US presidential election: Trump responds to Biden from a garbage truck

As the US presidential election approaches, Donald Trump has once again made his mark with a rather original staging. At a rally held on October 30 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the Republican candidate appeared wearing a fluorescent orange jacket, sitting aboard a garbage truck. This initiative was a masterstroke orchestrated by the former president to respond to the controversial remarks of Joe Biden, who had earlier called Trump's supporters "garbage" before changing his mind.

Facing his supporters, Trump took the opportunity to mock this remark by declaring: "What do you think of my garbage truck?" before saying that this vehicle was "in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden", adding that he saw in his supporters not "garbage", but rather "the soul of America".

A blunder that embarrasses the Democratic camp

Joe Biden's blunder immediately caused embarrassment within the Democratic camp. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre tried to downplay the president's remarks by explaining that he was targeting "hateful rhetoric" and not Trump voters. For her part, Kamala Harris distanced herself, saying she "profoundly disagrees with any personal criticism aimed at people because of their political choices."

However, the controversy comes at a bad time for the vice president, who had just launched a call for unity in Washington, before tens of thousands of supporters, the day before the incident. With every vote decisive in the "swing states", this affair could prove decisive less than a week before the November 5 election.

Trump's calculated response to criticism from his own camp

The counterattack comes at a time of tension for Trump, who is trying to distance himself from racist remarks made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe during one of his rallies at Madison Square Garden. Hinchcliffe had called Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, a "floating island of garbage," a statement that sparked strong reactions and that Trump had to disavow. By staging himself in a garbage truck, Trump skillfully diverts attention from an attack coming from the opposing camp, while playing on his taste for shock PR operations.

In the midst of the battle for the swing states, this quarrel over words could well be a decisive turning point in this fiercely contested campaign.