US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump travelled in a garbage truck through the state of Wisconsin on Thursday after incumbent US leader Joe Biden called his supporters “garbage”, as action movie star and former Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger threw his support behind Democratic candidate Kamala Harris for US President.
Trump rides a garbage truck
Democratic candidate Kamala Harris had hoped to spend the day building on last week’s “closing argument” that she made at a huge rally in Washington the night before, but instead she recoiled from Biden’s remark, which appeared to call Trump supporters “garbage.”
Harris later commented on Biden’s comparison of Trump supporters to garbage. She said she strongly disagreed with the criticism of groups of people based on which candidate they support. The White House, for its part, sent out a transcript pointing out that Biden did not say that Trump supporters were trash, but merely confused his words and condemns specifically the remarks made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally. The comedian compared Puerto Rico, which is a territory of the States, to a “floating island of garbage.”
Trump took advantage of the gaffe by staging a photo op, climbing into a garbage truck at a Wisconsin airport and taking questions from reporters.
Trump said from the cab of the vehicle:
“How do you like my garbage truck? This truck is in honour of Kamala and Joe Biden.”
Trump added later at his rally in Green Bay, still wearing his high-visibility jacket:
“You can’t be president if you hate the American people, which I believe they do.”
Meanwhile, Harris travelled to North Carolina and on to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, focusing again on three of the seven battleground states that could see battles and determine who wins the closest election in modern USA history.
In Madison, Wisconsin, she told supporters:
“Folks are exhausted and want it to stop, the pointing fingers. It is time that we start locking arms together as a people who rise and fall together.”
More than 57 million voters have already cast their ballots early or by mail, more than a third of the 2020 electorate.
Arnold Schwarzenegger makes rare presidential endorsement
Actor, former California governor and Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Thursday that he will vote for Democrat Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election.
In a shocking statement, the actor wrote on X:
“I don’t really do endorsements. I’m not shy about sharing my views, but I hate politics and don’t trust most politicians.”
Despite this, the 77-year-old “Terminator” star said it was time for the country to “move forward” and that “the only way to do that is Harris and Waltz.”
Along with his endorsement, the actor gave a harsh assessment of Trump and predicted the chaos he would sow if he became president again. Schwarzenegger also wrote:
“We need to close the door on this chapter of American history, and I know that former President Trump won’t do that.”
At the same time, he acknowledged that Democrat policies are “hurting our cities by raising crime rates,” but even that doesn’t allow him to “abstract” and urge him to vote Republican. Schwarzenegger stressed that in order to win elections, one must “co-operate with the other side, not insult them.”
In his statement, the former California governor, without mentioning Donald Trump by name, said that “rejecting the results of the election is as un-American as it could ever be.”
In his lengthy statement, Schwarzenegger added:
“Let me be honest with you: I don’t like either party right now. My Republicans have forgotten the beauty of the free market, driven up deficits and rejected election results.”
California’s 38th governor, who held office from 2003 to 2011, rarely endorses political candidates.
The election for the 47th president of the US will be held in November 2024, with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican representative Donald Trump vying for the post.
