Donald Trump walked down the steps of his Boeing 757, with his name painted on the side, and crossed a wet runway. He got into the passenger seat of a white garbage truck, which also had his name on it. After trying twice to grab the door handle, he finally got in and put on an orange and yellow safety vest over his white shirt and red tie.

The former president, renowned for his showmanship, was responding to a remark made by his successor, President Joe Biden, who had recently referred to some Trump supporters as “garbage.” Trump used this comment to rally support, taking aim at both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. 

“How do you like my garbage truck?” he quipped, pointing to his unusual vehicle. “This is in honour of Kamala and Joe Biden.”

Trump and other Republicans face backlash after a comedian at a recent Trump rally disparaged Puerto Rico, calling it a “floating island of garbage.” Trump then seized on Biden’s Wednesday comment, claiming the president had referred to his supporters as trash. Biden later clarified that his remark was aimed at Trump’s disparagement of Latinos, but the clarification came too late.

Upon arriving in Green Bay, Wisconsin, for an evening rally, Trump climbed into the garbage truck once again, chatting briefly with reporters through the window — a scene reminiscent of a recent visit to a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. Attempting to distance himself from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s inflammatory joke, Trump stated he didn’t know the comedian personally and didn’t feel compelled to apologise to Puerto Ricans.

“I don’t know the comedian,” Trump remarked. “Never met him, but he’s a comedian, what can I say? I know nothing about him.” A spokesperson confirmed that the joke didn’t reflect Trump’s views. 

“I love Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico loves me,” Trump said from the truck before wrapping up his appearance with, “I hope you enjoyed this garbage truck. Thank you very much.” He then took the stage, still wearing the orange safety vest, continuing his commentary on Biden’s remark.

With inputs from AP