“They Are Absolute Garbage”: Lincoln Project Trolls GOP Over Outrage at Biden’s Comment
Vice presidential hopeful JD Vance advocated for Democrats to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Biden from office during his rally in Virginia on Monday. (Getty Images)
Republican officials expressed outrage at President Joe Biden’s recent remark, which they interpreted as calling Donald Trump’s supporters “garbage.” But their reaction quickly met with backlash from the Lincoln Project, who highlighted the apparent double standard through a viral response video, targeting prominent GOP figures like Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) for selective outrage.
The online exchange began when Vance voiced his displeasure over Biden’s statement, which he described as a condemnation of half the country. “One of Kamala Harris’s biggest donors is doubling down on calling half the country ‘garbage,’” Vance wrote on social media platform X, alluding to the Lincoln Project’s support of the Biden administration. “Will they continue to insult half of the country for the sin of thinking Kamala Harris isn’t good at her job?”
The Lincoln Project, a group of former Republicans known for their pointed critiques of Trump, quickly responded with a video clip featuring Trump himself. In the footage, Trump harshly criticizes Harris’s supporters. “It’s the people that surround her, they’re scum and they want to take down our country,” Trump says in the video, adding, “They are absolute garbage.”
Rick Wilson, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, also jumped into the conversation, poking fun at the media’s tendency to amplify sensationalist political moments. “Attention, national media,” he posted. “I was told this phrase is a globe-shattering transgression. I await your breathless tweets.” Wilson’s comment underscored the Lincoln Project’s stance that selective outrage over rhetoric often ignores similar language from Trump and his allies.
The exchange took place during a particularly tense final week of the presidential campaign, with Trump’s team ramping up attacks on immigration policies and casting Vice President Kamala Harris as an ineffective “border czar.” The Trump camp’s messaging has involved stark characterizations, with his allies portraying immigrants as dangerous and even “pet-eating murderers with bad genes.”
Harris’s supporters have, in turn, portrayed Trump as an authoritarian whose rhetoric endangers democracy and promotes falsehoods. Vance’s reaction to these controversies has included defending figures in Trump’s orbit who make inflammatory remarks. When a comedian at a Trump rally described Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage” and made derogatory comments about various racial and ethnic groups, Vance downplayed the offensiveness of the jokes.
“Stop getting so offended at every little thing,” he advised critics, dismissing concerns over a watermelon joke aimed at a Black man and other unsavory comments targeting Latino individuals. Meanwhile, the White House clarified Biden’s comment, which was later transcribed as follows: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”
Nonetheless, Vance reacted to the initial version, expressing shock and disappointment. “Kamala Harris and Joe Biden ought to be ashamed of themselves,” Vance remarked, fueling further debate over the political rhetoric dominating the campaign’s final days. In response, the Lincoln Project reiterated the clip of Trump’s words, reminding Vance and others of the inflammatory language used by Trump against his opponents.
By re-sharing the video, the Lincoln Project sought to underline the contrast between GOP outrage at Biden’s comments and their defense of Trump’s similarly harsh statements. This ongoing clash between rhetoric and selective accountability has highlighted the divisive language employed by both sides, setting the stage for an election marked as much by personal attacks as by policy debates.
