Donald Trump Just Called USA a ‘Garbage Can.' Kamala Harris and The Internet Were Not Impressed

Former President Donald Trump made waves at a rally in Tempe, Arizona, with a scorching remark that’s causing a stir across social media. In an attempt to criticize the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies, Trump described the United States as a ‘garbage can for the world,’ igniting backlash and fueling debate online.

The real estate mogul exclaimed,  “We’re like a garbage can, you know, it’s the first time I’ve ever said that, and every time I come up and talk about what they’ve done to our country, I get angry. First time I’ve ever said garbage can, but you know what, it’s a very accurate description….They got a problem. Gotta make it too big to rig…Who the hell wants these people in office?” as reported by Indy100.

Trump’s statement, which came just weeks before Election Day, was part of his ongoing criticism of current border policies, particularly in a swing state like Arizona. Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking from Houston the day after Trump’s rally, quickly responded to his ‘garbage can’ comments, saying his words ‘belittle our country.’ She criticized her rival, "This is someone who is a former president of the United States, who has a bully pulpit, and this is how he uses it, to tell the rest of the world that somehow the United States of America is trash." 

Netizens, too, were quick to mock Trump as one user quipped, "Hello everyone, my name is Donald Trump and I'm a garbage can." Another user hopped in and slammed Trump, “Donald Trump, our nation is not a “garbage can” or “shit hole”.  How dare you disrespect the nation you are running to lead.  We reject your anger, bigotry, xenophobia, and vengeance because that is not who we are.  We deserve better and are voting for it.”

In agreement, another critic remarked, “...Donald Trump’s disrespect for this nation and what it stands for couldn’t be clearer.” Someone else echoed a similar sentiment, “There's never been a politician who hates our country as much as Trump does.” Other X users tweeted, “It's not enough for Trump to insult Detroit, Baltimore, and Milwaukee— now he's insulting the whole country.”

The viral response highlighted a mix of agitation and anger at Trump’s remarks, with critics viewing his words as both disrespectful and unpatriotic. Trump’s rhetoric during his Arizona rally was not without precedent. The former president has consistently leaned on anti-immigrant messaging throughout his campaigns, casting immigrants as threats and often using inflammatory language to underscore his stance.

Just this year, without any evidence, Trump claimed that Haitian migrants were responsible for consuming pets in Springfield, Ohio—a claim amplified by some right-wing figures. In a recent interview, he emphasized that immigrants have it 'in their genes' to commit murder, a comment that many found highly inflammatory. The ex-president has also repeatedly called for the deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants, portraying them as a menace to American society despite data indicating that undocumented immigrants commit fewer crimes in comparison to U.S. citizens. Trump exclaimed, "Look at Springfield, where 30,000 illegal immigrants dropped, and it was, they may have done it through a certain little trick, but they are illegal immigrants as far as I'm concerned. They're destroying the town … they'll end up destroying the state. We cannot let this happen."