¶ Embarrassing Buffoon
Highlights:
- Donald Trump was mocked by other world leaders.
- Trump was laughed at during his 2018 address to the UN.
- Argentine President Mauricio Macri described Trump as a “crackpot.”
- Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa said Trump was “so dumb.”
- Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull mocked Trump’s obsession with winning polls.
- The 2019 NATO summit revealed world leaders no longer respected Trump.
- John Bolton said that world leaders viewed Trump as a “laughing fool.”
- Queen Elizabeth II reportedly found Trump “very rude.”
- H.R. McMaster said dictators treated Trump “like a chump.”
- Donald Trump had a general lack of decorum.
- Trump demonstrated a lack of empathy when visiting victims of natural disasters and shooting survivors.
- Trump was preoccupied with crowd size from the start of his presidency.
- Trump pushed world leaders to get to the front of a photo.
- Trump did not censor himself when speaking to children.
- Trump imitated Modi by using an Indian accent.
- Trump discussed sex workers and urine at an Iowa rally.
- Trump used his holiday messages to attack political and legal opponents.
- Trump made bizarre and offensive attacks against his political opponents.
- Trump embarrassed himself at the 2024 National Libertarian Convention.
- Trump told a joke while discussing the widow of the firefighter killed during the attempted assassination on Trump.
- Trump said that the Presidential Medal of Freedom was better than the Medal of Honor because recipients of the latter were usually dead or severely injured.
- Trump reposted a claim on his social media site that Vice President Harris traded sexual favors for political gains.
- Donald Trump demonstrated a general lack of knowledge.
- Trump’s anti-environmentalism crusade led to absurd comments.
- Trump’s comments to world leaders showed how little he prepared for meetings with other leaders.
- Trump stared at the solar eclipse.
- Trump jumped into a truck at the White House like a child.
- Trump mistook Kansas for Missouri when congratulating the Chiefs for their Super Bowl victory.
- Trump said he thought “coyotes” crossing the border were animals.
- Trump said American troops took over airports during the Revolutionary War, hundreds of years before airplanes were invented.
- Trump repeatedly compared himself to important cultural artifacts and political figures such as Mona Lisa.
- Trump claimed the Civil War could have been negotiated.
- Trump said the red splotches on his hands could have been AI.
- Trump said that Democrats would change the name of Pennsylvania.
- Trump didn’t know who the senators from Louisiana were.
- Trump confused Jeb Bush with his brother, George W Bush.
- Trump confused Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.
- Trump confused Sioux City, Iowa for Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
- Trump did not know where Hungary was.
- Trump thought he was going to be arrested after watching a Morning Joe rerun.
- Trump claimed North Korea had a population of 1.3 billion when it was actually 25 million.
- Trump falsely claimed magnets do not work underwater.
- Trump claimed Letitia James drove Exxon out of New York, which occurred 35 years prior.
- Trump confused Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi.
- Trump confused “supply change” with “supply chains” in a Newsmax interview.
- Trump complained about Kamala Harris’ intelligence, but could not think of an example of her not being smart.
- Trump confused Afghanistan for Alaska.
- Donald Trump attacked dead political rivals, including former Sen. John McCain and former Rep. John Dingell.
- Donald Trump regularly mispronounced and misspelled words and names.
- Trump sometimes had roundly ridiculed misspellings in his tweets that are part of the official record.
- Trump notoriously mispronounced words.
- Trump wrote out a never-before-seen phonetic spelling of Al Qaeda.
- Donald Trump’s campaign has acknowledged Trump’s propensity for embarrassing comments.
¶ Trump Was Mocked By Other World Leaders
¶ Trump Was Laughed At During His 2018 Address To The Un
Washington Post: Trump’s “Triumphant Moment Was Marred In The First Minute When He Was Met By Laughter.” According to the Washington Post, "But at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump got a comeuppance on the world’s biggest stage. Delivering a speech that aimed to establish U.S. “sovereignty” over the whims and needs of other nations, the president’s triumphant moment was marred in the first minute when he was met by laughter — at his expense. The embarrassing exchange came when Trump boasted that his administration had accomplished more over two years than ‘almost any administration’ in American history, eliciting audible guffaws in the cavernous chamber hall." [Washington Post, 9/25/18]
VIDEO: Trump Getting Laughed At The UN For Boasting That No Administration Had Accomplished As Much As His. [YouTube, 9/25/18]
¶ Argentine President Mauricio Macri Described Trump As A “Crackpot”
Macri On Trump: “A Totally Crackpot Presidential Candidate.” According to the Washington Post, “‘A totally crackpot presidential candidate.’ Argentine President Mauricio Macri said of Trump privately before he was elected, according to the Argentine press.” [Washington Post, 12/7/19]
¶ Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa Said Trump Was “So Dumb”
Correa On Trump: “His Discourse Is So Dumb, So Basic.” According to the Washington Post, “‘His discourse is so dumb, so basic.’ Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa in March 2016.” [Washington Post, 12/7/19]
¶ Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull Mocked Trump’s Obsession With Winning Polls
Turnbull Gave A Trump Impersonation To Mock Trump’s Obsession With Winning Polls. According to CNN, “Speaking at the ball, Turnbull impersonated Trump’s speaking style during the speech when mocking their poor performance in recent opinion polls. ‘The Donald and I, we are winning and winning in the polls. We are winning so much! We are winning like we have never won before. We are winning in the polls. We are! Not the fake polls. Not the fake polls. They’re the ones we’re not winning in. We’re winning in the real polls,’ he said, to applause and laughter. Turnbull even made fun of Trump’s ongoing troubles with allegations of Russian involvement in the 2016 US election. ‘You know the online polls. they are so easy to win. I know that. Did you know that? I kind of know that. They are so easy to win. I have this Russian guy. Believe me it’s true, it is true,’ Turnbull said in his speech.” [CNN, 6/15/17]
¶ 2019 NATO Summit Revealed World Leaders No Longer Respected Trump
¶ Trudeau Mocked Trump Behind His Back To Other World Leaders
Trudeau Seemingly Mocked Trump In Conversation With Fellow World Leaders. According to Business Insider, “Trump appeared to be roundly mocked by world leaders and royalty behind his back. Though he did not mention Trump by name, Trudeau was recorded on video poking fun at what seemed to be Trump's impromptu 40-minute press conference, prompting laughter from a group that included Macron, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and Princess Anne.” [Business Insider, 12/4/19]
¶ Johnson Refused To Be Seen Publicly With Trump Ahead Of An Election
December 2019: Boris Johnson Took Steps To Avoid Being Photographed With Trump Ahead Of Pivotal UK Elections. According to Business Insider, “The British Conservative Party took great pains to distance Johnson from Trump while the two leaders were in the same vicinity, for fear that Trump would jeopardize its chances of winning the coming UK general election next week. (Trump did appear to honor this by saying on Tuesday morning that he had no comment on the election.) According to Politico's London Playbook, Johnson was ‘so keen not to be photographed with the US president that he did not even greet him at the door when he and wife Melania arrived’ at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday night. […] Johnson's refusal to be publicly seen with Trump also comes as a huge snub to the US president, who in October had endorsed him in the election.” [Business Insider, 12/4/19]
¶ John Bolton Said That World Leaders Viewed Trump As A “Laughing Fool”
Bolton Said That World Leaders Thought Trump Was A “Laughing Fool” That They Could Take Advantage Of. According to The Hill, “Former national security adviser John Bolton said world leaders look at former President Trump as a ‘laughing fool’ in his latest attack on the GOP presidential front-runner. ‘I think they think — Xi Jinping, and Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and others — they think he’s a laughing fool. And they’re fully prepared to take advantage of him. Trump’s self-absorption makes it impossible for him to understand that,’ Bolton said Tuesday on CNN’s ‘The Source with Kaitlin Collins.’” [The Hill, 1/31/24]
¶ According To A Biography, Queen Elizabeth II Reportedly Found Trump “Very Rude”
A New Biography Of Queen Elizabeth II Claimed That The Queen Found Trump “Very Rude.” According to People, “Queen Elizabeth found former President Donald Trump to be ‘very rude,’ a new book claims. In the upcoming biography A Voyage Around the Queen, which will be published on Aug. 29 in the U.K. and Oct. 1 in the U.S., Craig Brown writes that Queen Elizabeth was put off by the way Trump acted towards her when they met. Trump, 78, was hosted by the Queen in the U.K. twice during his presidency: once for a working trip in July 2018 and again for a state visit in June 2019. The two also connected at the NATO 70th anniversary reception at Buckingham Palace in December 2019. ‘A few weeks after President Trump's visit, for instance, she confided in one lunch guest that she found him 'very rude': she particularly disliked the way he couldn't stop looking over her shoulder, as though in search of others more interesting,’ Brown wrote in A Voyage Around the Queen, according to an excerpt serialized in the Daily Mail on Aug. 19.” [People, 8/20/24]
¶ Trump’s Former National Security Advisor Said Dictators Treated Trump Like A “Chump”
In His New Book, Former Trump National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster Wrote That Trump Was Treated Like A “Chump” By The World’s Dictators. According to the New York Times, “‘At War With Ourselves’ is intended to be a companion to ‘Battlegrounds,’ McMaster’s 2020 assessment of U.S. foreign policy backsliding since the Cold War, but it works well as a stand-alone and serves as essential reading for anyone countenancing a potential second round of Trump as a global leader. The general shows how, despite his best efforts to help the president, the supposed master of the ‘art of the deal’ was treated like a ‘chump’ by a roster of the world’s top authoritarians.” [New York Times, 8/27/24]
¶ Trump Had A General Lack Of Decorum
¶ Trump Demonstrated A Lack Of Empathy When Visiting Victims Of Natural Disasters ANd Shooting Survivors
¶ Trump Acted Insensitively When Interacting With Victims Of Natural Disasters
Trump Told A Homeowner Ravaged By Hurricane Florence In North Carolina Who Had A Washed Up Boat On His Front Yard: “At Least You Got A Nice Boat Out Of The Deal.” According to People, “As the death toll from Hurricane Florence grew to at least 37, President Donald Trump visited North Carolina on Wednesday and waxed positive about one survivor’s misfortune. While surveying the damage in the low-lying neighborhood of New Bern, North Carolina, the president came upon a yacht that had washed ashore into a resident’s backyard. ‘Is this your boat? Or . . . did it become your boat?’ Trump asked the man who lived in the house, according to pool reports. After the homeowner replied that no, it was not his boat, Trump reportedly said with a smile, ‘At least you got a nice boat out of the deal.” [People, 9/20/18]
Trump Was Recorded “Insensitively” Throwing Paper Towel Rolls Into Crowd Of Victims Of Hurricane Maria In Puerto Rico. According to the Washington Post, " The video clip has played on a repeating loop on cable news this week as Hurricane Florence closed in on the East Coast: President Trump casually tosses rolls of paper towels into a cheering crowd at a church in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria a year ago. White House aides reacted at the time with a mix of grimaces and chuckles over what they saw as classic Trump — acting insensitively but, in his own way, playfully to offer amusement to locals who were happy to see him. A pool reporter that day called the scene ‘surreal’ and described Trump doing his ‘best Stephen Curry impersonation’ as he aimed the towels to the far reaches of the crowd, a performance ‘they enjoyed.’" [Washington Post, 9/13/18]
- Trump Was Reportedly Frustrated By Negative Coverage Of His Response To Hurricane Maria And Claimed They Were “Beautiful, Soft Towels. Very Good Towels.” According to Business Insider, “Trump has particularly been irritated by video footage of him throwing rolls of paper towels to a crowd of relief workers on the island, according to a Washington Post report published Thursday. Trump had characterized his gestures as good-natured, but the footage prompted accusations that Trump lacks empathy. ‘They had these beautiful, soft towels. Very good towels,’ Trump said during an interview with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in October. ‘And I came in and there was a crowd of a lot of people. And they were screaming and they were loving everything. I was having fun, they were having fun. They said, 'Throw 'em to me! Throw 'em to me Mr. President!'’” [Business Insider, 9/15/18]
¶ Trump Had Notes Reminding Him To Demonstrate Sympathy To Survivors Of School Shootings
Trump Had Notes Reminding Him To Say, “I Hear You” And Demonstrate Sympathy To Survivors Of School Shootings. According to the Guardian, “Briefing notes captured by photographers at US president Donald Trump’s White House listening session with survivors of gun violence show that he needed to be reminded to say ‘I hear you’. Close-up pictures of the note revealed that it had five points, of which the first was a reminder to ask the question: ‘What would you most want me to know about your experience’. The second question listed is: ‘What can we do to make you feel safe?’ […] But it is the final note – ‘I hear you’ – that has attracted the most criticism, with the implication that without a prompt the president would be unable to show sympathy towards those affected by school shootings, some of whom had travelled from Florida for the occasion.” [Guardian, 2/22/18]
- Notes Photographed During The Listening Session. [Guardian, 2/22/18]
¶ Trump Was Preoccupied With Crowd Size From Start Of His Presidency
Trump And His Team Fumed Over Small Inauguration Crowd And Offered “Alternative Facts” Suggesting The Crowd Was Bigger Than Reported. According to Politico, "President Donald Trump and his team are still fuming over evidence of a relatively small crowd for his inauguration, with his chief of staff claiming the reports are an effort to ‘de-legitimize’ Trump and another senior adviser explaining that the administration is offering ‘alternative facts.’ […] But much of the attention remained on the public fight over whether the size of Trump’s inaugural crowd truly paled in comparison to that of his predecessors. Aerial images and Metro ridership statistics indicate that significantly few people attended Trump’s inauguration on Friday, compared to former President Barack Obama’s ceremony in 2009." [Politico, 1/22/17]
Spicer Falsely Claimed It “Was The Largest Audience To Ever Witness An Inauguration, Period.” According to Politico, "Spicer has taken heat for his main claim that ‘this was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe,’ while offering other inaccurate statements including that Trump's was the first inauguration in which white floor coverings were used on the mall. White floor coverings were used during Obama's second inauguration in 2013." [Politico, 1/22/17]
Trump Fixated On Inauguration Television Ratings And Lied About Relative Numbers Between Himself And Obama. According to Politico, "It wasn't just crowd size that Trump focused on during his third day as leader of the free world. He was also fixated on television ratings for his big day. In a third tweet on Sunday, he said, ‘Wow, television ratings just out: 31 million people watched the Inauguration, 11 million more than the very good ratings from 4 years ago!’ Trump’s assessment of the ratings was just slightly off. His inauguration received 30.6 million viewers, compared to 20.5 million for former President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2013. In 2009, however, Obama received nearly 38 million viewers for his first inauguration." [Politico, 1/22/17]
¶ Trump Bragged About Crowd Size During Inappropriate Moments
Trump Complained To Boy Scouts About How The Press Would Lie About Crowd Size. According to Vox, “About 30,000 scouts showed up to the National Jamboree event, which happens every four years. Trump used that as the basis of an attack on the media he rolled out often during the campaign: that they’d underreport his crowds. ‘Boy, you have a lot of people here. The press will say it's about 200 people. It looks like about 45,000 people. You set a record today,’ Trump said at the beginning of his speech. He wasn’t done. Throughout the speech, he repeatedly accused the media of not accurately representing crowd size at this speech or others before it. As he did at many 2016 campaign rallies, Trump repeatedly commanded camera crews to pan over the entire crowd.” [Vox, 7/25/17]
Trump Bragged About Crowd Size Of His El Paso Rally While Visiting Victims Of El Paso Shooting In Hospital. According to CNN, “During a visit to the El Paso hospital treating victims of Saturday's mass shooting, President Donald Trump praised medical staff for their response to the shooting and said ‘they're talking about you all over the world.’ And then, he pivoted to talking about himself, talking up the crowd size that attended a rally he held in El Paso several months earlier and mocking the relatively small size of the crowd that joined presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, a former congressman, to protest the rally, according to cell phone video posted online. ‘I was here three months ago,’ Trump is seen telling a group of what appear to be first responders and other officials at University Medical Center in the video. ‘That place was packed. ... That was some crowd. And we had twice the number outside. And then you had this crazy Beto. Beto had like 400 people in a parking lot, they said his crowd was wonderful,’ he said.” [CNN, 8/8/19]
¶ Trump Pushed World Leaders To Get To Front Of Photo
Trump Shoved President Of Montenegro During NATO Photo Opp. [YouTube, 5/25/17]
¶ Trump Did Not Censor Himself When Speaking To Children
Trump Spoiled The Existence Of Santa Claus To A 7-Year-Old Calling In To The Government “Santa Tracker.” According to USA Today, “President Donald Trump questioned a 7-year-old’s belief in Santa Claus, telling the child it was ‘marginal’ at that age to still think Father Christmas is real. ‘Are you still a believer in Santa?’ Trump said to a child calling in to the federal government's official ‘Santa Tracker,’ run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command. ‘Because at 7, it's marginal, right?’ Trump said.” [USA Today, 12/24/18]
Trump Told Boy Scouts About Party With “Hottest People In New York” He Went To Years Ago. According to Vox, “After talking about the importance of momentum to success, Trump started in on an anecdote about a developer who built a successful company, then sold it, then got bored in retirement: “He got bored with this life of yachts, and sailing, and all of the things he did in the South of France and other places. You won't get bored, right? You know, truthfully, you're workers. You'll get bored too, believe me.” And the developer bought back the company and failed badly, Trump said: “And I saw him at a cocktail party. And it was very sad because the hottest people in New York were at this party. It was the party of Steve Ross — Steve Ross, who was one of the great people. He came up and discovered, really founded Time Warner, and he was a great guy. He had a lot of successful people at the party. And I was doing well, so I got invited to the party. I was very young. And I go in, but I'm in the real estate business, and I see a hundred people, some of whom I recognize, and they're big in the entertainment business.” [Vox, 7/25/17]
¶ Trump Imitated Modi By Using Indian Accent
Trump Was Known To Imitate PM Modi By Talking With An Indian Accent. According to the Washington Post, "Senior administration officials said that the president has been known to affect an Indian accent and imitate Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who in an Oval Office meeting last year told him, ‘Never has a country given so much away for so little in return’ as the United States in Afghanistan." [Washington Post, 1/21/18]
¶ Trump Discussed Sex Workers And Urine At His Iowa Rally
At An Iowa Rally, Trump Brought Up Sex Workers And Urine.. According to the Daily Beast, “Donald Trump felt the need to make his kink preferences very clear to an Iowa audience on Saturday, describing how he denied to his wife Melania the claim he had sex workers urinate on him. ‘He was with four hookers,’ Trump summarized to a Fort Dodge, Iowa, crowd. ‘You think that was good that night they go up and tell my wife, ‘It’s not true, darling. I love you very much. It’s not true.’’ The claim was one of the most incendiary in a 2016 dossier by former British spy Christopher Steele, a document that alleged the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election. It claimed that Trump, during a 2013 stay at the Ritz Carlton in Moscow, hired sex workers to perform a ‘golden showers’ show on the hotel bed to defile it, as he had heard the Obamas had stayed in the same bed.” [Daily Beast, 11/19/23]
¶ Trump Said Special Counsel Jack Smith Looked Like “A Crackhead”
Trump Said Special Counsel Jack Smith “Looks Like A Crackhead To Me.” According to The Hill, “Trump in his Wednesday post also asked whether Smith, who was appointed by Merrick Garland last fall to oversee the DOJ’s investigations into the former president, has ‘been seen in the area of the cocaine’ and said the special counsel ‘looks like a crackhead to me.’” [The Hill, 7/5/23]
¶ TRUMP USED HIS HOLIDAY MESSAGES TO ATTACK POLITICAL AND LEGAL OPPONENTS
¶ May 2024: Trump Complained About His Legal Issues And “Human Scum” In A Memorial Day Message
May 2024: Trump Wished A Happy Memorial Day To “Human Scum” While Complaining About His Legal Issues. According to Newsweek, “Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden both shared messages on social media this week to honor Memorial Day and those who died while serving in the United States armed forces. In a post on Truth Social, Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee for president, shared an image showing himself saluting a grave and said, ‘We can never replace them. We can never repay them, but we can always remember. Today, that is what we are doing - we remember.’ However, in another post on Truth Social, Trump wrote about his various legal issues, particularly taking aim at writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused the former president of defamation and sexual assault. Trump was found liable for defamation earlier this year and ordered to pay Carroll $83.3 million in damages. ‘Happy Memorial Day to All, including the Human Scum that is working so hard to destroy our Once Great Country, & to the Radical Left, Trump Hating Federal Judge in New York that presided over, get this, TWO separate trials, that awarded a woman, who I never met before (a quick handshake at a celebrity event, 25 years ago, doesn't count!), 91 MILLION DOLLARS for 'DEFAMATION,'’ Trump wrote in the post. ‘She didn't know when the so-called event took place - sometime in the 1990's - never filed a police report, didn't have to produce the 'dress' that she threatened me with (it showed negative!), & sung my praises in the first half of her CNN Interview with Alison Cooper, but changed her tune in the second half - Gee, I wonder why (UNDER APPEAL!)? ‘The Rape charge was dropped by a jury! Or Arthur Engoron, the N.Y. State Wacko Judge who fined me almost 500 Million Dollars (UNDER APPEAL) for DOING NOTHING WRONG, used a Statute that has never been used before, gave me NO JURY, Mar-a-Lago at $18,000,000 - Now for Merchan!’” [Newsweek, 5/27/24]
¶ November 2023: Trump Attacked His Political And Legal Opponents In A Thanksgiving Message
November 2023: Trump’s Thanksgiving Message Included Attacks On His Political And Legal Opponents And Well As Court Staff. According to Axios, “Former President Trump took to Truth Social at 2:03am ET on Thanksgiving to attack people involved in the fraud case that threatens his real estate empire, along with his political opponents. Why it matters: The early-morning diatribe is hardly a traditional Thanksgiving message, but it is classic Trump — and it comes as court officials argue that a gag order restricting just these sorts of posts relating to the $250 million New York civil fraud trial should be reinstated. What he's saying: In a post beginning ‘Happy Thanksgiving to ALL,’ Trump called: Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the civil fraud charges against Trump and other Trump Organization executives, ‘racist and incompetent;’ Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the trial, a ‘Psycho’ who had purposely undervalued his assets, and; Engoron's legal clerk, whom Trump has repeatedly attacked during the trial, ‘Politically Biased and Corrupt’ Trump also went after ‘Crooked Joe Biden,’ the ‘Radical Left,’ ‘RINOS’ and more, before vowing to win the 2024 election.” [Axios, 11/23/23]
¶ December 2023: Trump Encouraged Various People To “Rot In Hell” In A Christmas Message
December 2023: Trump Issued A Christmas Message Calling For Various People To “Rot In Hell.” According to The Hill, “Former President Trump in an unusual Christmas message on Truth Social called for various people he sees as ‘looking to destroy’ the nation to ‘rot in Hell.’ It was one of several Christmas messages on the former president’s preferred social media platform going after President Biden, special counsel Jack Smith and other political opponents throughout Monday. The opponents included world leaders and people in favor of the use of electric cars. ‘Merry Christmas to all, including Crooked Joe Biden’s ONLY HOPE, Deranged Jack Smith,’ Trump began in a Truth Social post at 2:38 p.m. EST. Trump frequently describes Smith, who is prosecuting the former president over his actions connected to the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, as deranged. The Supreme Court just Friday said it would not immediately consider a request by Smith to make a determination on Trump’s insistence he is immune from prosecution because he was taking presidential actions at the time. ‘Included also are World Leaders, both good and bad, but none of which are as evil and ‘sick’ as the THUGS we have inside our Country who, with their Open Borders, INFLATION, Afghanistan Surrender, Green New Scam, High Taxes, No Energy Independence, Woke Military, Russia/Ukraine, Israel/Iran, All Electric Car Lunacy, and so much more, are looking to destroy our once great USA. MAY THEY ROT IN HELL. AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS!’ the former president concluded.” [The Hill, 12/25/23]
¶ March 2024: Trump’s Easter Message Was A Lengthy Diatribe Against His Perceived Political Opponents
March 2024: Trump Spent Easter Attacking His Perceived Political Opponents. According to The Hill, “President Biden and former President Trump shared starkly different Easter messages Sunday. Biden marked the holy day with a solemn message, while Trump lashed out at political opponents in an all-caps post on Truth Social. Trump went after the prosecutors organizing criminal cases against him, reiterating claims that federal special counsel Jack Smith is ‘deranged,’ calling Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg ‘lazy’ and lashing out against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The former president also hurled insults at the Department of Justice and “crooked Joe,” in reference to the president. Biden, a devout Catholic, marked Easter with reminders of the story of Jesus’s sacrifice and with blessings.” [The Hill, 3/31/24]
Trump Wished A “Happy Easter” To “Crooked And Corrupt Prosecutors,” “People I Completely & Totally Despise,” “‘Deranged’ Jack Smith,” “‘Fauni’ Wade,” And “Lazy” Alvin Bragg. According to a post by Trump on his Truth Social account, “HAPPY EASTER TO ALL, INCLUDING CROOKED AND CORRUPT PROSECUTORS AND JUDGES THAT ARE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO INTERFERE WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2024, AND PUT ME IN PRISON, INCLUDING THOSE MANY PEOPLE THAT I COMPLETELY & TOTALLY DESPISE BECAUSE THEY WANT TO DESTROY AMERICA, A NOW FAILING NATION, LIKE “DERANGED” JACK SMITH, WHO IS EVIL AND “SICK,” MRS. FANI “FAUNI” WADE, WHO SAID SHE HARDLY KNEW THE “SPECIAL” PROSECUTOR, ONLY TO FIND THAT HE SPENT YEARS “LOVING” HER, LONG BEFORE THE GEORGIA PERSECUTION OF PRESIDENT TRUMP BEGAN (AND THEREBY MAKING THE CASE AGAINST ME NULL, VOID, AND ILLEGAL!), AND LAZY ON VIOLENT CRIME ALVIN BRAGG WHO, WITH CROOKED JOE’S DOJ THUGS, UNFAIRLY WORKING IN THE D.A.’s OFFICE, ILLEGALLY INDICTED ME ON A CASE HE NEVER WANTED TO BRING AND VIRTUALLY ALL LEGAL SCHOLARS SAY IS A CASE THAT SHOULD NOT BE BROUGHT, IS BREAKING THE LAW IN DOING SO (POMERANTZ!), WAS TURNED DOWN BY ALL OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES, AND IS NOT A CRIME. HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!” [Truth Social - @realRonaldTrump, 3/31/24]
¶ Trump Made Bizarre And Offensive Attacks On PerCeived Political Rivals
¶ Trump Said He Called Nikki Haley “Nimbra” Because He Felt Like It
Trump Said He Called Nikki Haley “Nimbra” Because, “It’s A Little Bit Of A Takeoff On Her Name. You Know, Her Name, Wherever She May Come From.” According to Mediate, “Former President Donald Trump defended mocking Nikki Haley’s birth name as ‘Nimbra’ in an interview with Fox News. Speaking with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, Trump stood by post on Truth Social Friday in which he referred to the former South Carolina governor as “Nimbra.” (Her birth name is Nimarata Nikki Randhawa.) ‘She says that you’re using a nickname based on her given name, Nimirata,’ Baier said. ‘You called her Nimbra in the post the other day. Why do you do that?’ ‘I do that with a lot of people like [former Arkansas governor Asa] Hutchinson,’ Trump replied. ‘I mean, he was polling at zero for about one year and I called him — rather than Asa — I called him Ada Hutchinson. And it just felt good to me. And with her, it’s just something that came. It’s a little bit of a takeoff on her name. You know, her name, wherever she may come from.’” [Mediate, 1/21/24]
¶ Trump Questioned The Whereabouts Of Haley’s Deployed Husband
Trump Questioned The Whereabouts Of Nikki Haley’s Husband, Who Was Deployed To Africa As Part of The South Carolina National Guard. According to Politico, “Donald Trump took the battle for the Republican nomination to Nikki Haley’s home turf Saturday — and the former South Carolina governor was up for the fight. The former president hurled personal attacks at Haley throughout an afternoon Get Out The Vote rally at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, most notably questioning the whereabouts of her husband, Maj. Michael Haley, who is serving an active duty deployment in the Horn of Africa for the South Carolina Army National Guard. ‘Where’s her husband? Oh, he’s away. He’s away,’ Trump said, appearing to imply Haley was having challenges in her marriage that would explain her husband’s absence. ‘What happened to her husband? Where is he? He’s gone.’” [Politico, 2/10/24]
¶ Trump Mocked Biden’s Stutter
Trump Mocked Biden’s Stutter. According to the Atlantic, “Former president Donald Trump, perhaps threatened by President Joe Biden’s well-received State of the Union address, mocked his opponent’s lifelong stutter at a rally in Georgia yesterday. ‘Wasn’t it—didn’t it bring us together?’ Trump asked sarcastically. He kept the bit going, slipping into a Biden caricature. ‘I’m gonna bring the country tuh-tuh-tuh-together,’ Trump said, straining and narrowing his mouth for comedic effect.” [Atlantic, 3/10/24]
¶ Trump Asked If A Courtroom Sketch Artist Was “Out To Get Him”
Trump Wondered If The Courtroom Sketch Artist Was “Out To Get Him.” According to Rolling Stone, “Trump has also privately asked people close to him if they agree that the courtroom sketch-artist must be out to get him, two of the sources say. Trump has critiqued the sketches of him that have circulated in the media this week, and insisted some of the images were likely drawn to make fun of him. One such sketch captured Trump snoozing, with his eyes closed and head tilted.” [Rolling Stone, 4/20/24]
¶ Trump Embarrassed Himself At The National Libertarian Convention
¶ May 2024: Trump Was Booed While Speaking At The National Libertarian Convention, And Insulted Attendees In Return
May 2024: Trump Booed At The National Libertarian Convention. According to the Associated Press, “Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing the Libertarian Party National Convention on Saturday night, with many in the crowd shouting insults and decrying him for things like his COVID-19 policies, running up towering federal deficits and lying about his political record. When he took the stage, many jeered while some supporters clad in ‘Make America Great’ hats and T-shirts cheered and chanted ‘USA! USA!’ It was a rare moment of Trump coming face-to-face with open detractors, which is highly unusual for someone accustomed to staging rallies in front of ever-adoring crowds.” [Associated Press, 5/26/24]
Trump Insulted The Libertarians At The Own Convention. According to the Associated Press, “As the insults continued, Trump eventually hit back, saying ‘you don’t want to win’ and suggesting that some Libertarians want to ‘keep getting your 3% every four years.’” [Associated Press, 5/26/24]
¶ Trump Later Claimed He Would Have “Absolutely” Won The Libertarian Nomination If He Filed The Paperwork, But Received Under 1% Of The Vote At The Convention
Trump Claimed He Would Have “Absolutely” Won The Libertarian Nomination If He Filed The Paperwork. According to ABC News, “Former President Donald Trump claimed he would have ‘absolutely’ gotten the Libertarian Party convention nomination for president, if not for already being the presumptive GOP nominee. In a statement on Sunday, following an appearance at the party's convention on Saturday, Trump noted the ‘enthusiasm’ of the crowd, where he received a mixed response that included audible booing. ‘The reason I didn't file paperwork for the Libertarian Nomination, which I would have absolutely gotten if I wanted it (as everyone could tell by the enthusiasm of the Crowd last night!), was the fact that, as the Republican Nominee, I am not allowed to have the Nomination of another Party,’ Trump wrote on his social media platform on Sunday. ‘Regardless, I believe I will get a Majority of the Libertarian Votes,’ Trump continued.” [ABC News, 5/27/24]
Trump Received Less Than 1% Of The Vote At The Party Convention. According to Newsweek, “Donald Trump has been rejected by Libertarians, receiving only 0.65 percent of the vote for the party's presidential nominee. Trump, the presumptive Republican Party presidential candidate, who was a write-in for the Libertarians, received just six votes from party members.” [Newsweek, 5/27/24]
¶ Cassidy Hutchinson Said Trump Would Throw His Food “Once Or Twice A Week”
Cassidy Hutchinson Said Trump Used To Throw Food “Once Or Twice A Week, Sometimes More.” According to Rolling Stone, “Hutchinson also remembered what it was like working for Trump, adding that she doesn’t regret her time in the administration. “How often did the president throw ketchup at the wall?” Kimmel asked. “He does have a very potent fear of being poisoned,” Hutchinson replied. “So he uses and prefers the small Heinz glass ketchup bottles because he likes to hear his valet or whoever is serving him meal, he likes the hear the pop when he opens it.’ ‘Do you think he got this fear of being poisoned from all the ex-wives?’ Kimmel then inquired. ‘Or is it Russia?’ Hutchinson quipped back. ‘I don’t know.’ She continued, ‘Sometimes it would happen once or twice a week, sometimes more. Sometimes there’d be a week or so lull, but then there would be a bad news story. But it wasn’t just launching the food and the plates and the porcelain at the wall. It was sometimes just flipping the tablecloth.’” [Rolling Stone, 10/5/23]
¶ Trump Joked That While The Widow Of Corey Comperatore Would Rather Have Her Husband Back Than $1 Million, “I Know A Lot Of Wives That Would Not”
Trump Said, “I Know A Lot Of Wives That Would Not Say That” When The Wife Of Corey Comperatore Said She Would Rather Have Her Husband Than The $1 Million Check Presented To Her. According to HuffPost, “Donald Trump drew fierce criticism for making a crass comment about the wife of Corey Comperatore, the former fire chief who was killed by gunfire while trying to shield his family during the attempt on the former president’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month. Trump claimed during a rally speech in Harrisburg on Wednesday that a friend of his had presented Helen Comperatore, Corey’s wife, with a check for $1 million and that crowdfunding efforts were now in the millions. ‘But you know what?’ Trump said to supporters. ‘Corey’s wife said, ‘I’d rather have my husband.’’ ‘Isn’t that good?’ Trump continued. ‘I know a lot of wives that would not say that, I’m sorry. They would not say that.’” [HuffPost, 8/1/24]
¶ Trump Said The Presidential Medal Of Freedom Was Better Than The Medal Of Honor Since The Latter Recipients Were Often Injured Or Dead
Trump Said The Presidential Medal Of Freedom Was “Much Better” Than The Medal Of Honor Since The Latter Recipients Were Soldiers “In Very Bad Shape” Or “Dead.” According to NBC News, “Former President Donald Trump lauded a wealthy donor on whom he bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom as having gotten the ‘better’ award compared to the top military honor, the Medal of Honor, because those recipients are often deceased or injured. Speaking at a campaign event intended to discuss antisemitism, Trump was introduced by Miriam Adelson, a wealthy Republican donor and widow of Sheldon Adelson, who pumped millions of dollars of his own money into electing Republican candidates. He died in 2021. ‘I watched Sheldon sitting so proud in the White House when we gave Miriam the Presidential Medal of Freedom,’ Trump said at his New Jersey resort. ‘That’s the highest award you can get as a civilian. It’s the equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor,’ Trump continued, referring to the highest military honor bestowed for valor in combat. The Medal of Honor is often mistakenly called the Congressional Medal of Honor. ‘But civilian version, it’s actually much better because everyone [who] gets the Congressional Medal of Honor, they're soldiers. They’re either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets or they’re dead,’ Trump concluded. ‘She gets it, and she’s a healthy, beautiful woman, and they’re rated equal, but she got the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and she got it for — and that’s through committees and everything else.’” [NBC News, 8/16/24]
¶ Trump Reposted A Claim That Vice President Harris Traded Sexual Favors For Political Gain
Trump Used His Social Media Website To Amply A Claim That Vice President Harris Exchanged Sexual Favors To Advance Her Political Career. According to the New York Times, “Former President Donald J. Trump used his social-media website on Wednesday to amplify a crude remark about Vice President Kamala Harris that suggested Ms. Harris traded sexual favors to help her political career. The post, by another user on Truth Social, was an image of Ms. Harris and Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump’s opponent in 2016. The text read: ‘Funny how blowjobs impacted both their careers differently…’ The remark was a reference to Mrs. Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, and the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and a right-wing contention that Ms. Harris’s romantic relationship with Willie Brown, the former mayor of San Francisco whom she dated in the mid-1990s while he was speaker of the California State Assembly, fueled her political rise. Mr. Trump’s repost was the second time in 10 days that the former president shared content from his personal account making sexually oriented attacks on Ms. Harris. Though he has a history of making crass insults about his opponents, the reposts signal Mr. Trump’s willingness to continue to shatter longstanding norms of political speech.” [New York Times, 8/28/24]
¶ Trump Demonstrated A General Lack Of Knowledge
¶ Trump’s Anti-Environmentalism Crusade Led To Absurd Comments
Trump Said California Needed To Rake Forest Floors To Prevent Forest Fires. According to The Washington Post, "We go through this every year; we can’t go through this,” Trump said Saturday as he toured the state’s massive wildfire zones. ‘We’re going to have safe forests.’ How to make California’s vast drought-stricken forests ‘safe’ after the Camp Fire grew to the size of Chicago this month, killing dozens if not hundreds of people and burning an entire town to the ground? Trump promised federal funds and says he has some ideas. One of those ideas is raking. ‘You’ve got to take care of the floors. You know the floors of the forests, it’s very important,’ Trump told reporters as he posed with California officials in the charred ruins of Paradise — his first stop on the tour. Trump went on to explain that the president of Finland, whom he met on an overseas trip a week earlier, told him about raking the forest floors. ‘He called it a forest nation,’ Trump said, ‘and they spent a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things, and they don’t have any problem.’” [Washington Post, 11/18/18]
Trump Said He Had To Flush A Toilet 10 Times Because Of Water Saving Regulations. According to NBC News, “Speaking at a campaign rally that night in Battle Creek, Michigan, Trump delivered a lengthy rant about a bevy of regulations governing bathroom and kitchen appliances.’ Sinks, right? Showers, and what goes with a sink and a shower?’ ’Toilets!’ the crowd chanted back. ‘Ten times, right, 10 times,’ Trump continued, referring to the number of flushes he claimed were sometimes required because of water-saving federal regulations. ‘Not me, of course not me. But you,’ he added while pointing to a random audience member.” [NBC News, 1/12/20]
¶ Trump Had Many Rambling Tirades Against Windmills
Trump Said Reliance On Wind Power Would Stop People From Being Able To Watch TV “When The Wind Stops Blowing.” According to the Guardian, “To laughter, Trump continued, mockingly: ‘No planes. No energy. When the wind stops blowing, that’s the end of your electric. ‘Let’s hurry up. Darling, darling, is the wind blowing today? I’d like to watch television, darling.’’” [Guardian, 3/2/19]
Trump Said Windmill Noise Could Cause Cancer. According to The Hill, "President Trump on Tuesday stepped up his attacks against wind power, claiming that the structures decrease property values and that the noise they emit causes cancer. ‘If you have a windmill anywhere near your house, congratulations, your house just went down 75 percent in value. And they say the noise causes cancer,’ the president said while delivering remarks at the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual spring dinner. He offered no evidence to support the claim." [The Hill, 4/3/19]
Trump Said He “Never Understood Wind,” Claiming That Windmills Killed Birds And Created “Bird Graveyards.” According to White House Transcript, “We’ll have an economy based on wind. I never understood wind. You know, I know windmills very much. I’ve studied it better than anybody I know. It’s very expensive. […] So they make these things and then they put them up. And if you own a house within vision of some of these monsters, your house is worth 50 percent of the price. They’re noisy. They kill the birds. You want to see a bird graveyard? You just go. Take a look. A bird graveyard. Go under a windmill someday. You’ll see more birds than you’ve ever seen ever in your life.” [White House Transcript, 12/22/19]
¶ Trump Said That Windmills Caused Whales To Die
Trump Claimed That Windmills Caused Whales To Go Crazy And Die. According to the Guardian, “Donald Trump has launched a lengthy and largely baseless attack on wind turbines for causing large numbers of whales to die, claiming that ‘windmills’ are making the cetaceans ‘crazy’ and ‘a little batty’. Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, used a rally in South Carolina to assert that while there was only a small chance of killing a whale by hitting it with a boat, ‘their windmills are causing whales to die in numbers never seen before. No one does anything about that.’ ‘They are washing up ashore,’ said Trump, the twice-impeached former US president and reality TV host who is facing multiple criminal indictments. ‘You wouldn’t see that once a year – now they are coming up on a weekly basis. The windmills are driving them crazy. They are driving the whales, I think, a little batty.’” [Guardian, 9/26/23]
There Was No Evidence That Windmills Caused Any Whale Deaths. According to the Guardian, “‘He displays an astonishing lack of knowledge of whales and whale strandings,’ said Andrew Read, a whale researcher and commissioner of the Marine Mammal Commission, of Trump. ‘There is no scientific evidence whatsoever that wind turbines, or surveying for wind turbines, is causing any whale deaths at all.’” [Guardian, 9/26/23]
Trump Claimed Biden’s Climate Policies Threaten Donuts
Trump Repeatedly Claimed That Biden’s Climate Policies Threaten Donuts. According to the Daily Beast, “But in his third presidential bid, Trump appears to have found a new environmental obsession: on at least eight occasions since May, he has publicly claimed the Biden administration’s climate policies threaten, of all things, donuts. ‘When you have a donut shop or a food shop or a dress shop, you need heat, you need whatever, you need everything,’ Trump said at a rally in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, last month. ‘You need trucks to deliver your product. Energy is so big, so important.’ The recurring theme with Trump’s riffs on donuts is that they are only possible through fossil fuels. ‘If you make donuts,’ Trump said in an interview on Real America’s Voice in October, ‘anything you make has to do—and when they ended our energy, we were energy-independent. Think of this.’” [Daily Beast, 11/18/23]
¶ Trump’s Comments To World Leaders Showed How Little He Prepared For Meetings With Other Leaders
Trump’s Ignorance Of Regional Rivalries Between Japan And Chinese Caused NSC Officials To Cringe As He Lauded President Xi In Front Of Japanese PM. According to Politico, "Trump at times also betrays an ignorance of regional history and rivalries. During a meeting with Abe at Mar-a-Lago in April, Trump repeatedly praised Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to a former NSC official from a prior administration. ‘Everyone was cringing because Japan and China are rivals, and the Japanese and the Chinese are nervous about the president tilting too far towards the other side,’ that person said. A White House official said Trump explained to Abe that his relationship with Xi would be useful in dealing with North Korea and insisted it ‘wasn’t considered a negative’ by the Japanese side." [Politico, 8/13/18]
Trump Congratulated Giuseppe Conte Who Was Appointed As A Compromise Candidate And Never Ran For His “Tremendous Victory.” According to Politico, "Giuseppe Conte never campaigned for office or ran in Italy's election, but that didn't stop U.S. President Donald Trump from congratulating him on his ‘tremendous victory.’ Trump's repeated references to Conte's victory were just a small part of a strange news conference at the White House on Monday, in which the American president seemed to enjoy the rare opportunity to appear alongside a world leader with even less diplomatic experience than him. Conte was actually appointed as a compromise candidate by the two parties that came out on top in the election, the anti-establishment 5Star Movement and the far-right League." [Politico, 7/30/18]
¶ Trump Stared At The Solar Eclipse
Trump Looked Into The Solar Eclipse Without Protective Glasses. According to CNN, “That's Donald John Trump on the White House South Portico, seemingly looking directly into the sun. At the peak of the solar eclipse. Without any sort of protective eyewear on. This, from the White House pool report of the moment filed by the Guardian's Ben Jacobs is, um, amazing: ‘At approximately 2:39, the President initially gesticulated to the crowd below and pointed at the sky. As he did so, one of the White House aides standing beneath the Blue Room Balcony shouted 'don't look.'” [CNN, 8/22/17]
¶ Trump Jumped Into A Truck At The White House Like A Child
Trump Climbed Into A Truck And Wore A “I 
TRUCKS” Pin. According to Time, “President Donald Trump climbed into the cab of a Mack truck parked on the lawn Thursday to welcome trucking industry representatives to the White House. […] Trump wore a pin that said ‘I TRUCKS’ to the meeting.” [Time, 3/23/17]
¶ Trump Mistook Kansas For Missouri When Congratulating The Chiefs For Their Super Bowl Victory
Trump Tweeted And Deleted Congratulatory Super Bowl Tweet For The Kansas City Chiefs For Representing “The Great State Of Kansas,” Even Though The Chiefs Were From Missouri. According to Vanity Fair, “’Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on a great game, and a fantastic comeback, under immense pressure. You represented the Great State of Kansas and, in fact, the entire USA, so very well. Our Country is PROUD OF YOU!’ President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday night after the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl. The problem? The team is based in Kansas City, Missouri. Oops! His initial tweet was deleted roughly 10 minutes later, when Trump reposted his note of congrats with the proper state identified. Still, the damage was done: ‘It’s Missouri you stone cold idiot,’ former Missouri senator Claire McCaskill tweeted in response to the president’s latest foolish gaffe.” [Vanity Fair, 2/4/20]
¶ Trump Said He Thought “Coyotes” Crossing The Border Were Animals
Trump Said He Believed That “Coyotes” Crossing The Border Were Actually Animals. According to Vox, “President Donald Trump as part of his insistence on the border wall is arguing that it’s necessary to stop ‘believe it or not — coyotes.’ So-called ‘coyotes’ are indeed a real issue at the border, but not, as Trump maybe believes, the actual animal. Trump on Thursday while signing the 2018 Farm Bill into law took some time to talk about border security and, specifically, the wall at the US-Mexico border. Trump is currently threatening a government shutdown if $5 billion for funding for the wall isn’t included in a stopgap funding bill passed by Congress. ‘A nation without borders is not a nation at all,’ Trump said. ‘Without borders, we have the reign of chaos, crime, and — believe it or not — coyotes.’” [Vox, 12/21/18]
¶ Trump Said American Troops Took Over Airports During Revolutionary War, Hundreds Of Years Before Airplanes Were Invented
Trump Said American Troops “Took Over The Airports” During Revolutionary War In Prime Time July 4th Speech. According to Time, “President Trump made a bit of a historical blunder during his Fourth of July “Salute to America” speech Thursday when he said that the Continental Army ‘took over the airports’ from the British during the American Revolutionary War in the 1770s.” [Time, 7/5/19]
¶ Trump Repeatedly Compared Himself To Important Cultural Artifacts And Political Figures
¶ Trump Compared Himself To The Mona Lisa
Trump Compared Himself To The Mona Lisa. According to the BBC, “Former US president Donald Trump has compared himself to the Mona Lisa in an interview with S4C. Mr Trump spoke to journalist Maxine Hughes for a documentary, called Trump: Byd Eithafol (Trump: Extreme World), she was making about his followers. Known as the ‘front row Joes’ these are people that regularly turn up to the Republican's rallies. The 76-year-old said some of his fans would arrive four days early to come and see him. In an interview at his Mar-a-Lago home, in Florida, Mr Trump said: ‘The front row Joe's get it and they see it. ‘You have people that follow the rock bands, and they listen to the same songs over and over. ‘You have people that go to the Mona Lisa and they will see it hundreds and hundreds of times and it gets better every time. ‘And Broadway plays and they will see it 20 times.’ This was despite him talking about the ‘same 20 subjects’, he said. ‘You're talking about the border you are talking about the military, about low taxes,’ Mr Trump added. This didn't stop them coming he said as they ‘just want to hear it again’.” [BBC, 6/2/23]
¶ Trump Compared Himself To Nelson Mandela
Donald Trump Compared Himself To Nelson Mandela. According to the Washington Post, “‘We have a judge that’s out of control,’ Trump said Monday during a campaign speech in Derry, N.H, ‘and he’s totally afraid of Peekaboo James,’ he added, using a derogatory nickname for New York Attorney General Letitia James. ‘I don’t mind being Nelson Mandela,’ he said elsewhere in the speech, referring to the South African anti-apartheid leader who spent more than 27 years in prison, ‘because I’m doing it for a reason.’” [Washington Post, 10/24/23]
¶ Trump Compared Himself To The Dead Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny
Trump Compared His Legal Problems To The Jailed, Poisoned, And Now Dead Navalny. According to Reuters, “‘It is a slow, steady progression, with CROOKED, Radical Left Politicians, Prosecutors, and Judges leading us down a path to destruction. Open Borders, Rigged Elections, and Grossly Unfair Courtroom Decisions are DESTROYING AMERICA. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE, A FAILING NATION! MAGA2024’ It was not clear what similarities Trump was trying to draw with Russia's most prominent opposition leader. Navalny, 47, fought for years against what he called vast corruption in Putin's Russia, ruled by ‘crooks and thieves.’” [Reuters, 2/19/24]
Trump Compared His Civil Fraud Judgment To Navalny’s Death. According to the New York Times, “Former President Donald J. Trump continued to liken himself to the Russian opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny during a town hall in South Carolina on Tuesday, at one point directly comparing a civil fraud judgment against him to the case of an anticorruption activist who died in a Russian prison last week. Halfway through the town hall, the host, Fox News’s Laura Ingraham, asked Mr. Trump how he would come up with the $450 million penalty issued by a New York judge last week. ‘It is a form of — Navalny,’ Mr. Trump said. ‘It is a form of communism or fascism.’” [New York Times, 2/20/24]
¶ Trump Claimed The Civil War Could Have Been Negotiated
Trump Claimed That The Civil War “Could Have Been Negotiated.” According to the Washington Post, “Former president Donald Trump suggested Saturday at a campaign event here that the U.S. Civil War ‘could have been negotiated,’ a remark that drew criticism from historians as well as political opponents. ‘The Civil War was so fascinating, so horrible,’ Trump said. ‘So many mistakes were made. See, there was something I think could have been negotiated, to be honest with you. I think you could have negotiated that. All the people died, so many people died. You know, that was the disaster.’ Trump went on to describe the Civil War as ‘vicious’ and suggested that ‘Abraham Lincoln, of course, if he negotiated it, you probably wouldn’t even know who Abraham Lincoln was.’” [Washington Post, 1/6/24]
¶ Trump Said Red Splotches On His Hands Could Have Been AI
Trump Said Photographs Showing Red Marks On His Hands Could Have Come From AI. According to The Hill, “Former President Trump said photos showing red marks on his hands that led to widespread online speculation last week may have come from artificial intelligence (AI). Trump was photographed leaving Trump Tower on Jan. 17 ahead of his defamation trial with writer E. Jean Carroll, where his hands appeared to be covered in red marks. This prompted online and media speculation about whether he had a skin condition, red marker on him or had given himself a paper cut. Trump spoke out on those theories after Fox News reporter Mark Meredith asked him about it following a meeting with the Teamsters union Wednesday, according to a clip that aired on Fox News later that day. Trump did not appear to know what Meredith was talking about. ‘How’s your hand? It looks better now,’ Meredith asked. ‘My hand?’ Trump responded. They two continued to go back and forth, with Trump asking Meredith what was wrong with his own hand the other day. Meredith described the photos and again asked Trump what was the issue with his hand. ‘Nothing. Maybe it was AI,’ Trump responded.” [The Hill, 2/1/24]
¶ Trump Said That Democrats Would Change The Name Of Pennsylvania
Trump Claimed That Democrats Would Change The Name Of Pennsylvania If They Won The Election. According to the New Republic, “Donald Trump’s gaffes are becoming more frequent and more indecipherable by the day. At a National Rifle Association gathering in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Friday, Trump made plenty of strange blunders in front of his thousands of supporters, in his rambling, incoherent auctioneer style. ‘I didn’t need this—I had a very nice life—nice Saturday afternoon,’ Trump began the speech, apparently mixing up the days of the week. He went on to claim he won Pennsylvania twice (he didn’t win in 2020) and warned voters that Democrats plan to ‘change the name of Pennsylvania’ if Joe Biden wins this election. ‘We have to win in November, or we’re not going to have Pennsylvania. They’ll change the name. They’re going to change the name of Pennsylvania,’ Trump said.” [New Republic, 2/12/24]
¶ Trump Did Not Know Who The Senators From Louisiana Were
Montgomery Said Trump Did Not Know Who The Senators From Louisiana Were. According to HuffPost, “The president would later claim he ‘knew nothing about’ Fuentes. Montgomery also said that after he mentioned his own 2020 U.S. Senate bid in Louisiana, Trump was ‘trying to figure out who the senator in that state was.’” [HuffPost, 12/2/22]
¶ Trump Confused Jeb Bush With His Brother, George W Bush
Trump Confused Jeb Bush With George W. Bush. According to the Independent (UK), “Weeks after challenging his political rivals to a mental acuity test, Donald Trump seemed to confuse members of the Bush family as he recalled his 2016 presidential election campaign. The former US president referred to his previous rival for the Republican nomination, Jeb Bush, as the person who ‘got us into the Middle East’ – apparently mistaking him for his brother, former president George W Bush. George W Bush, who served as America’s 43rd president, ordered US troops into Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks.” [Independent (UK), 9/26/23]
¶ Trump Confused Reps. Ilhan Omar And Rashida Tlaib
Trump Confused Reps. Ilhan Omar And Rashida Tlaib. According to Newsweek, “During a campaign speech in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on Saturday, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump seemingly confused two Midwestern Democratic congresswomen of color, Representatives Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. Both congresswomen, the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress, are founding members of ‘The Squad,’ an informal group of progressive House members formed in 2019. Trump has often made inflammatory remarks about the group, such as a 2019 comment telling the four founding women to ‘go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.’ His comments sparked a North Carolina rally crowd to chant ‘Send her back!’ Meanwhile, the left-wing members, which have since expanded to nine, are outspoken against Trump and his rhetoric. In 2020, Omar said of Trump, ‘Not only is he a racist, but he's a racist xenophobic. Because he's not against immigration, he's just against immigrants who look like me.’ Omar immigrated to the U.S. as a Somali refugee when she was a child and is a naturalized U.S. citizen. She is the first Somali American and refugee elected to Congress, and the first woman of color to represent Minnesota. On Saturday night, in his attempt to launch an attack on Omar, Trump mistakenly conflated her with Tlaib when referencing an August 2016 Trump campaign event in Detroit where Tlaib was escorted out for heckling him.” [Newsweek, 7/28/24]
¶ Trump Confused Sioux City, Iowa For Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Trump Mistook Sioux City, Iowa For Sioux Falls, South Dakota. According to the Des Moines Register, “Before Trump jumped into the meat of his remarks, he made a small gaffe. ‘We’ve done well here in Sioux Falls,’ he said, nodding to Iowa’s neighbor to the northwest in South Dakota. Trump continued thanking Iowa elected officials for their endorsements as certain audience members shouted for him to remember he was in Sioux City. Sen. Brad Zaun, R-District 22, was brought on stage by Trump and spoke about his excitement at being the first person in the country to endorse the former president. When he finished, he quickly pulled Trump in and said something into his ear. Trump turned to the crowd. ‘OK, Sioux City,’ he said before plowing on with the rest of his speech, including encouraging the number of attendees not from Iowa to call their friends who lived in the state and tell them to caucus on Jan. 15.” [Des Moines Register, 10/29/23]
¶ Trump Did Not Know Where Hungary Was
Trump Mistakenly Said Hungary Bordered Russia. According to Politico Europe, “Someone get Donald Trump a map! Less than a week after the former U.S. president confused Hungary and Turkey — calling Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán the leader of Turkey — Trump got Hungary’s borders all wrong. ‘Did anybody ever hear of Viktor Orbán? He’s the head of Hungary. Hungary fronts on both Ukraine and Russia,’ Trump said on Sunday during a rally in Sioux City, Iowa. While this time Trump did match the leader to the correct country, Hungary does not border Russia. The countries are about 1,000 kilometers apart at their closest point. This was not the first time Trump has implied Hungary borders Russia, as he made the same mistake at a rally last week in New Hampshire.” [Politico Europe, 10/30/23]
¶ Trump Thought He Was Going To Be Arrested After Watching A Morning Joe Rerun
Trump Concluded From A Rerun Of A Morning Joe Segment With Andrew Weissmann That He Would Be Arrested In The Stormy Daniels Case On March 21. According to the Atlantic, “The ‘New York thing,’ of course, was Bragg’s grand-jury investigation. The case was long believed to be dead, but on January 30, the Manhattan D.A.’s office had impaneled a new grand jury and begun presenting evidence of Trump’s involvement in the hush-money payments. Over the next few weeks, it became clear that the first presidential indictment in history was imminent—but nobody knew exactly when Bragg would pull the trigger. Except, apparently, Donald Trump. ‘THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK,’ he posted on Truth Social at 7:26 a.m. on March 18. […] A source close to Trump told me that the former president had learned of his pending indictment from an MSNBC show called Morning Joe: Weekend. Not that many people are tuning in to a cable-news program that starts at six on Saturday mornings, but Trump was, and he took particular interest in a segment—a rerun from two days earlier—featuring the legal analyst Andrew Weissmann on the Manhattan D.A.’s investigation. Discussing Bragg’s recent interactions with Trump’s legal team and the grand jury, Weissmann said he couldn’t see the D.A. not indicting the former president, telling the show’s co-host Joe Scarborough that he believed such a move was imminent: ‘We should be very, very conscious that this is likely to come down very soon.’ Trump, according to my source, interpreted Weissmann’s speculation as fact. ‘IT’S TIME!!!’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. ‘THEY’RE KILLING OUR NATION AS WE SIT BACK & WATCH. WE MUST SAVE AMERICA! PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!’” [Atlantic, 11/2/23]
¶ Trump Claimed North Korea Had A Population Of 1.3 Billion When It Was Actually 25 Million
Trump Misstated North Korea’s Population By 1.375 Billion. According to Newsweek, “Donald Trump is being ridiculed online due to his remarks about North Korea in which he got the country's population size wrong, by some margin. During a campaign stop in Hialeah, Florida, on November 8, the former president—who is running for the 2024 Republican nomination—praised North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. ‘The press hates it when I say they're (Vladimir Putin and Kim) smart,’ the 77-year-old said. ‘Well what am I supposed to say? They're stupid people?’ ‘Kim Jong Un leads 1.4 billion people and there's no doubt about who the boss is, and they want me to say, 'He's not an intelligent man.' ‘They get very personal when I say that, because they're fake news, that's why.’ After footage of Trump's comments was shared to X—the social network formerly known as Twitter—users noticed the flaw in the figures. ‘The population of North Korea is 25 million,’ commented Ron Shillman.” [Newsweek, 11/9/23]
¶ Trump Falsely Claimed Magnets Do Not Work Underwater
Trump Mocked For Falsely Claiming Magnets Do Not Work Underwater. According to the Messenger, “Social media users can't stop scratching their heads after watching former President Donald Trump insist at an Iowa rally that dropping magnets in water causes them to stop working. ‘All I know about magnets is this, give me a glass of water, let me drop it on the magnets, that’s the end of the magnets,’ Trump declared from the podium in Mason City Friday night. He was criticizing a decision by the Navy to use giant magnets to lift elevators by plane onto an aircraft carrier (floating on the water) — instead of using equipment from Midwestern company John Deere. ‘Why didn't they use John Deere? Why didn't they bring in the John Deere people? Do you like John Deere? I like John Deere,’ Trump gushed. Magnets do work underwater. Now social media wags are stuck on a new magnetic political debate.” [Messenger, 1/6/24]
¶ Trump Claimed Letitia James Drove Exxon Out Of New York, Which Occurred 35 Years Ago
Trump Accused NY Attorney General Letitia James Of Driving Exxon Out Of New York, Which Occurred In 1989. According to Forbes, “Former President Donald Trump blamed New York Attorney General Letitia James for driving Exxon out of New York while speaking to reporters outside of his Manhattan civil fraud trial Thursday—even though the company moved its headquarters out of New York City more than 30 years ago. Trump equated James’ lawsuit alleging he lied about his net worth to secure more favorable business deals to Exxon’s departure from Manhattan in 1989, telling reporters ‘she should be criminally liable for this, she did this to Exxon, and they drove Exxon out of New York.’ Exxon moved its headquarters from Manhattan to Dallas in 1989, the year James received her law license.” [Forbes, 1/11/24]
¶ Trump Confused Nikki Haley With Nancy Pelosi
Trump Confused Nikki Haley With Nancy Pelosi When Speaking About January 6. According to the New York Times, “Former President Donald J. Trump on Friday appeared to confuse Nikki Haley for Nancy Pelosi during a speech in New Hampshire, accusing Ms. Haley of failing to provide adequate security during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol and connecting her to the House committee that investigated it. Ms. Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and a former ambassador to the United Nations, has never served in Congress and was working in the private sector during the Capitol riot.” [New York Times, 1/19/24]
Trump Was Speaking About Haley’s Crowd Sizes When He Pivoted To Discussing The Size Of His Crowd On January 6. According to the New York Times, “On Friday night, Mr. Trump was in the middle of mocking Ms. Haley for the size of the crowds at her events, and criticizing the news media, when he pivoted to how he gave a speech in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, that preceded the Capitol attack. ‘You know, when she comes here she gets like nine people, and the press never reports the crowds,’ Mr. Trump said of Ms. Haley, whose crowds have lately been, at the very least, in double digits. Then, he changed subjects. ‘You know, by the way, they never report the crowd on Jan. 6,’ he said. ‘You know, Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley.’” [New York Times, 1/19/24]
Trump Then Claimed Haley Was In Charge Of Security At The Capitol On January 6. According to the New York Times, “Mr. Trump then repeated his frequent claim that the bipartisan House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack — including Mr. Trump’s actions that day — ‘destroyed all of the information, all of the evidence.’ Then, he claimed that Ms. Haley was in charge of security that day, and that she and others had turned down his offer to send troops to the Capitol. ‘Nikki Haley was in charge of security,’ he said. (She was not.) ‘We offered her 10,000 people, soldiers, National Guards, whatever they want. They turned it down. They don’t want to talk about that.’” [New York Times, 1/19/24]
¶ Trump Confused “Supply Change” With “Supply Chains” In Newsmax Interview
Trump Confused “Supply Change” With “Supply Chains” In An Interview With Newsmax. According to the Huffington Post, “Donald Trump is getting a quick reminder of one of his administration’s low points after a verbal stumble during an interview that aired on Monday. The former president claimed on Newsmax that the country wouldn’t be able to function if President Joe Biden wins reelection. ‘Look at even things like supply change,’ Trump said, likely meaning ‘supply chains,’ which he claimed was a little-known phrase. ‘Things we never even heard about, you never heard that term,’ Trump said. ‘Everything worked under me. It all worked.’ Trump’s critics stepped in to correct him on a few issues, pointing out that ‘supply chains’ (not ‘supply change’) is a common phrase, and that it didn’t work under him when the COVID-19 pandemic began and everything from medical supplies to food items to toilet paper became hard to find:” [Huffington Post, 2/5/24]
¶ Trump Attacked Harris’ Intelligence, But Could Not Actually Come Up With An Example Of Her Not Being Intelligent
Trump Attacked Harris’ Intelligence But Could Not Provide Examples Of Her Defects. According to CBS News, “In recent rallies, Trump has been complaining about the replacement of President Biden at the top of the ticket, characterizing Harris' nomination as a ‘coup.’ He's also been assailing her intelligence, repeatedly calling her ‘stupid,’ despite her long legal career. Huey-Burns asked Trump if that's the right message to win over moderate voters, the kind of voters Trump will need in key battleground states. ‘No, I don't think so,’ Trump said. ‘I think that the message is what a bad job they've done. I mean, if you look at this economy, if you look at inflation, and you know, I love this country. I have to do what it takes to win. I have to get this country going, because we're going to lose our country.’ But asked for specifics, Trump couldn't point to evidence or examples of deficits in Harris' intellect. ‘Our country needs a very smart person, and I don't think she's a very smart person,’ Trump replied. ‘So, I'm not looking to — I don't consider that an insult — that's just a fact.’ ‘What evidence do you have for that?’ Huey-Burns asked. ‘I looked at the things that she's said, I looked at the way she deals, I looked at her record — her crazy record — I look at her policies. I just don't happen to think so,’ Trump responded. ‘Now, I could say she is and I know that would be very nice. And the other thing, we have to win this election.’” [CBS News, 8/19/24]
¶ Trump Confused Afghanistan With Alaska
Trump Confused Bagram Air Base In Afghanistan With The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge In Alaska. According to Politico, “There was no new Trump on display, no predictions from attendees that he has changed because of recent events. There were also some of the typical false statements and exaggerations. Speaking on energy policy, Trump appeared to confuse Afghanistan for Alaska, telling the crowd ‘We have Bagram in Alaska. They say it might be as big, might be bigger than all Saudi Arabia.’ Bagram is an airbase in Afghanistan, and Trump may have meant to refer to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.” [Politico, 9/17/24]
¶ Trump Attacked Dead Political Rivals
¶ Trump Criticized John McCain After His Death
¶ Trump Attacked McCain And Family After The Senator’s Death
Trump Criticized The McCain Family For Not Thanking Him For Giving The Late Senator A Funeral. According to NPR, “President Trump continues to pile on criticism of the late Sen. John McCain, complaining on Wednesday during a speech in Ohio that the Arizona senator's family never thanked him for the Vietnam War hero's funeral, which involved large ceremonies in Washington, D.C. ‘I gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted, which as president I had to approve,’ Trump told a crowd at an Army tank manufacturing plant in Lima. ‘I don't care about this. I didn't get [a] thank you. That's OK. We sent him on the way, but I wasn't a fan of John McCain.’” [NPR, 3/20/19]
March 2019: Trump Said That Spreading The Steele Dossier Was One Of Many Stains On McCain’s Legacy. According to Trump on Twitter, " Spreading the fake and totally discredited Dossier ‘is unfortunately a very dark stain against John McCain.’ Ken Starr, Former Independent Counsel. He had far worse ‘stains’ than this, including thumbs down on repeal and replace after years of campaigning to repeal and replace!" [Twitter - @realDonaldTrump, 3/16/19]
Trump Continued To Attack McCain Posthumously Saying He Was “Horrible” And He Was “Not A Fan.” According to the Guardian, “’He was horrible,’ Trump said in an interview on Fox News on Friday, referring to McCain’s role in the defeat of legislation that would have repealed the Affordable Care Act. ‘I’m not a fan of John McCain and that’s fine.’” [Guardian, 3/22/19]
¶ Republican Senators Criticized Trump’s Attacks On War Hero McCain
Senator Isakson (R-GA) Called Trump’s Slights Towards McCain Were “Deplorable.” According to NPR, “Just hours before Trump's latest hits against McCain, Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., said that the president's continued slights against the Navy veteran and his Vietnam War service are ‘deplorable’. ‘It will be deplorable seven months from now if he says it again. And I will continue to speak out, because there's one thing we've got to do — you may not like immigration, you may not like this, you may not like that, you may be a Republican, you may be a Democrat, but we're all Americans,’ Isakson said during an interview with Georgia Public Broadcasting's Political Rewind with Bill Nigut. […] ‘If my kids ever said John McCain was never a war hero...they'd have a serious conversation with me, and I would have it with them,’ Isakson told GPB.” [NPR, 3/20/19]
¶ Trump Refused To Lower The Flag To Half-Staff To Honor McCain For Two Days
Following McCain’s Death, Trump Took Two Days Before Issuing Proclamation Of Praise And To Order The Flag To Be Flown At Half-Staff. According to the New York Times, "President Trump, under enormous public and private pressure, finally issued a proclamation of praise for Mr. McCain on Monday afternoon, two days after the senator’s death, and ordered the flag to be flown at half-staff seemingly in the only place it wasn’t already, the presidential complex." [New York Times, 8/27/18]
¶ Veterans Groups Criticized Trump For Waiting So Long To Honor McCain
American Legion Among Others Criticized Trump For Not Issuing Statement Or Lowering Flags. According to the New York Times, "With the president’s attention elsewhere, the visual of the flag raised high at the White House made the rounds on social media, and prompted a statement from the American Legion, the nation’s largest wartime-veterans service organization. ‘On the behalf of the American Legion’s two million wartime veterans, I strongly urge you to make an appropriate presidential proclamation noting Senator McCain’s death and legacy of service to our nation, and that our nation’s flag be half-staffed through his interment,’ Denise Rohan, the national commander of the American Legion, wrote in a statement that one White House adviser said caught the president’s attention." [New York Times, 8/27/18]
¶ Trump Attacked McCain Over His War Injuries
Trump Attacked McCain, Whose Injuries As A Prisoner Of War Left Him Unable To Lift His Arms, For Not Being Able To “Get His Arm Up” The Day The Senate Voted Against Repealing The Affordable Care Act. According to the Associated Press, “Trump spent much of the day assailing Biden, casting him as incompetent and the real threat to democracy. But he also attacked fellow Republicans, including the late Sen. John McCain of Arizona, whose ‘no’ vote derailed GOP efforts to repeal former President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law. ‘John McCain, for some reason, couldn’t get his arm up that day,’ said Trump of McCain, who was shot down over Vietnam in 1967 and spent 5½ years as a prisoner of war. The injuries he suffered left him unable to lift his arms over his head for the rest of his life. His daughter, Meghan McCain, responded on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, calling Trump an expletive and her father an ‘American hero.’” [Associated Press, 1/6/24]
¶ Trump Attacked Widow Debbie Dingell And Her Late Husband John Dingell
Trump Implied The Late Dingell Was “Looking Up” From Hell During Michigan Rally While Attacking Democratic Reps For Impeachment. According to CNN, “‘Debbie Dingell, that's a real beauty,’ Trump said of the congresswoman, noting he was watching her on television during impeachment proceedings. Trump said that he gave the family the ‘A-plus treatment’ after John Dingell died, and that the congresswoman, who now holds his seat in the House, told Trump during an emotional call following John Dingell's funeral that her husband would have been ‘thrilled’ by the respect shown for him during his funeral and ‘he's looking down’ on the ceremonies. ‘Maybe he's looking up,’ Trump said, drawing some moans and groans from those in Battle Creek, Michigan, about two hours away from Debbie Dingell's district. ‘Maybe, but let's assume he's looking down.’” [CNN, 12/18/19]
Trump Criticized Rep Debbie Dingell For Voting To Impeach Him And Made Fun Of Her For Crying While Thanking Him For Rolling Out The “Red Carpet” For Her Husband’s Funeral. According to Trump on Twitter, ".@RepDebDingell, who called me, tears flowing, to thank me for rolling out the maximum ‘Red Carpet’ for the funeral of her husband, then voted against me on the partisan Impeachmen Hoax, said ‘everybody (Dems) wants to get out of town. This has been, in my whole career, one of... ...the worst weeks ever.’ She could have had a much better week if Crazy Nancy, who is the most overrated person in politics (going to lose the House a second time), didn’t bring the phony & corrupt Impeachment Hoax. Dems can’t do anything right, just look at the Iowa vote count!" [Twitter - @realDonaldTrump, 2/8/20]
¶ Lawmakers From Both Sides Of The Aisle Criticized Trump’s Attacks On Dingell
Debbie Dingell Called Trump’s Words “Hurtful.” According to the Daily Beast, “Dingell issued a heartbreaking response to Trump's jibe, writing on Twitter late Wednesday night: ‘I’m preparing for the first holiday season without the man I love. You brought me down in a way you can never imagine and your hurtful words just made my healing much harder.’” [Daily Beast, 12/19/19]
Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-MI) Called Trump’s Comments “Dishonorable” And Requested Trump Apologize. According to The Hill, "Michigan GOP Rep. Paul Mitchell criticized President Trump on Thursday for his “dishonorable” attack on the late Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.). ‘John Dingell was a well-respected man & I consider Debbie a close colleague and friend. To use his name in such a dishonorable manner at last night’s rally is unacceptable from anyone, let alone the President of the United States,’ Mitchell tweeted. ‘An apology is due, Mr. President.’" [The Hill, 12/19/19]
Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) Called For Trump To Apologize For Comments. According to the Daily Beast, “Republican Congressman Fred Upton led the calls for an apology Wednesday night, saying on Twitter: ‘I’ve always looked up to John Dingell —my good friend and a great Michigan legend. There was no need to ‘dis’ him in a crass political way. Most unfortunate and an apology is due.’” [Daily Beast, 12/19/19]
¶ Trump Regularly Mispronounced And Misspelled Words And Names
¶ Trump Sometimes Had Roundly Ridiculed Misspellings In His Tweets That Are Part Of The Official Record
¶ Covfefe
Trump Tweeted And Deleted A Nonsense Tweet With Typo “Covfefe.” According to USA Today, “Donald Trump has been active on Twitter since his return from his first overseas trip as president. And he kept the ball rolling with a tweet shortly after midnight on Wednesday morning. But it is not at all clear what the president was tweeting about. ‘Despite the negative press covfefe,’ Trump wrote, and nothing more. The tweet was deleted later Wednesday morning, but only after it had been up for several hours” [USA Today, 5/31/17]
¶ Hamberders
Trump Tweeted And Deleted Tweet Saying He Paid For “1000 Hamberders.” According to Vox, “On Tuesday morning, Trump tweeted that the number of burgers he purchased had grown again to ‘over 1000 hamberders [sic] etc.’ (He later reposted the tweet without the typo.)” [Vox, 1/15/19]
Burger King Made Fun Of Trump’s “Hamberders” Typo. According to The Hill, "The fast food chain Burger King took aim at President Trump on Tuesday over his mention of ‘hamberders’ in a recent tweet. ‘Due to a large order placed yesterday, we're all out of hamberders,’ the chain said in a tweet from its verified account on Tuesday morning. ‘Just serving hamburgers today.’" [The Hill, 1/15/19]
¶ Trump Notoriously Mispronounced Words
Trump Mispronounced Nepal As “Nipple” And Bhutan As “Button” During Briefing. According to Politico, “Trump’s desire to call world leaders at awkward hours is just one of many previously unreported diplomatic faux pas Trump has made since assuming the presidency, which go beyond telephone etiquette to include misconceptions, mispronunciations and awkward meetings. Sometimes the foibles have been contained within the White House. In one case, Trump, while studying a briefer’s map of South Asia ahead of a 2017 meeting with India’s prime minister, mispronounced Nepal as ‘nipple’ and laughingly referred to Bhutan as ‘button,’ according to two sources with knowledge of the meeting.” [Politico, 8/13/18]
Trump Made Two References To “Nambia” When He Meant To Say Namibia When Speaking To African Leaders At The UN. According to the Washington Post, " As President Trump spoke to African leaders at the United Nations on Wednesday, he made not one but two references to a country called Nambia. ‘Nambia’s health system is increasingly self-sufficient,’ Trump said approvingly at one point. Unfortunately, there's a problem — good health care or not, Nambia doesn't exist. And so the U.S. president's laudatory comments about a nonexistent country swiftly invited ridicule online, with many suggesting that Trump had created an entirely new nation by combining two existing ones — Zambia and Namibia." [Washington Post, 9/21/17]
- White House Transcript Corrected Error, Indicating That The President Made A Mistake. According to the Washington Post, "A White House transcript of Trump's comments corrected his error, making clear that the president had not intended to invent a new nation and had, in fact, been referring to the very real country of Namibia, which is in southern Africa." [Washington Post, 9/21/17]
¶ The Daily Show Highlight Reel Of Trump’s Garbling Words And Mixing Up Names
“Trump’s Best Words: 2019 Edition.” [YouTube, 12/20/19]
“Trump’s Best Words: 2018 Edition.” [YouTube, 12/19/18]
“Trump’s Best Words: 2017 Edition.” [YouTube, 12/6/17]
Trump Plays “Name That Person.” [Twitter, 1/30/19]
¶ Trump Called Charlottesville “Charlottestown”
Trump Forgot The Name Of Charlottesville, Calling It “Charlottestown.” According to the Associated Press, “Donald Trump flubbed the name of Charlottesville, Virginia, while going off script during a speech on Tuesday otherwise focused on economic policy, slamming Vice President Kamala Harris for lying about ‘Charlottestown.’ The former president was talking about imposing tariffs and other steps he’d take to bolster U.S. manufacturing in Savannah, Georgia, when he veered off topic. He began arguing that he won the recent debate with Harris, despite GOP claims the moderators were against him. ‘She didn’t say anything except lies, like bloodbath, like Charlottestown,’ Trump said. He didn’t acknowledge the error, but quickly added that he was ‘finishing this topic. Because they’ll say, ‘Oh, he fell into a trap’ — when in fact, he’d already made a conspicuous mistake. Trump was trying to refer to the deadly 2017 violence in Charlottesville, between white supremacists and anti-racist protesters. Trump has faced years of criticism from Harris and other top Democrats when he blamed ‘both sides’ for what occurred.” [Associated Press, 9/24/24]
¶ Trump Wrote Out A Never-Before-Seen Phonetic Spelling Of Al Qaeda
Trump Spelled Al Qaeda “Alcaida” On Personal Notes During Press Conference. According to Business Insider, “President Donald Trump on Monday falsely claimed that Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota has praised Al Qaeda. During his remarks he held notes that seemingly included the wrong spelling of the terror group's name: ‘Alcaida.’” [Business Insider, 7/15/19]
Trump’s Notes Misspelling Al Qaeda “Alcaida.” [Twitter, 7/15/19]
¶ Trump Misread The Teleprompter During Coronavirus Briefing, Causing Widespread Confusion About Cargo Ban From Europe
Trump Announced Restrictions On Trade And Cargo Between U.S. And Europe In An Oval Office Address. According to the New York Times’ transcript of Donald Trump’s Oval Office Address, “To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days. The new rules will go into effect Friday at midnight. These restrictions will be adjusted subject to conditions on the ground. There will be exemptions for Americans who have undergone appropriate screenings, and these prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo, but various other things as we get approval. Anything coming from Europe to the United States is what we are discussing. These restrictions will also not apply to the United Kingdom.” [New York Times, 3/11/20]
¶ The White House Announced That Travel Restrictions With Europe Did Not Apply To Trade As Trump Had Announced
The White House Said Trump’s Travel Restrictions Did Not Apply To Cargo And Trade. According to Buzzfeed News, “The European travel restrictions actually DO NOT apply to cargo. […] The presidential proclamation doesn't mention anything about trade restrictions. In the proclamation, Trump says, ‘The free flow of commerce between the United States and the [affected European countries] remains an economic priority for the United States, and I remain committed to facilitating trade between our nations.’ After finishing his speech, Trump walked back his comment on trade, saying that it would not be affected by the restrictions.” [Buzzfeed News, 3/12/20]
The Washington Post Speculated Trump Misread Teleprompter Saying Ban Applied Did “Not Apply To” Cargo As “Not Only Apply To” Cargo. According to the Washington Post, “’There will be exemptions for Americans who have undergone appropriate screenings,’ Trump said, ‘and these prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo but various other things as we get approval. Anything coming from Europe to the United States is what we are discussing.’ This wasn’t actually right. The administration wasn’t announcing a ban on cargo or trade. Dale speculates that perhaps Trump had seen ‘not apply to’ on the teleprompter, read it as ‘not only apply to’; and then had to append the ‘various other things’ to justify the use of ‘not only.’ That theory is bolstered by the inclusion of ‘tremendous.’ Trump’s speech was heavy on reminders of the health of the economy; pointedly exempting the ‘tremendous’ amount of trade with the European Union would send a signal that Trump was keeping economic concerns at the forefront.” [Washington Post, 3/12/20]
¶ The Trump Campaign Has Acknowledged Trump’s Propensity For Embarrassing Comments
¶ The Trump Campaign Told Donors To Not Take Trump’s Comments Too Seriously
Trump Advisor Susie Wiles Told Republican Megadonors Not To Take Trump’s Divisive Rhetoric Too Seriously. According to CNBC, “A top adviser to Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign has a message for some of the wealthiest Republican donors in the country: Don’t take the former president’s divisive rhetoric too seriously. Susie Wiles made the pitch Tuesday at a private gathering of the American Opportunity Alliance, a group of Republican megadonors led by founder of Elliot Investment Management Paul Singer. Speaking at the luxurious Four Seasons hotel in Palm Beach, Fla., Wiles encouraged the powerful donors to essentially ignore Trump’s more offensive remarks, and focus instead on the fact that the former president is in pole position in the Republican primary for president, according to people familiar with her remarks.” [CNBC, 1/31/24]
¶ Trump’s Campaign Said They Would Not Stop Trump From Offending Wide Swaths Of Voters
Trump’s Campaign Would Not Stop Trump From Making Incendiary Comments. According to the Associated Press, “He’s argued his four criminal indictments and mug shot bolstered his support among Black voters who see him as a victim of discrimination just like them. He’s compared himself to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison imprisoned by Vladimir Putin, and suggested that he is a political dissident, too. And in nearly every public appearance, he repeats falsehoods about the election he lost. Candidates on the verge of winning their parties’ nominations generally massage their messaging and moderate positions that may energize hardcore primary voters but are less appealing to a broader audience. In political terms, they ‘pivot.’ Not Donald Trump. The former president is instead doubling down on often-incendiary rhetoric that offends wide swaths of voters, seeming to be doing little to rein in his most irascible and oftentimes self-defeating instincts. That’s even as some of his most loyal allies have suggested he shift his focus and tone down rhetoric that risks offending independent voters and people outside his base. ‘Donald Trump is Donald Trump. That’s not going to change,’ said senior campaign adviser Chris LaCivita. ‘Our job is not to remake Donald Trump.’ LaCivita and other top campaign officials instead say their role is to provide the organization ‘to amplify and to force project’ Trump’s message.” [Associated Press, 3/4/24]
¶ The Trump Campaign’s Attempt To Curtail Trump’s Rants About “Old Grievances And Personal Drama” Have Had Mixed Results
The Trump Campaign’s Attempt To Focus Less On Trump’s False Election Fraud Claims Have Had Some Limited Success. According to Axios, “Top advisers are trying — with some early success — to steer former President Trump to focus more on the border and the economy, and less on old grievances and personal drama. Why it matters: How disciplined Trump is could determine whether he'll be able to attract college-educated voters who don't believe the 2020 election was fraudulent — voters he'll need some support from to win the Nov. 5 election. In some recent speeches, Trump has avoided his typical complaint that the 2020 election he lost was ‘stolen’ — and instead has said, ‘We were interrupted,’ or ‘something very bad happened.’ Another sign of Trump toning things down a notch: In at least one instance, he wanted to mention a salacious claim about a rival's personal life, but co-campaign manager Susie Wiles persuaded him not to. Reality check: In front of right-wing audiences, Trump still rambles on, making the conspiratorial — and false — claims many come to hear. At CPAC's recent meeting outside Washington, D.C., he called 2020 a ‘rigged election’ and accused Democrats of ‘cheat[ing] like dogs.’ His rambling speeches to MAGA crowds also still include suggestions that he'll ‘terminate’ parts of the Constitution and use the military against protesters. He also casts immigrants in racist terms — as ‘poisoning the blood’ of the country and ‘speaking languages nobody's ever heard of.’” [Axios, 3/4/24]