Video of Donald Trump 'fighting' to get into garbage truck goes viral

Commentators on social media have raised concerns about Donald Trump's health after footage emerged of the Republican presidential candidate climbing into a garbage truck bearing a campaign logo.

Reacting to the video, one activist said that Trump “seems to be in major physical trouble,” while another said the former president has “deteriorated so much that he now moves like a drunk.”

On Wednesday, Trump was filmed in Wisconsin getting into a garbage truck while wearing an orange fluorescent safety vest, an apparent response to President Joe Biden appearing to call his supporters “trash” earlier this week. The footage was captured during a campaign stop in Wisconsin, and Trump later wore the fluorescent vest at a rally in Green Bay.

Matt McDermott, a pollster who champions a range of progressive causes as senior vice president of Whitman Insight Strategies, said on McDermott, “Trump appears to be having a lot of trouble physically.”

The video shows Trump leaning towards the door of the garbage truck and seemingly missing it before briefly appearing unsure. McDermott's post went viral on X, garnering more than 7,900 reposts and 3.7 million views.

In response to the clip, attorney Jeffrey Evan Gold, who provided a legal analysis on CNN, said: “I just gave in immediately. I don’t think he’ll pass the garbage collection medical exam, but at least he’s trying.”

In her satirical account “Mrs. Betty Bowers,” Canadian comedian Deven Green wrote, “He has deteriorated so much that he now moves like a drunk.”

Former NBA basketball player Rex Chapman also responded to the footage, commenting: “Will this appeal to any networks tonight?”

Stuart Stevens, a political consultant and author of “The Conspiracy to End America,” wrote: “The irony is that no city or state could hire Donald Trump as a garbage collector, considering he is a felon out on bail awaiting sentencing.”

Newsweek contacted the Trump campaign via email outside of regular office hours on Thursday for comment.

Other commentators praised Trump for his move on social media.

Breitbart News reporter Alana Mastrangelo wrote on He plays chess.

The popular account “Libs of TikTok,” run by Chaya Raichik, says, “I love how the media is being forced to cover Trump in a garbage truck. You must be losing your mind.”

On Tuesday, Biden appeared to call Trump supporters “trash” in response to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of trash” at the former president's rally on Sunday in Madison Square Gardens.

In conversation with Newsweek, White House spokesman Andrew Bates insisted Biden was targeting the “hateful rhetoric that emerged from the Madison Square Garden rally” rather than referring to Trump supporters as a whole.

Addressing the media from the garbage truck, Trump compared Biden's comment to Hillary Clinton, who in 2016 called “half” of her supporters a “basket of deplorables,” and called the comment “a disgrace.”

During his rally in Green Bay, Trump joked that his campaign persuaded him to wear the orange vest by saying it would make him look thinner.

The Republican candidate said their initial reaction to the suggestion was “absolutely not,” but they replied, “If so, you know it actually makes you look thinner.”

Trump added: “They got me. I said I wanted to wear it on stage. Maybe I’ll never wear a blue jacket again.”