2024 “War of Rejection”: When politicians and comedians call people and places trash

A sad excuse for the comedian who said Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage.” Donald Trump said America is a trash can. America, he said, “is like a garbage can for the whole world.” In response, President Joe Biden said that Trump supporters are trash. Now we argue about which side has the better claim to being the offended party, and we argue about who meant something more subtle by comparing people and places to trash.

Welcome to the garbage war of 2024, the dumbest part of our election so far.

The problem with all of these statements is not that they are offensive. We spend too much time looking for things that will hurt us. The problem with these statements is that they are false.

• Puerto Rico is a beautiful place whose scenery can be ruined by the fact that it is also poor. That doesn’t mean it’s trash. This means that we have something to work on.

• America is not a trash can. Despite all our problems, some of which are exacerbated by the foolish policies of the Biden-Harris administration, America is full of growth, opportunity and freedom. He remains a beacon for the world.

• Donald Trump supporters are not trash. I spent a week talking to his most ardent supporters in Milwaukee. They are friendly and nice – even to journalists – and want the best for the country they love.

The real problem has nothing to do with trash or garbage, the problem is that Joe Biden and Donald Trump are past their sell-by date – two men with fruit salad between their ears.

The old man’s duel that we almost survived has been cancelled. Luckily, only one of them appears on the ballot in six days.

In a moving speech on the White House Ellipse Tuesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris made clear that she doesn’t think Trump supporters are trash. She said she wants them to sit at the table where decisions are made. She said she wanted to discuss our differences and reach a compromise.

This is what the president sounds like. This is exactly what someone who wants to represent all people sounds like – even those who vote against him. The rest of this debate is just garbage.