"Taking out the Trash" Gets Literal as Trump Drives Garbage Truck to Rally
Biden calls Trump’s supporters garbage. Trump pretends to take out the trash on his way to a rally. Memes ensue.
Published Oct. 31 2024, 2:17 p.m. ET
In the ever-evolving world of internet humor, few things are as entertaining as memes. Among the myriad of memes circulating online, the Trump Garbage Truck memes stand out for their unique blend of humor and commentary. Former President Donald Trump has become a meme phenomenon, and after he rode a garbage truck to a rally, the ensuing memes were a clever way to poke fun at his presidency and personality.
The memes capture the absurdity of politics while providing a lighthearted escape for everyone. After Trump supporter and “comedian” Tony Hinchcliffe, known for Kill Tony, called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” President Biden commented to a Hispanic advocacy group: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.” In response, Trump decided to drive a garbage truck with his name on it to his rally.
“How do you like my garbage truck?” Trump said (via ABC News) while wearing an orange and yellow safety vest over his trademark shirt and tie. “This is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden.” As he struggled to climb into the garbage truck, the memes took over X (formerly Twitter), so we’ve rounded up a few of the best.
Mary Trump, the former President’s niece, calls Trump “garbage.”
While sharing the clip of Trump in his branded campaign garbage truck, Mary wrote, “Hm, interesting choice to place the garbage in the front of the truck.” It’s a fun play on calling her uncle “garbage” and joking about the logistics of how a garbage is typically in the back of the truck instead of the passenger seat.
One meme suggests the garbage is all politicians.
A Puerto Rican meme account, @TheRicanMemes, tweeted a doctored video of Trump’s garbage truck only picking up Harris-Walz campaign signs. The joke behind the meme draws back to Trump’s willingness to win by undercutting his opponents, acting at times illegally or inappropriately. It would be totally in character for Trump to use his garbage truck media ploy to not only tantalize his opponents but also to throw their campaign signs into the trash physically.
Another garbage truck meme places Trump in a Tesla truck.
Not only is Elon Musk a loud supporter of Trump, basically trying to bankroll Trump into the White House, but Tesla is starting to create a monopoly of electric and self-driving cars. As more Teslas get on the road, we wouldn’t be surprised to start seeing Tesla-branded garbage trucks. With Trump in Elon’s garbage Tesla truck pocket, it’s the perfect encapsulation of the 2024 election.
The irony of putting Trump’s name on a garbage truck did not escape us.
One democratic online presence, Keith Edwards, pointed out, “Wait they put the Trump campaign logo on a garbage truck … on purpose???” Frankly, it’s ridiculous that his campaign thought it would be a good idea to brand his campaign with an actual garbage truck. While they thought they may be appealing to America’s everyman, it looks much more like they’re calling Trump the trash within the truck … and the Kamala voters love it.
The ridiculousness of Trump’s garbage truck moment carried into his rally.
After riding in the garbage truck, Trump attended his Green Bay, Wis. rally still wearing an orange and yellow vest. In one clip, he’s dancing to the Village People, a notoriously queer disco group. Journalist Aaron Rupar wrote, “Trump does the double jerk to the Village People while cosplaying as a garbage man,” referencing Trump’s suggestive hand movements. The memes are basically creating themselves at this point.
Is this the final 2024 election cycle meme? With only days before Election Day on Nov. 5, 2024, pundits can’t possibly imagine what could come next … but we can fear the worst. The bright side? There will always be something to laugh about with endless Trump memes.