are trash. I hope his campaign is about to apologize,’ said Florida Senator Marco Rubio.
“We are not trash, we are patriots who love America.”
JD Vance was quick to condemn 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 criticized his “obsession” with “grievance” and “revenge” from The Ellipse with the White House as a 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. Honestly it doesn’t. And I’m convinced he likes me more than Kamala,” Trump continued.
The Democratic candidate told the crowd that Trump was “in this very place” on January 6 to “incite” a mob to storm the Capitol.
He also recalled the former president’s claims that he said “so what” when rioters chanted to hang Mike Pence.
‘We know who Donald Trump is. He is the person who stood in this very place almost 4 years ago and sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol to overturn the will of the people in a free and fair election.’
The candidates are separated by less than a point in most of the swing states that will ultimately decide the winner, while betting markets show Harris’ chances of winning have plummeted.
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris called Trump “unstable” and criticized his “obsession” with The Ellipse’s “grievance” and “revenge.”
More than 50 million Americans have already voted in the race that will go down to the wire.
At his rally in Allentown, Trump gathered a group of Hispanic supporters and representatives to speak and show off his continued support from the Puerto Rican community.
He is trying to make up ground with the Hispanic community after the fallout from a joke at his Madison Square Garden rally that insulted this key demographic of voters.
The appeal included pre-show comments 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 shocked listeners by calling Puerto Rico a “floating pile of garbage.”
Puerto Rican celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin, condemned the prank, and social media erupted with claims that this further illustrates the type of mentality Trump has toward minorities in the United States.
Outside Trump’s rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday night, a group of Latino protesters gathered and brandished 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 Hispanic 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 claims that Trump is racist.
“It is easy to be distracted or deceived by propaganda, emotional manipulation and distortion of truth and facts,” Buxó said. ‘I urge you to be vigilant and stay focused on what’s really important when you go to cast your vote.’
“We need change, and Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are not the option to achieve the type of change that is needed and desired,” he concluded.
Previously, the invocation was given by a man who said: ‘I am here as a proud Puerto Rican.’
Puerto Rico’s ‘shadow senator’, Zoraida Buxó, endorsed Trump on stage
“We need change, and Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are not the option to achieve the type of change that is needed and desired,” he concluded.
Former Allentown mayoral candidate Tim Ramos spoke after the National Anthem.
“I want to begin by expressing my love for the island people of Puerto Rico,” he said.
“We are a beautiful town on a beautiful island,” Ramps continued. “We need a leader who sees that and understands that… Donald Trump is that leader.”
About 60 miles from Philadelphia, Trump spoke to an angry crowd in Allentown at the PLL Center, which has a seated capacity of 8,500 attendees.
As at most rallies, more chairs were added to the arena floor to accommodate additional audience members who wanted a chance to see the former president up close.
Early voting ended in Pennsylvania on Tuesday and will not reopen until the morning of Election Day, Nov. 5.
Throughout the day, Trump cast doubt on the electoral process in the state.
Early voting ended in Pennsylvania on Tuesday and will not reopen until the morning of Election Day on November 5.
‘Wow! “York County, Pennsylvania, received THOUSANDS of potentially FRAUDULENT voter registration forms and mail-in ballot applications from a group of third parties,” Trump stated in a post sent to X on Tuesday afternoon.
He continued in the same post: “This is on top of Lancaster County being caught with 2,600 fake ballots and forms, all written by the same person.”
“Really bad things.” WHAT IS HAPPENING IN PENNSYLVANIA??? Law enforcement must do their job immediately!!! WOW!!!’
The former president also made sure to be present in the state during the end of the early voting period.
On Tuesday afternoon he participated in a town hall in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, where he spoke to voters just eight miles from Center City Philadelphia.