34 Scandals Trump Wormed His Way Out Of By Gaslighting The Hell Out Of Us
On Jan. 20, pretty much everyone saw Trump ally Elon Musk do what appeared to be a Nazi salute — twice! Of course, despite what we all saw with our own eyes, Trump and Musk supporters immediately scolded us, saying we hadn't seen what we thought we had, insisting that Musk was simply doing a Roman salute, or, er, saying "My heart goes out to you."
And you know what? Maybe Musk wasn't making a Nazi salute (even if he did speak at the far-right National Conservatism Conference in Berlin days later and say that Germans needed to move beyond "past guilt"). Because when you look at a scandal like this in isolation, it is possible for his supporters to create enough reasonable doubt to make you question what you saw.
But here's the thing — Trump and his ilk have had a LOT of scandals like this, and when you take them out of isolation and look at them in totality, they're basically impossible to defend. So, here are 34 times Trump and his supporters tried to tell us we hadn't actually seen what we thought we had:
1.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: At Trump's 2015 campaign announcement, he called Mexican immigrants “rapists” and criminals.
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump and his mouthpieces said he was referring to criminals and gang members who enter the U.S. illegally, not all immigrants. And hey, after saying they're drug mules, criminals, and rapists, he did throw them a bone saying, "Some, I assume, are good people."
Of course, as is often the case with Trump, he will make an offhanded walk back of his most obscene and controversial statements (which his supporters latch onto in his defense) but then later return to his original position, as he did here, saying, "I can never apologize for the truth. I don't mind apologizing for things. But I can't apologize for the truth."
2.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In 2015, after Washington Post reporter Serge Kovaleski was one of the journalists who debunked Trump's lie that he saw "thousands" of Muslims in New Jersey cheering the 9/11 attacks, Trump mocked Kovaleski by imitating his physical disability. Kovaleski has arthrogryposis, a congenital condition that affects joint movement and muscle development and limits mobility in his arms and hands.
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump and his team — and now millions of Trump supporters online — argue that he was just impersonating the reporter being flustered and not explicitly targeting his disability.
I mean, sure, Trump said, "Now the poor guy, you gotta see this guy," before making the gesture, but I guess it's just Trump haters not getting this was just a classic "flustered" impression.
3.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In July 2015, Trump tweeted an image of himself above soldiers who wore German uniforms of “Waffen-SS,” a Nazi unit.
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump lawyer/fixer Michael Cohen — using that favorite excuse of all politicians who screw up on social media — blamed a "young intern" for the mistake. "A young intern created and posted the image and did not see the very faded figures within the flag of the stock photo," Cohen said. "The intern apologized and immediately deleted the tweet." That damn intern! And yes, if you forgot, Cohen is the guy who went to jail for arranging Trump's hush money payouts to Stormy Daniels, so you probably can't 100% trust his "intern story."
4.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: Following the first Republican presidential debate in 2015, where moderator Megyn Kelly pressed Trump about his past sexist comments (including calling women “fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals”), Trump criticized Kelly in an interview, stating: "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever." This remark was widely interpreted as Trump implying that Kelly was menstruating during her grilling of Trump, leading to more accusations of sexism.
Further context: Since it was only 2015 before Trump derangement syndrome had fully set in, his comment sparked outrage among conservatives too, including the organizers of the RedState Gathering, a conservative event, who disinvited Trump.
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump took to Twitter to say that, by "whatever," he meant blood coming out of her nose and accused his critics of having "dirty minds."
See? Totally fine! Do you really think the "Grab 'em by the pussy" guy would say something so sexist?
5.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In Nov. 2015, Trump retweeted a racist and offensive image showing Jeb Bush next to a swastika. The image also depicted Bush — who is married to a Mexican woman and speaks fluent Spanish — as a mariachi, along with the text: "ADIOS, JEB aka JOSÉ."
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump spokesperson Hope Hicks admitted that Trump himself had retweeted the tweet "like hundreds of others," but added — you can probably guess where this is going — "He did not see the accompanying image." The retweet was later deleted.
It was a mistake! He didn't see the racist photos! I'm not sure why he RT'd it if he didn't see the photos since that's basically the whole post, but it was a mistake! Gah! How could you believe Trump would purposefully do such a thing?
6.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In Nov. 2015, Trump shared a graphic about crime statistics that falsely claimed the majority of white murder victims were killed by Black people. The statistics were debunked and seemingly originated from a neo-Nazi account.
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES: Trump later claimed he didn't create the graphic and simply shared it without verifying its accuracy.
Come on! He made a mistake! Who among us hasn't seen a wildly racist graphic that frames Black people as out-of-control murderers and not mashed the share button? Trump's defenders love to say "he didn't know what he was sharing," but shouldn't the President of the United States be smart enough/less racist enough to look at that data and do a little googling before sharing?
7.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In Jan. 2016, Trump retweeted a Twitter user named “@WhiteGenocideTM.” The user’s handle — as you probably surmised yourself — is explicitly tied to white supremacist ideology, and his feed included links to a website containing a pro-Adolf Hitler documentary and retweets about violence allegedly committed by Black suspects.
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump dismissed the controversy, claiming he didn't vet the user and simply saw a joke (insulting fellow candidate Jeb Bush) that he wanted to share.
Look, you stupid, Trump haters, he just didn't vet the account! (Hmmm. Not sure how much vetting you need to do beyond seeing the handle "@WhiteGenocideTM.”). But he's not racist! It was a mistake! Simple as that!
8.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In 2016, when Trump was asked if he would publicly reject the support of former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke, Trump initially hesitated to disavow Duke during a CNN interview, stating, “I don’t know anything about David Duke.” This was untrue, as Trump had discussed Duke publicly as early as 1991.
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump later disavowed Duke and blamed his hesitation on not hearing the question correctly. For the record, here was the question:
"I want to ask you about the Anti-Defamation League, which this week called on you to publicly condemn unequivocally the racism of former KKK grand wizard David Duke, who recently said that voting against you at this point would be treason to your heritage. Will you unequivocally condemn David Duke and say that you don't want his vote or that of other white supremacists in this election?"
That's a lot of references to "racism," "KKK grand wizard," and "white supremacists," not to have got the gist of the question, but hey, I guess this is just another of Trump's critics unfairly attacking him.
9.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In July 2016, Trump said, "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing," referring to Hillary Clinton's deleted emails. This was seen as encouraging a foreign adversary to interfere in the U.S. election.
WHO DO YOU BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES?: Trump and his campaign essentially rolled their eyes at the controversy, saying the comment was made in jest and not meant to be taken seriously (It's the old, "I was just kidding!" defense). Trump supporters also like to shout "Russia hoax!" if you press the point.
But really, it's not that simple. Trump and his team may not have actively conspired with the Russians to fix the election for him, but he was well aware at this point that the Russians were interested in seeing him win and Clinton lose.
One month earlier, in June 2016, Donald Trump Jr., campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and Jared Kushner met at Trump Tower with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. The meeting was arranged after an intermediary emailed and indicated that the Russian government had damaging information about Hillary Clinton as part of its support for Trump. (Also suspicious...at this time, Manafort was actively sharing internal campaign polling data and strategic information with a Russian intelligence officer.)
Even before that, in March, George Papadopoulos — a foreign policy advisor for Trump — met with Joseph Mifsud, a London-based professor with Russian connections. Mifsud informed Papadopoulos that the Russian government had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton in the form of "thousands of emails."
So Trump's saying he hoped Russia could find the Clinton emails was no "joke." He was well aware that Russia claimed to have the emails and was imploring them to release them. With Trump, it's always Trump first, America second.
Oh, and on or around the very same day Trump asked the Russians for help, they began targeting email addresses associated with Hillary Clinton's personal and campaign offices. What a coincidence!
10.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In a chilling moment on the campaign trail in Aug. 2016, Trump warned there would be no way to prevent a President Clinton from appointing Supreme Court justices if she were elected, then suggested that maybe "Second Amendment people" could do something to stop it.
Additional context: The "Second Amendment" protects Americans' right to bear arms, so suggesting "Second Amendment people" could stop Clinton was criticized by many as a death threat against his opponent.
WHO DO YOU BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump's campaign stated that Trump was referring to the political power of Second Amendment supporters and was not advocating violence.
11.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In Oct. 2016, just weeks before the presidential election, a tape of a private 2005 conversation between Trump and Access Hollywood host Billy Bush leaked, with Trump saying about women, "I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the pussy. You can do anything."
WHO DO YOU BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump and his supporters argued the comments were "locker room talk" and not reflective of his actions or character.
I, for one, buy the excuse — how could this reflect his actions or character? It's not like he was found liable for sexual assault in court and has been accused of sexual misconduct by at least 18 women. Oh, wait. He also allegedly had sex with porn star Stormy Daniels shortly after his wife Melania gave birth to Barron (Trump denies this happened, but his lawyer/fixer Michael Cohen was jailed for making hush money payments to Daniels on Trump's behalf). But it wasn't reflective of his character, you haterade drinking liberals!
12.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In 2017, Trump retweeted three anti-Muslim videos from a far-right British fringe group. The videos were widely condemned as Islamophobic, and some were later determined to be misleading or fake.
Additional context: The video "Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches" was not actually of a migrant, but a man born and raised in the Netherlands. UK Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesperson, speaking about Trump's amplification of these tweets and videos, said it was "wrong for the president to have done this."
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump said he wasn't aware of what Britain First was and that he was just trying to highlight the issue of terrorism. (Even if that's true, it's wild that this man is the President of the United States and will just RT anything that comes across his timeline to tens of millions of Americans.) White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders defended Trump, saying, "These are real threats that we have to talk about. Whether it's a real video, the threat is real."
13.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In Aug. 2017, Trump said there were "very fine people on both sides" while speaking in the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which was organized by white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and other far-right groups, and resulted in a white supremacist murdering Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old civil rights activist, with his car.
Further context: The rally was organized to protest the removal of a Confederate statue.
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump supporters love to point to the criticism of Trump's "very fine people" comment as an example of his critics misrepresenting what Trump said. On the face of it, it appears they might have a point, as Trump clarified during the same speech that he was referring to non-violent protesters on both sides of the Confederate statue debate, stating, "I'm not talking about the neo-Nazis and white nationalists because they should be condemned totally."
But let's dig a little deeper, shall we? Trump later said there was "blame on both sides" for the sad and disturbing events, implying somehow that the counter-protestors were equally to be blamed for the chants of "Jews will not replace us!" and a white supremacist murdering an innocent woman. Trump supporters may not see anything wrong with what Trump said, but it sure resonated with former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, who tweeted, "Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth."
Let's be real — the Unite the Right rally was organized by white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and far-right extremists. Given that, it is highly likely that anyone who knowingly attended in support of the event was aligned with or sympathetic to their views. And if a so-called reasonable person showed up with a reasonable reason for wanting to keep the statue, should they still be considered reasonable once they gladly stood on the same side as the white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and far-right extremists shouting, "Jews will not replace us"? A "very fine person," in my book, would have immediately left upon seeing all of that.
Trump's refusal to give a full-throated condemnation of the Unite the Right protestors is yet another example of his being sympathetic to far-right/white supremacist groups. Whether it's because he holds their views himself or knows they support him and wants to keep it that way, it's absolutely disqualifying.
14.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: Shortly after the Aug. 2017 Charlottesville rally — where a white supremacist drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, murdering civil rights activist Heather Heyer — Trump retweeted a meme with a train running over a person and the caption, “Nothing can stop the Trump train.” The tweet was widely condemned as insensitive.
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump deleted the retweet and did not apologize or comment on it. But his followers defended it by saying things like: "He wasn't thinking about the woman who got killed when he RT'd that! He was just saying CNN and the rest of the FAKE NEWS media can't stop him! You DO see it says CNN on the image and not Heather Heyer, right? Cry more, lib!"
15.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: During the Helsinki Summit on July 16, 2018, Trump sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin over U.S. intelligence agencies regarding Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election by saying, "I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today." and "I don't see any reason why it would be [Russia]."
WHO DO YOU BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES?: The next day, after a wave of bipartisan criticism, Trump said he'd misspoke and meant to say, "I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia." (Sure, Jan.)
Of course, during this "walk back," Trump still couldn't help but suggest that other actors besides Russia could have also been responsible. So...yeah. This sure sounds to me like the behavior of someone who colluded with the Russians or, at the very least, was very happy for their help.
16.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: At a 2018 meeting with a bipartisan group of senators at the White House, Trump is reported to have called Haiti a "shithole country" and asked, "Why do we need more Haitians? Take them out." He also asked why we couldn't have more Norwegian immigrants. Hmm. I wonder what the difference could be between those nations in Trump's eyes.
WHO DO YOU BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES?: Trump later tweeted, "The language used by me at the ... meeting was tough, but this was not the language used." And, of course, Trump followers will immediately discount any incidents like this that are reported by first-person accounts and not captured on video.
Isn't it awful how many people make up stories to hurt Trump? Even Republican senator and Trump ally Lindsey Graham was in on the lie! Shameful! He confirmed the veracity of Trump's reported comments, saying they were "basically accurate" and that he confronted Trump on the statements in private.
17.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: During his first term, Trump separated immigrant families and detained children in cages.
WHO DO YOU BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump supporters have a go-to "Gotcha!" on this issue, saying that Obama did the same thing as Trump. But while it's true Obama expanded family detention centers, there were some key differences: Under Obama, families were generally kept together in these facilities, and after legal challenges, Obama limited how long minors could be in detention duration for minors, leading to the release of many families. This differed from Trump's "no tolerance" policy, which separated minors from their parents. As a result, even as of Feb. 2023, nearly 1,000 children had been lost and still not reunited with their families.
18.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In an August 2018 tweet, Trump called NBA star LeBron James and CNN anchor Don Lemon “dumb” and “the dumbest man on television,” respectively. This received widespread condemnation, with Lemon commenting, “Notice a pattern? The president constantly denigrates people of color and women, too.” He added, “This president trafficks in racism and is fueled by bullying.”
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump supporters will say that Trump wasn't making an anti-Black statement since he ended the tweet with "I like Mike!", a likely reference to Black NBA legend Michael Jordan. They'll also point out that James and Lemon have both been critical of Trump, so he is just returning the fire.
19.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In July 2019, Trump tweeted that members of the "Squad" — congresswomen Omar, Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib, and Pressley — should "go back" to their countries of origin, even though most were born in the U.S. New York-born Ocasio-Cortez responded to his widely-condemned tweets with: "You are angry because you can't conceive of an America that includes us, while "Pressley, who was born in Ohio and is black, said, "THIS is what racism looks like."
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump denied that his comments were racist, saying, "If somebody has a problem with our country, if somebody doesn't want to be in our country, they should leave." His remarks, Trump claimed, were directed at people he believed were unpatriotic and had nothing to do with ethnicity.
Nothing racist happening here, folks! And with his spotless track record with race, I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt, don't you?
20.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: At a press briefing, Trump recklessly suggested on live TV that injecting disinfectant into the human body could treat COVID-19.
WHO DO YOU BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES?: Trump and his followers have mocked critics over this criticism, saying the comment was clearly sarcastic and not meant as a serious medical recommendation.
Sarcastic, huh? Trump may be no stranger to sarcasm, but watch this video of the moment and tell me if you detect even an ounce of sarcasm.
21.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: On June 28, 2020, Trump retweeted a video of a white man — driving a golf cart with signs reading "Trump 2020" and "America First" — yelling "White power!" at protestors.
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? The White House stated that Trump hadn't heard the "White power" chant before retweeting it. Following criticism, Trump deleted the tweet.
Simple as that! Trump didn't hear the guy yell "White power!" in a video he decided to send to tens of millions of Americans. What about "didn't hear," do you liberals not get?
22.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In 2020, Trump repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as the "Kung Flu" and "China Virus" (often to great applause from his rally crowds). Trump's use of these terms was widely criticized as offensive and racially insensitive and contributed to the anti-Asian sentiment during the pandemic.
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES?: Trump and his defenders denied it was racist, claiming that he was simply pointing out where the virus originated. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said, "It's not a discussion about Asian Americans, who the president values and prizes as citizens of this great country. It is an indictment of China for letting this virus get here."
Sure, he could have pointed out the virus came from China by, you know, just saying that, but I guess anyone who finds "Kung Flu" racist is too damn sensitive!
23.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In a debate with Joe Biden in Sept. 2020, Trump dodged the question of whether he would disavow the White supremacist group Proud Boys, instead saying, "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by."
Additional context: In addition to anger at Trump's refusal to unequivocally condemn the Proud Boys, many interpreted the phrase as a directive for the group to be ready for action.
WHO DO YOU BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump later stated that he was not familiar with the Proud Boys and that his words were misinterpreted, asserting that he condemns white supremacy.
It's just more of the same from Trump haters, isn't it? Trump wasn't familiar with the Proud Boys! Just like he wasn't familiar with David Duke. Sheesh!
24.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: One of the most disgraceful and sad moments in American history, when Trump supporters rioted, storming the capitol building and violently attacking police. Many in the crowd chanted "Hang Mike Pence!" for his refusal to not certify the rightful results of the election.
WHO DO YOU BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES?: Despite the horrors of that day leading to Trump being impeached (and seven Republican senators voting to convict and remove him from office), and over 1,500 participants of the riot being arrested, Trump and his supporters have worked hard to reframe the events of that day as something other than what we all saw. First, they downplay the inflammatory language of Trump's speech that day (such as "We fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.") and cling to the part of the speech where he said, "I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard."
Not only that, but they call what happened little more than trespassing and referred to the perpetrators as patriots and hostages (those of whom were convicted of their crimes). Taking this one step further, Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of all of the Jan. 6ers, writing in his proclamation that this action "ends a grave national injustice."
25.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In a 2023 speech, Trump called his political opponents "vermin," saying, "We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country." Adolf Hitler infamously referred to Jews and other groups as "vermin" to dehumanize them.
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES?: In a classic bit of gaslighting, the Trump campaign claimed the term was just used to describe political adversaries and scoffed at the suggestion it was said in connection to Nazi terminology.
Dunno, folks. For a guy who keeps saying he's not a Nazi, he sure says and does a lot of Nazi-like stuff. But Trump supporters will tell you you're off your rocker to think "vermin" means anything nefarious.
26.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In late 2023, Trump said multiple times that undocumented immigrants were "poisoning the blood of our country." This phrase was criticized for echoing Nazi-era rhetoric about racial purity and eugenics.
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES?: A Trump spokesperson defended the comments, saying, "That's a normal phrase that is used in everyday life – in books, television, movies, and in news articles. For anyone to think that is racist or xenophobic is living in an alternate reality consumed with non-sensical outrage."
That's a pretty classic defense. Trump says something disturbing/offensive, but it's those who take offense at it who are too sensitive and unreasonable.
27.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In a Dec. 2023 town hall interview with Fox News, Trump said he would only be a dictator on "day one" of his presidency to implement certain policies. Since we're supposed to live in a democracy and not an authoritarian state, the remark was a worrying red flag for a lot of people.
WHO DO YOU BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump's campaign aides laughed off the comment, saying he was joking and trying to "trigger the left" and the media. This is another common rebuke of Trump critics....they're humorless and can't tell a joke!
Hmm. Some things shouldn't be joked about by a president (especially one who openly admires authoritarian leaders and instigated January 6th). Also, I thought the dictatorship was supposed to just be one day. Because so far...
28.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In May 2024, Trump shared a video that included text stating he would be responsible for "the creation of a unified Reich." The use of the word "Reich" sparked outcry as it echoed Hitler's referring to Nazi Germany as the "Third Reich."
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? The campaign removed the video and stated that any resemblance to Nazi terminology was unintentional, emphasizing that "Reich" simply means "realm" or "empire" in German.
Hmm. If "Reich" means "realm" or "empire," why didn't they just say "realm" or "empire"?
29.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: Throughout his career (notably in May 2018 and April 2024), Trump referred to immigrants as "animals."
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? After getting in trouble for this in 2018, Trump tweeted: "Fake News Media had me calling Immigrants, or Illegal Immigrants, 'Animals.' Wrong! They were begrudgingly forced to withdraw their stories. I referred to MS 13 Gang Members as "Animals," which is a big difference - and so true. Fake News got it purposely wrong, as usual!"
That was Trump's excuse, anyway. But his 2018 remarks came during a discussion on how to prosecute immigrants in sanctuary cities, which don't protect gang members who committed horrific crimes. So, how could he have meant MS-13 members?
30.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: At the 2024 Harris/Trump presidential debate, Trump repeated baseless internet rumors about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, stealing and eating pets.
WHO'RE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? The Trump supporters I've heard discuss this dismiss reports that the story was debunked (even ones from local authorities in Springfield) and believe Haitians are 100% eating the animals. "It's just the liberal media won't tell you that!" They also might say something like, "Even if it's not true, illegal immigrants are a major problem in this country!"
Of course, immigrants eating animals is an ages old racist trope in America.
31.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: In Oct. 2024, John Kelly — Trump's former Chief of Staff — told the New York Times that Trump "commented more than once that, you know, that Hitler did some good things, too." Kelly also said Trump meets "the general definition of a fascist."
WHO'RE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES?: Trump denied harboring any admiration for Hitler and called Kelly a "degenerate" and "lowlife," while Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said Kelly “totally beclowned himself” by recounting “debunked stories” about the Trump administration.
Trump supporters have also attacked John Kelly (as they will any former Trump administration member who comes out against Trump), saying things like: "John Kelly was so shocked at how much Trump admired Hitler that he forgot about it for 5 years and conveniently remembered 2 weeks before the election. Got it."
So there you have it! The U.S. Marine Corps general (Kelly) with a reputation as a straight shooter was just lying to hurt Trump's election chances!
32.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: At a rally in March 2024, Trump warned that if he weren't re-elected, it would be a "bloodbath for the country." Many interpreted the term "bloodbath" as a call to political violence.
WHO DO YOU BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump's defenders said Trump was talking about threats to the American automobile industry from China and how it could harm American auto workers and manufacturers. This is true, but why — post-Charlottesville, post January 6 — is he using such inflammatory language? It's irresponsible at best and calculated at worst. For Trump's followers, though, it's easy to ignore the troubling nuance of a statement like this and just hammer on the "It was about cars, dummy!"
33.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: On October 27, 2024, at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made a joke referring to Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage" and another about carving watermelons with Black people.
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump told Sean Hannity he didn't know Hinchcliffe and had not seen his performance. He emphasized that someone else had arranged for Hinchcliffe to perform at the event.
See, you haters? Trump had no idea a comedian would be making wildly racist jokes at the most important rally of his campaign just days before the election! I honestly don't know what would make Trump look worse — that he knew Hinchcliffe and the kind of jokes he'd tell or that he was so clueless about his campaign that he didn't know his team was putting something like this together at such an important juncture of the campaign.
34.WHAT WE SAW WITH OUR OWN DAMN EYES: Hours after the tragic collision between an airplane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, taking the lives of 67 people, Trump suggested — with no evidence — that DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) hires were responsible for it.
WHO DO YOU BELIEVE? TRUMP OR YOUR LYING EYES? Trump and his supporters haven't bothered to defend or walk back this one, and they probably won't. It's now 2025, and at this point — a decade into our journey with Trump — Republican officials and Trump supporters pretty much have the attitude, "If Trump said it, it's true." Or, as Orwell warned, "2+2=5."