2024: Donald Trump opposed legislation calling for a ByteDance divestment from TikTok, but had called to ban TikTok while president in 2020.
2023: Donald Trump called for the U.S. to default on its debt.
2023: Donald Trump criticized DeSantis for having the same positions on Social Security that he once did.
2022: Donald Trump called for suspending the constitution, then backtracked.
In 2019, Donald Trump said he would close part of the U.S.-Mexico border, only to later say he would delay that decision for a year.
After claiming Mexico would pay for the wall, Donald Trump shutdown the government for 35 days then signed a bill without wall funding.
In 2016, Donald Trump threatened to sue all the women that accused him of sexual assault, but never did.
In 2016, Donald Trump flipped on abortion rights when he ran for president.
Donald Trump attacked President Obama repeatedly for golfing then spent over 300 days golfing while president.
Donald Trump flip flopped on the unemployment rate.
August 2020: Trump Signed An Executive Order Giving ByteDance, TikTok’s Parent Company, 90 Days To Divest The U.S. Operations Of TikTok Or Banning The App. According to Reuters, “TikTok is preparing to mount a legal challenge as early as Monday to President Donald Trump's executive order prohibiting transactions with the popular short video app and its Chinese parent ByteDance, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump issued an executive order on Aug. 14 that gave ByteDance 90 days to divest the U.S. operations of TikTok. ByteDance has been making progress in talks with potential acquirers, including Microsoft Corp and Oracle. Some of ByteDance's U.S. investors could also join the winning bid.” [Reuters, 8/22/20]
March 2024: Trump Reversed His Position On Forcing Divestment From TikTok Or Banning The App While Still Calling It A National Security Threat
March 2024: Trump Opposed Legislation Moving To Ban TikTok Without Divestment From Its Parent Company, Citing The Potential Benefit To Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg. According to Variety, “TikTok, the massively popular video app owned by Chinese internet giant ByteDance, apparently has an ally in Donald Trump. The former U.S. president expressed opposition to a national ban of TikTok not for, say, First Amendment reasons but because such a move would likely boost the fortunes of Meta’s Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Trump, in a post Thursday evening on Truth Social, the social-media service he is affiliated with, called the CEO of Meta ‘Zuckerschmuck,’ using the vulgar Yiddish word for penis. ‘If you get rid of TikTok, Facebook and Zuckerschmuck will double their business,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. ‘I don’t want Facebook, who cheated in the last Election, doing better. They are a true Enemy of the People!’” [Variety, 3/8/24]
Trump’s Flip On Forcing TikTok To Divest Or Banning The App Followed A Meeting With Republican Megadonor Jeff Yass. According to ABC News, “As Donald Trump reverses his position on potentially banning TikTok ahead of an expected House vote this week on legislation that could lead to it being blocked in the U.S., the former president has been rebuilding his relationship with a GOP megadonor who reportedly has a major financial stake in the popular social media platform. Trump met with the donor, hedge fund manager Jeff Yass, earlier this month at a Club for Growth donor retreat in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 1.” [ABC News, 3/11/24]
Yass Had A Significant Stake In TikTok’s Parent Company, ByteDance. According to ABC News, “Yass, who did not respond to a request for comment on Monday, owns a significant stake in in TikTok's China-based parent company ByteDance, The Wall Street Journal reported last year. ‘I've supported libertarian and free market principles my entire adult life,’ Yass told the Journal then. ‘TikTok is about free speech and innovation, the epitome of libertarian and free market ideals. The idea of banning TikTok is an anathema to everything I believe.’” [ABC News, 3/11/24]
2023: Trump Said Republicans Should Let The U.S. Default On Its Debt If Democrats Did Not Agree To “Massive” Spending Cuts. According to CNBC, “Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Republican lawmakers to let the United States default on its debt if Democrats don’t agree to spending cuts. ‘I say to the Republicans out there — congressmen, senators — if they don’t give you massive cuts, you’re going to have to do a default,’ said Trump, who is again running for president. ‘And I don’t believe they’re going to do a default because I think the Democrats will absolutely cave, will absolutely cave because you don’t want to have that happen. But it’s better than what we’re doing right now because we’re spending money like drunken sailors.’” [CNBC, 5/11/23]
Trump Justified His Call For Debt Ceiling Default, “Because I’m Not President.” According to Politico, “A debt ceiling reversal Trump said congressional Republicans should be open to the idea of the government defaulting as an outcome of the current debt ceiling fight. ‘We might as well do it now because you’ll do it later because we have to save this country. our country is dying,’ he said. When Collins noted that Trump had said that as president it was wrong for Democrats to use the prospect of default as a negotiating tactic, he responded that he had said that ‘when I was president.’ ‘So why is it different now?’ Collins asked. ‘Because I’m not president,’ Trump shot back.” [Politico, 5/10/23]
Trump Attacked DeSantis For Calling Social Security A “Ponzi Scheme.” According to CNN, “Former President Donald Trump once backed raising the retirement age to 70 and called for privatizing Social Security which he called a ‘Ponzi scheme’ – two positions he has hammered Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for supporting as a former member of Congress and congressional candidate.” [CNN, 4/27/23]
Trump Called Social Security A “Ponzi Scheme” And Said He Would Consider Privatizing Social Security. According to CNN, “Trump made the comments in 2000 in a book he authored called ‘The America We Deserve,’ when he was considering a third-party run for president as a member of the Reform Party. […] In his book, Trump lamented big cuts the program would need without changes, and said he would consider privatization. ‘The truth is undeniable, the workers of America have been forced to invest a sixth of our wages into a huge Ponzi scheme,’ Trump wrote. ‘The solution to the Great Social Security Crisis couldn’t be more obvious: Allow every American to dedicate some portion of their payroll taxes to a personal Social Security account that they could own and invest in stocks and bonds.’” [CNN, 4/27/23]
Trump Attacked DeSantis For Supporting Raising The Retirement Age To 70. According to CNN, “Former President Donald Trump once backed raising the retirement age to 70 and called for privatizing Social Security which he called a ‘Ponzi scheme’ – two positions he has hammered Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for supporting as a former member of Congress and congressional candidate.” [CNN, 4/27/23]
Trump Said The Retirement Age Could Be Raised To 70. According to CNN, “In his book, Trump lamented big cuts the program would need without changes, and said he would consider privatization. […] ‘We can also raise the age for receipt of full Social Security benefits to seventy,’ he wrote.” [CNN, 4/27/23]
The Trump Campaign Cited DeSantis’ Support For The Ryan Budget And Comments That Supported Privatizing Social Security. According to CNN, “Trump, his campaign and a supporting PAC have repeatedly cited votes from DeSantis in Congress for nonbinding budget resolutions that would have raised the retirement age to 70. The campaign has also cited DeSantis’ praise of Paul Ryan’s budget plans during his 2012 congressional campaign with comments that expressed support for privatizing Social Security and Medicare – but a CNN KFile review found Trump himself also once praised Ryan on Medicare, along with the 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney, without praising their specific policy proposal, which called for similar changes to Ryan’s plan.” [CNN, 4/27/23]
Trump Said He Would Consider Privatizing Social Security. According to CNN, “In his book, Trump lamented big cuts the program would need without changes, and said he would consider privatization. […] ‘The solution to the Great Social Security Crisis couldn’t be more obvious: Allow every American to dedicate some portion of their payroll taxes to a personal Social Security account that they could own and invest in stocks and bonds.’” [CNN, 4/27/23]
2022: Trump Called For Suspending The U.S. Constitution. According to Yahoo News, “Former President Donald Trump on Monday attempted to clarify his call for suspending parts of the U.S. Constitution or the ‘termination’ of rules and regulations to allow himself to return to the White House, after drawing rebuke from other Republicans. Initially, Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Saturday that the role of social media companies limiting and removing misinformation and content that violated its policies in 2020 ‘allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.’” [Yahoo News, 12/5/22]
Trump Clarified That He Did Not Want To Terminate The Constitution, But That “Steps Must Be Immediately Taken To Right The Wrong.” According to Yahoo News, “In his newest post, Trump indicated he didn’t say he wanted to terminate the Constitution, stating Monday that ‘steps must be immediately taken to RIGHT THE WRONG,’ referring to what he describes as widespread fraud and deception involving ‘Big Tech’ — of which he provided no evidence — in the 2020 election.” [Yahoo News, 12/5/22]
2019: Trump Proposed Closing Part Of The U.S.-Mexico Border, Then Announced He Would Wait A Year. According to Yahoo News, “And, in the spring of 2019, Trump proposed closing part of the border with Mexico, but said shortly after that he would wait a year to do so, according to research compiled by the Democratic opposition research group American Bridge.” [Yahoo News, 12/5/22]
January 6, 2017: Trump Stated Mexico Would Pay For “Any Money Spent On Building The Great Wall.” According to a tweet from @realDonaldTrump, “The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall (for sake of speed), will be paid back by Mexico later!” [Twitter, 1/6/17]
December 22, 2018: The Federal Government Partially Shutdown After Trump Did Not Get The $5 Billion In Wall Funding He Wanted. According to CNBC, “President Donald Trump threatened a government shutdown for weeks. He got one when the clock turned to Saturday. Congress missed a Friday midnight deadline to fund nine departments, or about a quarter of the government, and the Senate adjourned for Christmas without voting on a deal to bridge the impasse […] Lawmakers failed to reach a funding agreement as Trump demanded $5 billion for his proposed wall along the border with Mexico. Democrats refused. Then House Republicans dug in, declining to pass a bill to keep the government running into February after the president threatened to veto it Thursday.” [CNBC, 12/22/18]
Trump Threatened Lawmakers With “A Long Stay” Until He Got Funding For The Border. According to a tweet from @realDonaldTrump, “I am in the White House, working hard. News reports concerning the Shutdown and Syria are mostly FAKE. We are negotiating with the Democrats on desperately needed Border Security (Gangs, Drugs, Human Trafficking & more) but it could be a long stay. On Syria, we were originally...” [Twitter, 12/22/18]
After A 35 Day Partial Government Shutdown, Trump Signed A Stopgap Spending Bill To Reopen The Government Without Funding For His Wall. According to the Hill, “The 35-day partial government shutdown appears on the verge of ending -- for now. President Trump on Friday announced he is agreeing to sign a stopgap spending measure to reopen the government without funding for his proposed border wall. ‘I am very proud to announce today that we have reached a deal to end the shutdown and re-open the federal government,’ Trump said during a speech in the Rose Garden.” [The Hill, 1/25/19]
2016: Trump Threatened To Sue All Women Accusing Him Of Sexual Assault, Then Did Nothing. According to Yahoo News, “Trump’s latest explanation Monday continues a long-running trend of the former president making stunning statements and then walking them back — often without publicly determining a course of action. Near the end of the 2016 election, Trump said he would sue all the women accusing him of sexual assault, then rescinded the threat.” [Yahoo News, 12/5/22]
October 24, 1999: Trump Claimed He Was Pro-Abortion Rights But Hated “The Concept Of Abortion.” According to ABC News, “October 24, 1999: Pro-Choice But ‘Hates It’ During an interview with Tim Russert on ‘Meet the Press,’ Trump shared his thoughts on a number of social issues, including abortion. He declared that he was ‘very pro-choice,’ but went on to decry the idea of the procedure. ‘I hate the concept of abortion. I hate it. I hate everything it stands for, I cringe when I listen to people debating the subject, but still I just believe in choice,’ he said in the televised interview.” [ABC News, 3/31/16]
May 3, 2011: When Trump First Toyed With Idea Of Running For President, He Claimed That He Was “Pro-Life.” According to ABC News, “When Trump was toying with the idea of running for president in 2011, he told The Times that he was pro-life. ‘There are certain things that I don't think can ever be negotiated. Let me put it this way: I am pro life, and pro-life people will find out that I will be very loyal to them, just as I am loyal to other people. I would be appointing judges that feel the way I feel,’ he told the paper in May 2011.” [ABC News, 3/31/16]
August 6, 2015: Trump: “I Am Very, Very Proud To Say That I Am Pro-Life.” According to ABC News, “When he finally decided to take the plunge and run for the presidency this upcoming term, Trump explained that he had had a change of heart, coming out strongly as pro-life and giving a specific explanation. During the first debate, Trump was asked about his comments from 1999 and said that ‘since then, I’ve very much evolved’ […] ‘I am very, very proud to say that I am pro-life,’ he added. Trump has repeated this personal story and reiterated his pro-life stance many times over the course of his campaign.” [ABC News, 3/31/16]
Politico: “Trump Regularly Assailed President Barack Obama For Playing Golf.” According to Politico, “Donald Trump regularly assailed President Barack Obama for playing golf, then spent the first weekends of his own presidency doing just that. He attacked Obama for using Air Force One to campaign, and did it over the weekend just a month into the job. He mocked Obama for heading out of Washington at taxpayer expense, but appears to have no qualms about doing so himself.” [Politico, 2/21/17]
Trump Spent 307 Days Golfing During His Presidency. According to the Seattle Medium, “President Donald Trump has spent 307 days, almost a full year, golfing during his presidency. The total is likely to be the most golf outings of any president in history.” [Seattle Medium, 1/4/21]
Trump Played At Least 150 Rounds Of Golf While In Office. According to Trump Golf Count, “Daytime visits to golf clubs since inauguration, with evidence of playing golf on at least 150 visits.” [Trumpgolfcount.com, accessed 2/23/24]
August 2016: Trump Called The Unemployment Rate “One Of The Biggest Hoaxes In Modern American Politics.” According to US News & World Report, “In an August speech before the Detroit Economic Club, Trump declared the unemployment rate as ‘one of the biggest hoaxes in modern American politics.’ He even speculated the real number could be as high as 42 percent when it was really just about 5 percent.” [US News & World Report, 4/13/17]
January 15, 2021: Trump Cited The Unemployment Rate. According to an archived version of the Trump White House website, “Before the Coronavirus spread from China across the globe, President Trump helped America build its strongest economy in history. Median household incomes rose to their highest level ever in 2019, while the poverty rate hit an all-time low. Under the Trump Administration, more Americans were employed than ever before—160 million—and the unemployment rate fell to a 50-year low. The unemployment rates for African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Americans without a high-school diploma all hit record lows, while the Trump ‘Blue-Collar Boom’ saw wages grow faster for workers than for managers or supervisors.” [Trump White House website via archive, 1/15/21]
Trump Claimed That The Unemployment Numbers Were Made Up. According to the Washington Post, “But now that Trump is running for president again, he is again sowing doubt about the unemployment numbers. In New Hampshire on Sunday, he said the numbers during his presidency ‘were real unemployment, not like you have today where nobody’s working and they consider it to be.’ He didn’t go into detail — saying it was ‘too complicated to explain’ — which appears to be code for ‘trust me.’ […] Trump has no basis to suggest that the unemployment numbers are being cooked. The career professionals at the BLS are collecting the data the same way they did before he was president, when he was president and after he was president. But now that views on the economy have shifted toward a more positive note, Trump is cynically suggesting the numbers can’t be trusted. It was ever thus. Four Pinocchios.” [Washington Post, 1/24/24]