Donald Trump is a man of many contradictions. On the campaign trail, he made one statement or one promise and then as President, he has taken a completely different stand. Trump, unlike most
politicians and, frankly, most people, will nonchalantly argue two logically inconsistent points at the same time. On the campaign trail, he mastered the art of vague assurance that he stood
for whatever his audience stood for, and, in office, that skill doesn't seem to have faded. The following table shows some of these contradictions, including some of his campaign promises.
Perhaps, this is Trump
choking on all his contradictions...
| Trump's Words Before ... | Trump's Words After ... | |
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Reported on Sep 16, 2016 11:44 AM EDT: After years of suggesting President Obama was born in Kenya, Donald Trump said early Friday that he believed the president was indeed born in the United States. "President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period." |
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| Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump lambasted Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for using a private email server while she was secretary of state, insisting she should not be given access to classified information because she would leave it vulnerable to foreign foes. |
President Donald Trump has been giving out his cellphone number to world leaders and telling them to call him directly. This unusual practice not only breaks diplomatic protocol, but it also raises concerns about the security and secrecy of the US commander-in-chief's communications. |
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| When the Obamas visited Saudi Arabia, Donald Trump tweeted on 29 January 2015: 
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When President Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia in May 2017, neither his wife, Melania, nor his daughter, Ivanka, donned head scarves to show respect to the host country. 
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As a Republican presidential candidate, Trump accused Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen of keeping interest rates artificially low in order to help the Democrats retain control of the White House. Ultra-low interest rates were creating a "big, fat, ugly bubble," Trump warned, with dire consequences for the stock market when rates eventually rise. |
Once in office, Trump sees things differently. The Fed's commitment to gradualism in normalizing rates, including a reduction in its projection for the long-run neutral benchmark rate, will be just fine with his strong-growth agenda. |
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On the campaign trail, Trump promised: "I'm not going to cut Social Security like every other Republican and I'm not going to cut Medicare or Medicaid." |
May 26th, 2017: The White House budget cuts Social Security disability benefits. May 24th, 2017: The White House budget reduces Medicaid spending. |
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On the campaign trail, Trump promised: "I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I'll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great great wall on our southern border and I'll have Mexico pay for that wall." |
On May 24th, 2017: Trump's 2018 budget requests $1.6 billion for border security, so Mexico is not paying for the wall, the American people will pay. |
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On the campaign trail, Trump promised to go after Hillary Cliniton and led chants of "Lock her Up! Lock her Up!" "I will ask, to appoint a special prosecutor. We have to investigate Hillary Clinton, and we have to investigate the investigation." |
As of June 1, 2017, there are no plans to investigate Hillary Clinton. |
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Donald Trump promised to repeal Obamacare at least 68 times. "We're gonna repeal and replace Obamacare with something great." [Fresno, CA, 5/27/16] 
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The health care act passed by the House in May 2017 only makes it better for the very rich. And it eliminates pre-existing conditions. On July 27, 2017, the Senate rejected a proposal to repeal and replace Obamacare with Senator John McCain casting a decisive "no." |
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On the campaign trail, Trump promised to sue his accusers of sexual misconduct. "The events never happened. Never. All of these liars will be sued after the election is over." |
As of June 1, 2017, none of the accusers have been sued. |
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On the campaign trail, Trump promised to release his tax returns after an audit is completed. "I'm under a routine audit and it'll be released, and as soon as the audit is finished it will be released." |
As of August 1, 2017, Trump has not released his tax returns. |
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As a candidate, Trump promised to move the US Embassy in Israel, which he called a sign of unwavering U.S. support for Israel, on his first day in office. Moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was as foundational a campaign promise as building the wall and cutting taxes. It was one that Trump repeated over and over on the campaign trail. |
On June 1, 2017, President Trump signed a waiver to defer action on an embassy relocation, reversing a campaign promise dear to some of his most conservative supporters. |
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Before he became America's commander in chief, Trump frequently criticized Obama's travel expenses on Fox News and via his Twitter account. "President @BarackObama's vacation is costing taxpayers millions of dollars----Unbelievable!" - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2012 |
According to Forbes Magazine: By comparison, Barack Obama's travel expenses averaged just $12.1 million during each year of his presidency. In total, Obama's eight year travel bill came to $97 million and unbelievably, Donald Trump is on pace to outspend him in less than one year. The Washington Post says "the elaborate lifestyle of America's first family is straining the Secret Service and security officials, stirring financial and logistical concerns in several local communities, and costing far beyond what has been typical for previous presidents." |
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Meanwhile, Trump plans a 17-day vacation, and will be spending what aides are calling a "working vacation" at his Bedminster golf complex. He has visited a Trump-owned property almost every weekend of his Presidency. — Jessica Roy, Los Angeles Times, August 3, 2017 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  |
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Trump sent out the tweet for Labor Day 2017. While he praises U.S. labor, the dress Melania is wearing is a $2,255 Italian dress! |
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During his campaign one of Trump's mantras was he was going to "drain the swamp." Part of that draining was to stop DC insiders from being a lobbyist one minute and a government official the next (and vice versa). |
On June 1, 2017, the White House unveiled a list of former lobbyists now working for the Trump administration including Kellyanne Conway and Reince Priebus who have been issued ethics waivers. So much for draining the swamp! On June 22, 2017, USA TODAY reported that 105 ex-lobbyists have found jobs in the Trump administration, and 69 of them work in agencies they have lobbied at some point in their careers. |
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When President Trump signed an executive order in January 2017 suspending refugees from seven predominately Muslim countries, he said, "It's not a Muslim ban." Also in January, White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters, "It's not a Muslim ban. It's not a travel ban." And as recently as June 1 DHS Secretary John Kelly said the order, which is embroiled in court arguments over whether it is a ban, "is not - I repeat - not a ban on Muslims." |
On June 5, 2017 President Trump made two back-to-back tweets. "People, the lawyers and the courts can call it whatever they want, but I am calling it what we need and what it is, a TRAVEL BAN! 6:25 AM - 5 Jun 2017" and "The Justice Dept. should have stayed with the original Travel Ban, not the watered down, politically correct version they submitted to S.C. [Supreme Court] 6:29 AM - 5 Jun 2017" |
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"I'm an environmentalist." (CNN, April 28, 2010) |
"Global warming is a total, and very expensive, hoax!" (Twitter, December 6, 2013) |
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"I'm totally pro-choice." (Fox News, October 31, 1999) |
"I'm pro-life." (CPAC, February 10, 2011) |
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"It's always good to do things nice and complicated so that nobody can figure it out." (The New Yorker, May 19, 1997) |
"The simplest approach is often the most effective." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987) |
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"My attention span is short." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990) |
"I have an attention span that's as long as it has to be." (Time, August 18, 2015) |
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"I do listen to people. I hire experts. I hire top, top people. And I do listen." (Greenville, South Carolina, February 13, 2016) |
"I'm speaking with myself, No. 1, because I have a very good brain and I've said a lot of things. ... My primary consultant is myself." (MSNBC, March 16, 2016) |
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"I surround myself with good people, and then I give myself the luxury of trusting them." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990) |
"My motto is 'Hire the best people, and don't trust them.'" (Trump: Think Big, 2007) |
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"I see no value whatsoever in believing ignorance to be an attribute." (Trump: Think Like a Champion, 2009) |
"I love the poorly educated." (Las Vegas, February 23, 2016) |
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"Well, I read a lot ... and over my life, I've read so much." (The Hugh Hewitt Show, February 25, 2015) |
"I don't read much. Mostly I read contracts, but usually my lawyers do most of the work. There are too many pages." (Veja, February 2014) |
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"When someone crosses you, my advice is 'Get even!' That is not typical advice, but it is real-life advice. If you do not get even, you are just a schmuck! ... I love getting even. ... Always get even. Go after people that go after you. ... Always fight back and get even." (Trump: Think Big, 2007) |
"If you can avoid an altercation, do so." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004) |
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"Hey, look, I went to the hardest school to get into, the best school in the world, I guess you could say, the Wharton School of Finance. It's like super genius stuff. I came out. I built a tremendous company. I had tremendous success. The Art of the Deal. The Apprentice. Everything." (CNN, August 11, 2015) |
"I avoid people with especially high opinions of their own abilities or worth." (Trump: Think Big, 2007) |
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"I like John McCain." (Twitter, May 28, 2013) |
"I'm not a fan of John McCain." (Facebook, July 18, 2015) |
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"Jeb Bush is a good man. I've held fundraisers for him. He's exactly the kind of political leader this country needs now and will very much need in the future. He's bright, tough, and principled." (Trump: The America We Deserve, 2000) |
"He's like a lost soul, Jeb Bush ... this poor, pathetic, low-energy guy." (Las Vegas, January 21, 2016) |
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Barack Obama is "a strong guy who really knows what he wants." (Fox News, February 9, 2009) |
"Barack Obama has been the worst president ever." (Fox News, April 14, 2011) |
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"I know Hillary and I think she'd make a great president ..." (Trump University "Trump Blog," March 13, 2008) |
"Hillary will be a disaster as a president." (NBC News, July 9, 2015) |
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"I see NATO as a good thing." (Washington Post, March 21, 2016) |
"I think NATO is obsolete." (ABC News, March 27, 2016) |
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"If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of 'em, would you? Seriously. OK? Just knock the hell — I promise you, I will pay the legal fees, I promise, I promise." (Cedar Rapids, Iowa, February 1, 2016) |
"I do not condone violence in any shape." (NBC News, March 13, 2016) |
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"I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun." (Trump: The America We Deserve, 2000) |
"I am the strongest person running in favor of the Second Amendment." (Hanahan, South Carolina, February 15, 2016) |
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"Millions and millions of women—cervical cancer, breast cancer—are helped by Planned Parenthood. So you can say whatever you want, but they have millions of women going through Planned Parenthood that are helped greatly." (Houston, February 25, 2016) |
"But Planned Parenthood should absolutely be defunded. I mean, if you look at what's going on with that, it's terrible." (Fox News, October 18, 2015) |
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"I continue to alienate members of the press on occasion, but on the whole, I like them." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004) |
"They are the most dishonest people in the world. The media. They are the worst. They are very dishonest people. They are terrible." (Indianapolis, April 20, 2016) |
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Last October (2016), as he was campaigning for president, Donald Trump praised veterans as "amazing," "distinguished" and "tremendous." Read more: Newsweek 13June2017 |
This week (June 2017) he blocked a veterans' group, allegedly numbering half a million members, from his Twitter. 
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On January 22, 2017, Trup tweeted: 
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"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He's fired. He's fired!'" the president said at a rally for Republican senator Luther Strange on Friday, September 22, 2017. 
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During the Republican primary campaign in 2016 Donald Trump belittled (literally) opponent and U.S. Senator from Florida Marco Rubio, repeatedly referring to him as "Little Marco." Trump also said, "I think he's a lightweight" and chided Rubio couldn't get elected "dogcatcher" because "the people in Florida can't stand him." |
At a speech in Miami on 16 June 2017 in which Trump overturned policies towards Cuba that had been put into place by President Obama, Trump said very different things about Rubio (who lobbied Trump for the changes). "A man that's really become a friend of mine," said Trump, who also effused, "Senator Marco Rubio. Great guy. He is tough. Man, he is tough. And he's good, and he loves you. He loves you." |
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President Donald Trump on Wednesday got behind a bill to drastically cut legal immigration and replace current employment based visas with a point system. Trump backs a plan that would curb legal immigration. The plan mimics systems used by Australia and Canada, which Trump has often praised, in awarding points to potential immigrants based on broad categories. The 140,000 visas available annually under this system would be distributed to the highest point-getters first. Under the plan, the highest point-getting candidate, for example, would be a 26- to 31-year-old with a US-based doctorate or professional degree, who speaks nearly perfect English and who has a salary offer that's three times as high as the median income where they are. A candidate must have at least 30 points to apply. Here's how the points would be doled out: Age Priority is given to prime working ages. Someone aged 18 through 21 gets six points, ages 22 through 25 gets eight points and ages 26 through 30 get 10 points. The points then decrease, with someone aged 31 through 35 getting eight points, 36 through 40 getting six points, ages 41 through 45 getting four points and ages 46 through 50 getting two points. Minors under the age of 18 and those over the age of 50 receive no points, though people over 50 years old are still allowed to apply. Education Points are distributed based on the highest degree a person has achieved. One point is given for an applicant with a US high school diploma or the foreign equivalent. A foreign bachelor's degree earns five points, while a US bachelor's degree earns six points. A foreign master's degree in STEM fields earns seven points while a US master's earns eight points. A foreign professional degree or doctorate earns 10 points and a US equivalent earns 13. English ability Points are also given out for English ability, as determined by standardized English test. Anyone with less than a 60th percentile proficiency gets no points. Between 60th and 80th percentile is worth six points, someone in the 80th to 90th percentile range earns 10 points, someone with a 90th percentile proficiency or above earns 11 points, and someone in the 100th percentile range earns 12 points. Job offer? The only point scale that factors in whether an individual actually has a job offer in the US comes in the form of salary in an effort to boost wages. Five points are awarded if an applicant has a job offer that will pay at least 150% of median household income in the state where he or she will be employed. That goes up to eight points if the income is 200% the median income, and 13 points if it's 300% the median. Nobel Prize There are bonus points available for "extraordinary achievement," mainly reserved for major international awards. The system grants 25 points to someone who has won a Nobel prize or something "comparable." Olympics Fifteen points would be given to someone earning an individual Olympic medal or relatively competitive international sporting event. Investors The bill would eliminate a category of visas that spurred foreign investment in the US, the EB-5 program, which was used by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner's family businesses to build major real estate projects. That concept is represented by awarding six points to an applicant who invests $1.35 million into a "new commercial enterprise" in the US, maintained for three years and with that individual holding management of that business as his or her primary application. The points go up to 12 if the investment is $1.8 million. Spouses The bill also requires applicants, if they want to bring a spouse with them, to calculate the points the spouse would earn under the same rubric. |
Donald Trump's ancestors would have FAILED his planned 'points' immigration test along with those of his top advisors — and Melania would have been in for some tough questions at the border. Guaranteed fails include Donald Trump's mother and worst of all, his German grandfather, who gets zero points . Frederick Trump, grandfather: 0 points Mary Anne Trump, mother: 18 points Melania Trump, wife: 28 points Mike Pence has spoken of his pride at his Irish grandfather but he would have failed the test. Richard Michael Cawley, grandfather (His daughter Nancy is Mike Pence's mother): 17 points Jared Kushner's grandparents were heroes of the Jewish resistance to the Holocaust but they would fail too. Rae Kushner, grandmother (She married Yossel Berkowitz, who took her surname and anglicized his first name to Joseph. Their son Charles is Jared's father): 14 points Stephen Miller was put in press briefing room to be face of the new policy but his Yiddish-speaking great-grandfather would have been refused entry. Sam Glosser, great grandfather (His son was Isadore Glosser, whose daughter Miriam Miller is Stephen Miller's mother): under 10 points Steven Mnuchin, The Treasury Secretary Aaron Mnuchin, great grandfather: around 2 points United Nations Ambassador Nikki Hayley's family would have aced the test. Ajit Singh Randhawa, father: 38 points Read the details here |
BE Best initiative by Melania Trump
The mission of BE BEST is to focus on some of the major issues facing children today, with the goal of encouraging children to BE BEST in their individual paths, while also teaching them the importance of social, emotional, and physical health. BE BEST will concentrate on three main pillars: well-being, social media use, and opioid abuse.
When children learn positive online behaviors early-on, social media can be used in productive ways and can effect positive change. Mrs. Trump believes that children should be both seen and heard, and it is our responsibility as adults to educate and reinforce to them that when they are using their voices—whether verbally or online — they must choose their words wisely and speak with respect and compassion.
But is her husband listening?
Check out the video
After posting these contradictions for a couple months, a friend of mine sent me the following article which summarizes many of the contradictions of Trump as of May 2016 before he won the general election.
Trump's Greatest Self-Contradictions
By Michael Kruse & Noah Weiland / Politico Magazine / 5May2016
www.politico.com
Donald Trump likes to say that he "tells it like it is," and his blunt style has won him the Republican nomination, buoyed by voters who like feeling they know just where a candidate stands on the issues. So where does he stand? Over the past four decades Trump has talked about every imaginable subject: gun rights to germs, the nature of competition to pre-nuptial agreements, love and sex, self-promotion and politics. And on every one of those topics, he has taken positions that directly contradict exactly what he has previously said. In a world where candidates have lost elections over a single flip-flop, Trump has turned the self-contradiction into an art form. To create the definitive archive of Trump's long argument with himself, Politico mined an almost limitless seam of his radio and TV interviews, newspaper and magazine profiles, books written about him and books written by him, rambling campaign speeches and late-night tweets. Read them together and they reveal a person who may be amazingly good at gauging the moment, but whose principles, beyond simply winning, remain elusive-perhaps even to himself. Has anyone ever disagreed with Donald Trump more than Donald Trump?
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"I have no intention of running for president." (Time, September 14, 1987)
"I am officially running for president." (New York, June 16, 2015)
"I don't want it for myself. I don't need it for myself." (ABC News, November 20, 2015)
"I wanted to do this for myself. ... I had to do it for myself." (Time, August 18, 2015)
"Politicians are all talk and no action." (Twitter, May 27, 2015)
"I'm not a politician." (CNN, August 11, 2015)
"I'm no different than a politician running for office." (New York Times, July 28, 2015)
"If I ever ran for office, I'd do better as a Democrat than as a Republican-and that's not because I'd be more liberal, because I'm conservative." (Playboy, March 1990)
"I'm a registered Republican. I'm a pretty conservative guy. I'm somewhat liberal on social issues, especially health care." (CNN, October 8, 1999)
"You'd be shocked if I said that in many cases I probably identify more as a Democrat." (CNN, March 21, 2004)
"Look, I'm a Republican. I'm a very conservative guy in many respects-I guess in most respects." (The Hugh Hewitt Show, February 25, 2015)
"I've actually been an activist Democrat and Republican." (CNN, October 8, 1999)
"Folks, I'm a conservative, but at this point, who cares? We got to straighten out the country." (Burlingame, California, April 29, 2016)
"I'm totally pro-choice." (Fox News, October 31, 1999)
"I'm pro-life." (CPAC, February 10, 2011)
"Look, I'm very pro-choice. 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 you still-I just believe in choice. ... I am strongly for choice, and yet I hate the concept of abortion. ... I am pro-choice in every respect ... but I just hate it." (NBC News, October 24, 1999)
"I am very, very proud to say that I'm pro-life." (Cleveland, Ohio, August 6, 2015)
"I think the institution of marriage should be between a man and a woman." (The Advocate, February 15, 2000)
"If two people dig each other, they dig each other." (Trump University "Trump Blog," December 22, 2005)
"I'm against gay marriage." (Fox News, April 14, 2011)
"It's like in golf. A lot of people-I don't want this to sound trivial-but a lot of people are switching to these really long putters, very unattractive. It's weird. You see these great players with these really long putters, because they can't sink three-footers anymore. And I hate it. I am a traditionalist. I have so many fabulous friends who happen to be gay, but I am a traditionalist." (New York Times, May 1, 2011)
"It's always good to do things nice and complicated so that nobody can figure it out." (The New Yorker, May 19, 1997)
"The simplest approach is often the most effective." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"My attention span is short." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"I have an attention span that's as long as it has to be." (Time, August 18, 2015)
"I prefer to come to work each day and just see what develops." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"You can't just sit around waiting for deals, opportunities, or a lucky break." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I look at things for the art sake and the beauty sake and for the deal sake." (New York magazine, July 11, 1988)
I'm speaking with myself, No. 1, because I have a very good brain and I've said a lot of things. ... My primary consultant is myself.
"I do listen to people. I hire experts. I hire top, top people. And I do listen." (Greenville, South Carolina, February 13, 2016)
"I'm speaking with myself, No. 1, because I have a very good brain and I've said a lot of things. ... My primary consultant is myself." (MSNBC, March 16, 2016)
"Don't think you're so smart that you can go it alone." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"You must plan and execute your plan alone." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"I couldn't be a one-man show ..." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"Think of yourself as a one-man army." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"I like (and dislike) all sorts of people-winners, losers, and those in the middle!" (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"You'll find that when you become very successful, the people that you will like best are the people that are less successful than you, because when you go to a table you can tell them all of these wonderful stories, and they'll sit back and listen. Does that make sense to you? Always be around unsuccessful people because everybody will respect you." (De Pere, Wisconsin, March 30, 2016)
"I surround myself with good people, and then I give myself the luxury of trusting them." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"My motto is 'Hire the best people, and don't trust them.'" (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"Surround yourself with people you can trust." (Trump: How to Get Rich, 2004)
"People are too trusting. I'm a very untrusting guy." (Playboy, March 1990)
"Expect the best from people." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"The world is a vicious and brutal place. We think we're civilized. In truth, it's a cruel world and people are ruthless. They act nice to your face, but underneath they're out to kill you. ... Even your friends are out to get you: they want your job, they want your house, they want your money, they want your wife, and they even want your dog. Those are your friends; your enemies are even worse!" (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"If you have smart people working for you, they'll try to screw you if they think they can do better without you." (Daily Mail, October 30, 2010)
"You know, I know the smart people. I really know the smart people. I deal with the smart people." (CNN, October 8, 1999)
"You never want people to think you're a loser or a schlepper, but it's not a good idea if they think you're the smartest guy in the room, either." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"I'm, like, a really smart person." (Phoenix, July 11, 2015)
"You're generally better off sticking with what you know." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"It's essential that you keep your mind open and alert." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"All I know is what's on the Internet." (NBC News, March 13, 2016)
"I see no value whatsoever in believing ignorance to be an attribute." (Trump: Think Like a Champion, 2009)
"I love the poorly educated." (Las Vegas, February 23, 2016)
"I've cultivated the learning habit over the years, and it's one of the most pleasurable aspects of my life." (Trump: How to Get Rich, 2004)
"Fortunately, I don't pride myself on being a know-it-all." (Trump: How to Get Rich, 2004)
"It would take an hour and a half to learn everything there is to learn about missiles. ... I think I know most of it anyway." (Washington Post, November 15, 1984)
"Small talk can be one of the best ways to educate yourself." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"I can't stand small talk." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"Stay as close to home as possible. Travel is time-consuming and, in my opinion, boring-especially compared with the fun I have doing deals in my office. I can never understand people who say that if they had a lot of money they would spend their time traveling. It's just not my thing." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"There's no excuse for staying home; the world's too fantastic to miss out on it. I wish I could travel more." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"Well, I read a lot ... and over my life, I've read so much." (The Hugh Hewitt Show, February 25, 2015)
"I don't read much. Mostly I read contracts, but usually my lawyers do most of the work. There are too many pages." (Veja, February 2014)
"I don't have a lot of time for listening to television." (New York Times, July 28, 2015)
"I actually love watching television." (The Hugh Hewitt Show, February 25, 2015)
"I'm a thinker, and I have been a thinker. ... I'm a very deep thinker." (Palm Beach, Florida, March 11, 2016)
"The day I realized it can be smart to be shallow was, for me, a deep experience." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"I like it when people talk about me. As long as it is positive." (Dubai-based Life Beyond Sport, undated)
"I really value my reputation and I don't hesitate to sue." (The Village Voice, January 15, 1979)
"I don't mind being criticized. I'll never, ever complain." (CNN, September 24, 2015)
"When someone crosses you, my advice is 'Get even!' That is not typical advice, but it is real-life advice. If you do not get even, you are just a schmuck! When people wrong you, go after those people, because it is a good feeling and because other people will see you doing it. I love getting even. I get screwed all the time. I go after people, and you know what? People do not play around with me as much as they do with others. They know that if they do, they are in for a big fight. Always get even. Go after people that go after you. Don't let people push you around. Always fight back and always get even. It's a jungle out there, filled with bullies of all kinds who will try to push you around. If you're afraid to fight back people will think of you as a loser, a 'schmuck!' They will know they can get away with insulting you, disrespecting you, and taking advantage of you. Don't let it happen! Always fight back and get even." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"If you can avoid an altercation, do so." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"If someone attacks you, do not hesitate. Go for the jugular." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I don't want to be provocative, and in many cases I try not to be provocative." (Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again, 2011)
"I do love provoking people. There is truth to that." (BuzzFeed, February 13, 2014)
"Sometimes, part of making a deal is denigrating your competition." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"If striving for wholeness means diminishing your competition, then your competition wasn't much to begin with." (Trump: Think Like a Champion, 2009)
"Be tough, be smart, be personable, but don't take things personally." (Twitter, June 22, 2015)
"It makes me feel so good to hit 'sleazebags' back." (Twitter, November 19, 2012)
"You've gotta be nice." (The New Yorker, May 19, 1997)
"I do believe in hate when it's appropriate." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"I think I am a nice person." (New York, June 16, 2015)
"I'm no angel." (Rolling Stone, September 9, 2015)
"People who know me like me." (New York, June 16, 2015)
"Being on the other side of a relationship with someone like me must be difficult." (People, May 19, 1997)
"But there is nothing better than having a great marriage, in my opinion. There is nothing more beautiful, and there is nothing more important." (CNN, March 21, 2004)
"You marry for love, but your signature on the marriage certificate is all about rights, duties, and property. It's a legally binding contract that knows nothing of love." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I've never been the kind of guy who takes his son out to Central Park to play catch, but I think I'm a good father." (Playboy, October 2004)
"I like kids. I mean, I won't do anything to take care of 'em. I'll supply funds, and she'll take care of the kids." (The Howard Stern Show, April 2005)
"I think I've been a very good husband." (CNN, February 9, 2011)
"What the hell do I know, I've been divorced twice?" (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"Believe it or not, I'm a romantic guy." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"Geraldo Rivera is a friend of mine, but he did something which I thought was absolutely terrible and he admits it was a mistake. He wrote a book naming many of the famous women that he slept with. I would never do that-I have too much respect for women in general, but if I did, the world would take serious notice. Beautiful, famous, successful, married-I've had them all, secretly, the world's biggest names, but unlike Geraldo I don't talk about it." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I don't have to brag. I don't have to. Believe it or not." (New York, June 16, 2015)
"I avoid people with especially high opinions of their own abilities or worth." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"Hey, look, I went to the hardest school to get into, the best school in the world, I guess you could say, the Wharton School of Finance. It's like super genius stuff. I came out. I built a tremendous company. I had tremendous success. The Art of the Deal. The Apprentice. Everything." (CNN, August 11, 2015)
"Do not look for approval from others. That is a sure sign of weakness." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"Look at my hands. ... My hands are normal hands. During a debate, he was losing, and he said, 'Oh, he has small hands and therefore, you know what that means.' This was not me. This was Rubio that said, 'He has small hands and you know what that means.' OK? So, he started it. So, what I said a couple of days later ... and what happened is, I was on line shaking hands with supporters, and one of the supporters got up and he said, 'Mr. Trump, you have strong hands. You have good-sized hands.' And then another one would say, 'You have great hands, Mr. Trump, I had no idea.' I said, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'I thought you were, like, deformed, and I thought you had small hands.' I had 50 people. ... I mean, people were writing, 'How are Mr. Trump's hands?' My hands are fine. You know, my hands are normal. Slightly large, actually. In fact, I buy a slightly smaller than large glove, OK?" (Washington Post, March 21, 2016)
"Don't worry about actively promoting yourself." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"Let people know what you've done. What good is it if no one knows about it? You've gotta be a promoter." (New York magazine, December 24, 1984)
"Everyone says, 'Oh, Trump is a great promoter.' I don't think I'm even a good promoter." (Fortune, April 3, 2000)
"Subtlety and modesty are appropriate for nuns and therapists." (Trump: How to Get Rich, 2004)
"So don't be afraid to toot your own horn when you've done something worth tooting about." (Trump: How to Get Rich, 2004)
"If I get my name in the paper, if people pay attention, that's what matters. To me, that means it's a success." (Gwenda Blair's Donald Trump: Master Apprentice, 2005)
"Publicity gradually dehumanizes you." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"I have learned that entertainment is a very simple business. You can be a horrible human being, you can be a truly terrible person, but if you get ratings, you are a king." (Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again, 2011)
"It's fame itself that bends people out of shape. In fact, the more celebrities I meet, the more I realize that fame is a kind of drug, one that is way too powerful for most people to handle." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"Everybody kisses your a... when you're hot. If you're not hot, they don't even call. So it's always good to stay hot." (CNBC, June 24, 2012)
"I hate people that think they're hot stuff, and they're nothing." (Warren, Michigan, March 4, 2016)
"I'm really concerned with the whole earthquake situation in L.A. I am a tremendous believer that someday Las Vegas may be the West Coast. ... People in general are having lingering doubts about the value of real estate in L.A. It's happening too much and too often, the tremors. It's a very scary thing." (Los Angeles Times, July 24, 1988)
"L.A. is going to be very hot, and it is very hot. The fact that Trump goes there makes it even hotter." (New York Times, February 5, 1990)
"Anyone who thinks he's going to win them all is going to wind up a big loser." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"I win, I win, I always win. In the end I always win, whether it's in golf, whether it's in tennis, whether it's in life, I just always win. And I tell people I always win, because I do." (Tim O'Brien's TrumpNation, 2005)
"I do whine, because I want to win, and I'm not happy about not winning, and I am a whiner, and I keep whining and whining until I win." (CNN, August 11, 2015)
"Toughness is knowing how to be a gracious winner-and rebounding quickly when you lose." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"I don't like to lose." (New York Times, August 7, 1983)
"I want to make America great again, and you can't do that if you come in a close second." (Washington Post, October 7, 2015)
"We finished second, and I want to tell you something: I'm just honored. I'm really honored." (West Des Moines, Iowa, February 1, 2016)
"Remember that in the best negotiations, everyone wins." (Trump: Never Give Up, 2008)
"You hear lots of people say that a great deal is when both sides win. That is a bunch of crap." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I learned from my father that work can make you happy." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I think of it almost as a controlled neurosis, which is a quality I've noticed in many highly successful entrepreneurs. They're obsessive, they're driven, they're single-minded and sometimes they're almost maniacal, but it's all channeled into their work. ... I don't say this trait leads to a happier life, or a better life, but it's great when it comes to getting what you want." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"When you shake somebody's hand, go with it. It is very important. Shaking hands with someone means you are making a deal." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"Some business executives believe in a firm handshake. I believe in no handshake. It is a terrible practice. So often, I see someone who is obviously sick, with a bad cold or the flu, who approaches me and says, 'Mr. Trump, I would like to shake your hand.' It's a medical fact that this is how germs are spread." (Trump: How to Get Rich, 2004)
"You've got to take care of your body and stay healthy." (Men's Health, March 3, 2013)
"All my friends who work out all the time, they're going for knee replacements, hip replacements-they're a disaster." (New York Times Magazine, September 29, 2015)
"Dress the part and act the part. Do not cause any doubt in anybody's mind that you don't know your stuff. When I moved to Manhattan to do my first deal, I did not have money or employees. When I went into an office, I acted as if I had an organization, The Trump Organization, behind me. I was on my own and no longer working for my father. Few people knew that The Trump Organization had no employees except myself and operated out of my studio apartment in Manhattan." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"Sometimes people will come into my office and they will be great. They will look great, they'll sound great, they dress beautifully; everything is great. Then after you hire them they turn out to be morons. Sometimes a real slob will come in looking for a job. He does not dress well. He does not look good. He does not seem to be very smart. It turns out when you hire him or her, you find out you have hired a genius." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I do something wrong-I do things wrong-and when I do, I don't mind." (CNN, September 24, 2015)
"It's amazing how often I am right." (Twitter, March 24, 2016)
"You can't con people, at least not for long. You can create excitement, you can do wonderful promotion and get all kinds of press, and you can throw in a little hyperbole. But if you don't deliver the goods, people will eventually catch on. I think of Jimmy Carter. After he lost the election to Ronald Reagan, Carter came to see me in my office. He told me he was seeking contributions to the Jimmy Carter Library. I asked how much he had in mind. And he said, 'Donald, I would be very appreciative if you contributed five million dollars.' I was dumbfounded. I didn't even answer him. But that experience also taught me something. Until then, I'd never understood how Jimmy Carter became president. The answer is that as poorly qualified as he was for the job, Jimmy Carter had the nerve, the guts, the b..., to ask for something extraordinary. That ability above all helped him get elected president." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
" Jimmy Carter ... . He is a very nice man, but he wasn't my kind of president. I was more into the Ronald Reagans of the world. Nevertheless, after President Carter's term as President was up, he asked to meet me and of course I agreed. I didn't know what he wanted in that I had never supported him and was actually very vocal on how poorly he handled our captives in Iran. ... Nevertheless, we had a wonderful conversation prior to getting to his point, which was, would I consider making a $50 million contribution to the Jimmy Carter Library? Here was a man that I had not supported, had not voted for, and yet he was in my office asking for a $50 million contribution! I said to myself, and I told the story many times, that Jimmy Carter, despite his image to the contrary, had an ability to think big. That's why he ran for President and others did not." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"Ronald Reagan ... is so smooth and so effective a performer that he completely won over the American people. Only now, nearly seven years later, are people beginning to question whether there's anything beneath that smile." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"... Ronald Reagan, to me, was a great president. And whether you are liberal or you're conservative, people really view him as a great president. He'll go down as a great president and not so much for the things he did, it's just, there was a demeanor to him and a spirit that the country had under Ronald Reagan that was really phenomenal. And, you know, there was just a style and a class ... I mean, that's a really big part of being president. Ronald Reagan had it." (CNN, October 8, 1999)
George H.W. Bush is "a great man. He's a man I support." (Washington Post, April 21, 1988)
"But I disagree with him when he talks of a kinder, gentler America. I think if this country gets any kinder or gentler, it's literally going to cease to exist." (Playboy, March 1990) George W. Bush? "I like him." (CNN, October 8, 1999)
"Don't talk to me about Bush, I was never a defender or a fan!" (Twitter, April 12, 2013)
"I like John McCain." (Twitter, May 28, 2013)
"I'm not a fan of John McCain." (Facebook, July 18, 2015)
"Ron Paul has some serious ideas which deserve serious consideration. Wrong for media to ignore him." (Twitter, August 23, 2011)
"He should be ignored." (Twitter, January 4, 2012)
"Mitt Romney "is the steady conservative who can restore America's future." (Twitter, February 22, 2012)
"He's a jealous fool and not a bright person. He's good looking. Other than that, he's got nothing." (New York Times, March 18, 2016)
"George Pataki is "the most underrated guy in American politics." (Trump: The America We Deserve, 2000)
Pataki "couldn't be elected dog catcher." (Twitter, July 1, 2015)
"Jeb Bush is a good man. I've held fundraisers for him. He's exactly the kind of political leader this country needs now and will very much need in the future. He, too, knows how to hang in there. "His first shot at Florida's governorship didn't work out, but he didn't give up. He was campaigning the day after his loss. He won the next race in a landslide. He's bright, tough, and principled." (Trump: The America We Deserve, 2000)
"He's like a lost soul, Jeb Bush ... this poor, pathetic, low-energy guy." (Las Vegas, January 21, 2016)
"Barack Obama is "a strong guy who really knows what he wants." (Fox News, February 9, 2009)
"He's been a horrible president." (Fox News, April 14, 2011)
"Here's a man that not only got elected, I think he's doing a really good job." (CNN, April 15, 2009)
"Barack Obama has been the worst president ever." (Fox News, April 14, 2011)
"Barack Obama is not who you think he is." (Twitter, October 15, 2012)
"Oh, yes, he's a champion. I mean, he won against all odds. If you would have looked-when he first announced, people were giving him initially no chance. And he's just done something that's amazing. He's totally a champion." (CNN, April 15, 2009)
"Hillary Clinton is definitely smart and resilient." (Trump: The America We Deserve, 2000)
"Incompetent Hillary doesn't know what she's talking about. She doesn't have a clue. She's made such bad decisions." (Fox News, March 22, 2016)
"I think that a lot of people will be looking at Hillary's record as secretary of state, and she will be defending that, and I'm sure she'll do a good job of defending it." (NBC News, August 10, 2013) "She was the worst secretary of state in the history of our nation. There's never been a secretary of state so bad as Hillary." (NBC News, July 8, 2015)
"I know Hillary and I think she'd make a great president ..." (Trump University "Trump Blog," March 13, 2008)
"Hillary will be a disaster as a president." (NBC News, July 9, 2015)
"She has a husband that I also like very much." (CNN, September 24, 2007)
"She's married to an abuser." (NBC News, January 10, 2016)
President Trump? "He would believe very strongly in extreme military strength. He wouldn't trust anyone. He wouldn't trust the Russians." (Playboy, March 1990)
"I have always felt that Russia and the United States should be able to work well with each other." (Reuters, December 18, 2015)
"I see NATO as a good thing." (Washington Post, March 21, 2016)
"I think NATO is obsolete." (ABC News, March 27, 2016)
In favor of invading Iraq? "Yeah, I guess so." (The Howard Stern Show, September 11, 2002)
"It looks like a tremendous success from a military standpoint." (Fox Business, March 21, 2003)
"The war's a mess." (Washington Post, March 25, 2003)
"Qadhafi in Libya is killing thousands of people, nobody knows how bad it is, and we're sitting around, we have soldiers, all over the Middle East, and we're not bringing 'em in to stop this horrible carnage. ... We should go in, we should stop this guy, which would be very easy and very quick." (Trump video blog, February 2011)
"I never discussed that subject. I was in favor of Libya? We would be so much better off if Qadhafi were in charge right now." (Houston, February 25, 2016)
"Angela Merkel is doing a fantastic job ... Youth unemployment is at a record low & she has a budget surplus." (Twitter, October 3, 2013)
"She's "ruining Germany." (Twitter, December 9, 2015)
John Kerry is "a very solid and stand-up guy." (Twitter, January 25, 2013)
"Obviously Kerry did not read The Art of the Deal." (Virginia Beach, Virginia, February 24, 2016)
"Compromise is not a dirty word." (Manchester, New Hampshire, October 12, 2015)
"I'm not big on compromise. I understand compromise. Sometimes compromise is the right answer, but oftentimes compromise is the equivalent of defeat, and I don't like being defeated." (Life, January 1989)
"I'm walking, talking proof of the American Dream. For me, the American Dream is not just a dream; it's a reality." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"The American Dream is dead." (New York, June 16, 2015)
"Maybe we Americans pump ourselves up too much." (Trump: The America We Deserve, 2000)
"We are the greatest country the world has ever known." (Time to Get Tough: Make America #1 Again, 2011)
"I'm never self-satisfied." (Playboy, March 1990)
"In truth I am dazzled as much by my own creations as are the tourists and glamour hounds that flock to Trump Tower." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"If I were satisfied, I would not be Donald Trump." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I think there are two Donald Trumps." (Palm Beach, Florida, March 11, 2016)
"I don't think there are two Donald Trumps. I think there's one Donald Trump." (Palm Beach, Florida, March 11, 2016)
"Stop the indecisive internal dialogue before it starts. That is your biggest enemy." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I think we've had enough debates." (Fox News, March 16, 2016)
"More debate is always better." (Twitter, December 7, 2011)
"I mean, my whole life is a debate, but I don't debate." (South Bend, Indiana, May 2, 2016)
"Sometimes-not often, but sometimes-less is more." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"I always say, 'More is more.'" (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"New York is a great place. It's got great people. It's got loving people, wonderful people." (North Charleston, South Carolina, January 14, 2016)
"I know this city. There are some terrible people in this city." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"Nobody owns me." (New York Post, April 18, 1999)
"I'm owned by the people!" (Rolling Stone, September 9, 2015)
"There's not a team." (MSNBC, March 8, 2016)
"Yes, there is a team. I'm going to be forming a team." (MSNBC, March 8, 2016)
"I don't like eminent domain." (Breitbart News, November 5, 2015)
"If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of 'em, would you? Seriously. OK? Just knock the hell-I promise you, I will pay the legal fees, I promise, I promise." (Cedar Rapids, Iowa, February 1, 2016)
"I do not condone violence in any shape." (NBC News, March 13, 2016)
"Oh, I believe in polls." (ABC News, November 17, 2010)
"I honestly believe those polls are wrong." (Miami, October 24, 2015)
"I believe in positive thinking, but I also believe in the power of negative thinking." (Playboy, March 1990)
"I never think of the negative." (New York Times, August 7, 1983)
"I always go into the deal anticipating the worst." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"I believe in the power of positive thinking, but I never like to talk about it." (Washington Post, October 7, 2015)
"I don't think positively, I don't think negatively." (Gwenda Blair's Donald Trump: Master Apprentice, 2005)
"I don't worry about anything." (New York Times Magazine, September 29, 2015)
"But I often think of nuclear war. I've always thought about the issue of nuclear war; it's a very important element in my thought process. It's the ultimate, the ultimate catastrophe, the biggest problem this world has, and nobody's focusing on the nuts and bolts of it. It's a little like sickness. People don't believe they're going to get sick until they do. Nobody wants to talk about it. I believe the greatest of all stupidities is people's believing it will never happen, because everybody knows how destructive it will be, so nobody uses weapons. What b...s.. On a much lower level, I would never hire anybody who thinks that way, because he has absolutely no common sense. He's living in a world of make-believe. It's like thinking the Titanic can't sink. Too many countries have nuclear weapons; nobody knows where they're all pointed, what button it takes to launch them. The bomb Harry Truman dropped on Hiroshima was a toy next to today's. We have thousands of weapons pointed at us and nobody even knows if they're going to go in the right direction. They've never really been tested. These jerks in charge don't know how to paint a wall, and we're relying on them to shoot nuclear missiles to Moscow. What happens if they don't go there? What happens if our computer systems aren't working? Nobody knows if this equipment works, and I've seen numerous reports lately stating that the probability is they don't work. It's a total mess." (Playboy, March 1990)
"I'm an environmentalist." (CNN, April 28, 2010)
"Global warming is a total, and very expensive, hoax!" (Twitter, December 6, 2013)
"I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun." (Trump: The America We Deserve, 2000)
"I am the strongest person running in favor of the Second Amendment." (Hanahan, South Carolina, February 15, 2016)
"My sons love to hunt. They are members of the NRA, very proudly. I am a big believer in the Second Amendment." (Ayrshire, Scotland, July 31, 2015)
"I'm not a hunter and don't approve of killing animals. I strongly disagree with my sons who are hunters." (Twitter, March 15, 2012)
For a woman who has an abortion, "there has to be some form of punishment." (MSNBC, March 30, 2016)
"If Congress were to pass legislation making abortion illegal and the federal courts upheld this legislation, or any state were permitted to ban abortion under state and federal law, the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman ..." (DonaldJTrump.com, March 30, 2016)
"Millions and millions of women-cervical cancer, breast cancer-are helped by Planned Parenthood. So you can say whatever you want, but they have millions of women going through Planned Parenthood that are helped greatly." (Houston, February 25, 2016)
"But Planned Parenthood should absolutely be defunded. I mean, if you look at what's going on with that, it's terrible." (Fox News, October 18, 2015)
"I continue to alienate members of the press on occasion, but on the whole, I like them." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"They are the most dishonest people in the world. The media. They are the worst. They are very dishonest people. They are terrible." (Indianapolis, April 20, 2016)
I guess we wouldn't be here, maybe, if it wasn't for the media, so maybe we shouldn't be complaining.
"OK, no, I don't hate anybody. I love the media. They're wonderful." (Indianapolis, April 20, 2016)
"I guess we wouldn't be here, maybe, if it wasn't for the media, so maybe we shouldn't be complaining." (Indianapolis, April 20, 2016)
"If you equivocate, it's an indication that you're unsure of yourself and what you're doing. It's also what politicians do all the time, and I find it inappropriate, insulting and condescending. I try not to do it." (Trump: How to Get Rich, 2004)
"I tend to do what I do." (Time, December 25, 2015)
"I do it to do it." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"Define yourself in a big way. We all have self-definitions; give yourself a big definition." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I have an organization but it's largely myself." (New York Times, March 19, 2016)
"You are what you think you are." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I'm Swedish." (New York Times, November 1, 1976)
"I'm proud to have that German blood. Great stuff." (Kings of Kallstadt, 2014)
"I'm not the world's happiest person." (New York magazine, March 5, 1990)
"I'm a very happy man." (Forbes, October 1, 2009)
"The worst hell you will ever face is the hell you create with your own mind." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I'm very capable of changing to anything I want to change to." (Fox News, February 11, 2016)
"I am me." (New York, April 26, 2016)
"What I say is what I say." (Cleveland, Ohio, August 6, 2015
By Michael Kruse & Noah Weiland / Politico Magazine / 5May2016
www.politico.com
Donald Trump likes to say that he "tells it like it is," and his blunt style has won him the Republican nomination, buoyed by voters who like feeling they know just where a candidate stands on the issues. So where does he stand? Over the past four decades Trump has talked about every imaginable subject: gun rights to germs, the nature of competition to pre-nuptial agreements, love and sex, self-promotion and politics. And on every one of those topics, he has taken positions that directly contradict exactly what he has previously said. In a world where candidates have lost elections over a single flip-flop, Trump has turned the self-contradiction into an art form. To create the definitive archive of Trump's long argument with himself, Politico mined an almost limitless seam of his radio and TV interviews, newspaper and magazine profiles, books written about him and books written by him, rambling campaign speeches and late-night tweets. Read them together and they reveal a person who may be amazingly good at gauging the moment, but whose principles, beyond simply winning, remain elusive-perhaps even to himself. Has anyone ever disagreed with Donald Trump more than Donald Trump?
***
"I have no intention of running for president." (Time, September 14, 1987)
"I am officially running for president." (New York, June 16, 2015)
"I don't want it for myself. I don't need it for myself." (ABC News, November 20, 2015)
"I wanted to do this for myself. ... I had to do it for myself." (Time, August 18, 2015)
"Politicians are all talk and no action." (Twitter, May 27, 2015)
"I'm not a politician." (CNN, August 11, 2015)
"I'm no different than a politician running for office." (New York Times, July 28, 2015)
"If I ever ran for office, I'd do better as a Democrat than as a Republican-and that's not because I'd be more liberal, because I'm conservative." (Playboy, March 1990)
"I'm a registered Republican. I'm a pretty conservative guy. I'm somewhat liberal on social issues, especially health care." (CNN, October 8, 1999)
"You'd be shocked if I said that in many cases I probably identify more as a Democrat." (CNN, March 21, 2004)
"Look, I'm a Republican. I'm a very conservative guy in many respects-I guess in most respects." (The Hugh Hewitt Show, February 25, 2015)
"I've actually been an activist Democrat and Republican." (CNN, October 8, 1999)
"Folks, I'm a conservative, but at this point, who cares? We got to straighten out the country." (Burlingame, California, April 29, 2016)
"I'm totally pro-choice." (Fox News, October 31, 1999)
"I'm pro-life." (CPAC, February 10, 2011)
"Look, I'm very pro-choice. 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 you still-I just believe in choice. ... I am strongly for choice, and yet I hate the concept of abortion. ... I am pro-choice in every respect ... but I just hate it." (NBC News, October 24, 1999)
"I am very, very proud to say that I'm pro-life." (Cleveland, Ohio, August 6, 2015)
"I think the institution of marriage should be between a man and a woman." (The Advocate, February 15, 2000)
"If two people dig each other, they dig each other." (Trump University "Trump Blog," December 22, 2005)
"I'm against gay marriage." (Fox News, April 14, 2011)
"It's like in golf. A lot of people-I don't want this to sound trivial-but a lot of people are switching to these really long putters, very unattractive. It's weird. You see these great players with these really long putters, because they can't sink three-footers anymore. And I hate it. I am a traditionalist. I have so many fabulous friends who happen to be gay, but I am a traditionalist." (New York Times, May 1, 2011)
"It's always good to do things nice and complicated so that nobody can figure it out." (The New Yorker, May 19, 1997)
"The simplest approach is often the most effective." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"My attention span is short." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"I have an attention span that's as long as it has to be." (Time, August 18, 2015)
"I prefer to come to work each day and just see what develops." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"You can't just sit around waiting for deals, opportunities, or a lucky break." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I look at things for the art sake and the beauty sake and for the deal sake." (New York magazine, July 11, 1988)
I'm speaking with myself, No. 1, because I have a very good brain and I've said a lot of things. ... My primary consultant is myself.
"I do listen to people. I hire experts. I hire top, top people. And I do listen." (Greenville, South Carolina, February 13, 2016)
"I'm speaking with myself, No. 1, because I have a very good brain and I've said a lot of things. ... My primary consultant is myself." (MSNBC, March 16, 2016)
"Don't think you're so smart that you can go it alone." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"You must plan and execute your plan alone." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"I couldn't be a one-man show ..." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"Think of yourself as a one-man army." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"I like (and dislike) all sorts of people-winners, losers, and those in the middle!" (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"You'll find that when you become very successful, the people that you will like best are the people that are less successful than you, because when you go to a table you can tell them all of these wonderful stories, and they'll sit back and listen. Does that make sense to you? Always be around unsuccessful people because everybody will respect you." (De Pere, Wisconsin, March 30, 2016)
"I surround myself with good people, and then I give myself the luxury of trusting them." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"My motto is 'Hire the best people, and don't trust them.'" (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"Surround yourself with people you can trust." (Trump: How to Get Rich, 2004)
"People are too trusting. I'm a very untrusting guy." (Playboy, March 1990)
"Expect the best from people." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"The world is a vicious and brutal place. We think we're civilized. In truth, it's a cruel world and people are ruthless. They act nice to your face, but underneath they're out to kill you. ... Even your friends are out to get you: they want your job, they want your house, they want your money, they want your wife, and they even want your dog. Those are your friends; your enemies are even worse!" (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"If you have smart people working for you, they'll try to screw you if they think they can do better without you." (Daily Mail, October 30, 2010)
"You know, I know the smart people. I really know the smart people. I deal with the smart people." (CNN, October 8, 1999)
"You never want people to think you're a loser or a schlepper, but it's not a good idea if they think you're the smartest guy in the room, either." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"I'm, like, a really smart person." (Phoenix, July 11, 2015)
"You're generally better off sticking with what you know." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"It's essential that you keep your mind open and alert." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"All I know is what's on the Internet." (NBC News, March 13, 2016)
"I see no value whatsoever in believing ignorance to be an attribute." (Trump: Think Like a Champion, 2009)
"I love the poorly educated." (Las Vegas, February 23, 2016)
"I've cultivated the learning habit over the years, and it's one of the most pleasurable aspects of my life." (Trump: How to Get Rich, 2004)
"Fortunately, I don't pride myself on being a know-it-all." (Trump: How to Get Rich, 2004)
"It would take an hour and a half to learn everything there is to learn about missiles. ... I think I know most of it anyway." (Washington Post, November 15, 1984)
"Small talk can be one of the best ways to educate yourself." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"I can't stand small talk." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"Stay as close to home as possible. Travel is time-consuming and, in my opinion, boring-especially compared with the fun I have doing deals in my office. I can never understand people who say that if they had a lot of money they would spend their time traveling. It's just not my thing." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"There's no excuse for staying home; the world's too fantastic to miss out on it. I wish I could travel more." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"Well, I read a lot ... and over my life, I've read so much." (The Hugh Hewitt Show, February 25, 2015)
"I don't read much. Mostly I read contracts, but usually my lawyers do most of the work. There are too many pages." (Veja, February 2014)
"I don't have a lot of time for listening to television." (New York Times, July 28, 2015)
"I actually love watching television." (The Hugh Hewitt Show, February 25, 2015)
"I'm a thinker, and I have been a thinker. ... I'm a very deep thinker." (Palm Beach, Florida, March 11, 2016)
"The day I realized it can be smart to be shallow was, for me, a deep experience." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"I like it when people talk about me. As long as it is positive." (Dubai-based Life Beyond Sport, undated)
"I really value my reputation and I don't hesitate to sue." (The Village Voice, January 15, 1979)
"I don't mind being criticized. I'll never, ever complain." (CNN, September 24, 2015)
"When someone crosses you, my advice is 'Get even!' That is not typical advice, but it is real-life advice. If you do not get even, you are just a schmuck! When people wrong you, go after those people, because it is a good feeling and because other people will see you doing it. I love getting even. I get screwed all the time. I go after people, and you know what? People do not play around with me as much as they do with others. They know that if they do, they are in for a big fight. Always get even. Go after people that go after you. Don't let people push you around. Always fight back and always get even. It's a jungle out there, filled with bullies of all kinds who will try to push you around. If you're afraid to fight back people will think of you as a loser, a 'schmuck!' They will know they can get away with insulting you, disrespecting you, and taking advantage of you. Don't let it happen! Always fight back and get even." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"If you can avoid an altercation, do so." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"If someone attacks you, do not hesitate. Go for the jugular." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I don't want to be provocative, and in many cases I try not to be provocative." (Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again, 2011)
"I do love provoking people. There is truth to that." (BuzzFeed, February 13, 2014)
"Sometimes, part of making a deal is denigrating your competition." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"If striving for wholeness means diminishing your competition, then your competition wasn't much to begin with." (Trump: Think Like a Champion, 2009)
"Be tough, be smart, be personable, but don't take things personally." (Twitter, June 22, 2015)
"It makes me feel so good to hit 'sleazebags' back." (Twitter, November 19, 2012)
"You've gotta be nice." (The New Yorker, May 19, 1997)
"I do believe in hate when it's appropriate." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"I think I am a nice person." (New York, June 16, 2015)
"I'm no angel." (Rolling Stone, September 9, 2015)
"People who know me like me." (New York, June 16, 2015)
"Being on the other side of a relationship with someone like me must be difficult." (People, May 19, 1997)
"But there is nothing better than having a great marriage, in my opinion. There is nothing more beautiful, and there is nothing more important." (CNN, March 21, 2004)
"You marry for love, but your signature on the marriage certificate is all about rights, duties, and property. It's a legally binding contract that knows nothing of love." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I've never been the kind of guy who takes his son out to Central Park to play catch, but I think I'm a good father." (Playboy, October 2004)
"I like kids. I mean, I won't do anything to take care of 'em. I'll supply funds, and she'll take care of the kids." (The Howard Stern Show, April 2005)
"I think I've been a very good husband." (CNN, February 9, 2011)
"What the hell do I know, I've been divorced twice?" (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"Believe it or not, I'm a romantic guy." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"Geraldo Rivera is a friend of mine, but he did something which I thought was absolutely terrible and he admits it was a mistake. He wrote a book naming many of the famous women that he slept with. I would never do that-I have too much respect for women in general, but if I did, the world would take serious notice. Beautiful, famous, successful, married-I've had them all, secretly, the world's biggest names, but unlike Geraldo I don't talk about it." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I don't have to brag. I don't have to. Believe it or not." (New York, June 16, 2015)
"I avoid people with especially high opinions of their own abilities or worth." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"Hey, look, I went to the hardest school to get into, the best school in the world, I guess you could say, the Wharton School of Finance. It's like super genius stuff. I came out. I built a tremendous company. I had tremendous success. The Art of the Deal. The Apprentice. Everything." (CNN, August 11, 2015)
"Do not look for approval from others. That is a sure sign of weakness." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"Look at my hands. ... My hands are normal hands. During a debate, he was losing, and he said, 'Oh, he has small hands and therefore, you know what that means.' This was not me. This was Rubio that said, 'He has small hands and you know what that means.' OK? So, he started it. So, what I said a couple of days later ... and what happened is, I was on line shaking hands with supporters, and one of the supporters got up and he said, 'Mr. Trump, you have strong hands. You have good-sized hands.' And then another one would say, 'You have great hands, Mr. Trump, I had no idea.' I said, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'I thought you were, like, deformed, and I thought you had small hands.' I had 50 people. ... I mean, people were writing, 'How are Mr. Trump's hands?' My hands are fine. You know, my hands are normal. Slightly large, actually. In fact, I buy a slightly smaller than large glove, OK?" (Washington Post, March 21, 2016)
"Don't worry about actively promoting yourself." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"Let people know what you've done. What good is it if no one knows about it? You've gotta be a promoter." (New York magazine, December 24, 1984)
"Everyone says, 'Oh, Trump is a great promoter.' I don't think I'm even a good promoter." (Fortune, April 3, 2000)
"Subtlety and modesty are appropriate for nuns and therapists." (Trump: How to Get Rich, 2004)
"So don't be afraid to toot your own horn when you've done something worth tooting about." (Trump: How to Get Rich, 2004)
"If I get my name in the paper, if people pay attention, that's what matters. To me, that means it's a success." (Gwenda Blair's Donald Trump: Master Apprentice, 2005)
"Publicity gradually dehumanizes you." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"I have learned that entertainment is a very simple business. You can be a horrible human being, you can be a truly terrible person, but if you get ratings, you are a king." (Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again, 2011)
"It's fame itself that bends people out of shape. In fact, the more celebrities I meet, the more I realize that fame is a kind of drug, one that is way too powerful for most people to handle." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"Everybody kisses your a... when you're hot. If you're not hot, they don't even call. So it's always good to stay hot." (CNBC, June 24, 2012)
"I hate people that think they're hot stuff, and they're nothing." (Warren, Michigan, March 4, 2016)
"I'm really concerned with the whole earthquake situation in L.A. I am a tremendous believer that someday Las Vegas may be the West Coast. ... People in general are having lingering doubts about the value of real estate in L.A. It's happening too much and too often, the tremors. It's a very scary thing." (Los Angeles Times, July 24, 1988)
"L.A. is going to be very hot, and it is very hot. The fact that Trump goes there makes it even hotter." (New York Times, February 5, 1990)
"Anyone who thinks he's going to win them all is going to wind up a big loser." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"I win, I win, I always win. In the end I always win, whether it's in golf, whether it's in tennis, whether it's in life, I just always win. And I tell people I always win, because I do." (Tim O'Brien's TrumpNation, 2005)
"I do whine, because I want to win, and I'm not happy about not winning, and I am a whiner, and I keep whining and whining until I win." (CNN, August 11, 2015)
"Toughness is knowing how to be a gracious winner-and rebounding quickly when you lose." (Trump: Surviving at the Top, 1990)
"I don't like to lose." (New York Times, August 7, 1983)
"I want to make America great again, and you can't do that if you come in a close second." (Washington Post, October 7, 2015)
"We finished second, and I want to tell you something: I'm just honored. I'm really honored." (West Des Moines, Iowa, February 1, 2016)
"Remember that in the best negotiations, everyone wins." (Trump: Never Give Up, 2008)
"You hear lots of people say that a great deal is when both sides win. That is a bunch of crap." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I learned from my father that work can make you happy." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I think of it almost as a controlled neurosis, which is a quality I've noticed in many highly successful entrepreneurs. They're obsessive, they're driven, they're single-minded and sometimes they're almost maniacal, but it's all channeled into their work. ... I don't say this trait leads to a happier life, or a better life, but it's great when it comes to getting what you want." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"When you shake somebody's hand, go with it. It is very important. Shaking hands with someone means you are making a deal." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"Some business executives believe in a firm handshake. I believe in no handshake. It is a terrible practice. So often, I see someone who is obviously sick, with a bad cold or the flu, who approaches me and says, 'Mr. Trump, I would like to shake your hand.' It's a medical fact that this is how germs are spread." (Trump: How to Get Rich, 2004)
"You've got to take care of your body and stay healthy." (Men's Health, March 3, 2013)
"All my friends who work out all the time, they're going for knee replacements, hip replacements-they're a disaster." (New York Times Magazine, September 29, 2015)
"Dress the part and act the part. Do not cause any doubt in anybody's mind that you don't know your stuff. When I moved to Manhattan to do my first deal, I did not have money or employees. When I went into an office, I acted as if I had an organization, The Trump Organization, behind me. I was on my own and no longer working for my father. Few people knew that The Trump Organization had no employees except myself and operated out of my studio apartment in Manhattan." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"Sometimes people will come into my office and they will be great. They will look great, they'll sound great, they dress beautifully; everything is great. Then after you hire them they turn out to be morons. Sometimes a real slob will come in looking for a job. He does not dress well. He does not look good. He does not seem to be very smart. It turns out when you hire him or her, you find out you have hired a genius." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I do something wrong-I do things wrong-and when I do, I don't mind." (CNN, September 24, 2015)
"It's amazing how often I am right." (Twitter, March 24, 2016)
"You can't con people, at least not for long. You can create excitement, you can do wonderful promotion and get all kinds of press, and you can throw in a little hyperbole. But if you don't deliver the goods, people will eventually catch on. I think of Jimmy Carter. After he lost the election to Ronald Reagan, Carter came to see me in my office. He told me he was seeking contributions to the Jimmy Carter Library. I asked how much he had in mind. And he said, 'Donald, I would be very appreciative if you contributed five million dollars.' I was dumbfounded. I didn't even answer him. But that experience also taught me something. Until then, I'd never understood how Jimmy Carter became president. The answer is that as poorly qualified as he was for the job, Jimmy Carter had the nerve, the guts, the b..., to ask for something extraordinary. That ability above all helped him get elected president." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
" Jimmy Carter ... . He is a very nice man, but he wasn't my kind of president. I was more into the Ronald Reagans of the world. Nevertheless, after President Carter's term as President was up, he asked to meet me and of course I agreed. I didn't know what he wanted in that I had never supported him and was actually very vocal on how poorly he handled our captives in Iran. ... Nevertheless, we had a wonderful conversation prior to getting to his point, which was, would I consider making a $50 million contribution to the Jimmy Carter Library? Here was a man that I had not supported, had not voted for, and yet he was in my office asking for a $50 million contribution! I said to myself, and I told the story many times, that Jimmy Carter, despite his image to the contrary, had an ability to think big. That's why he ran for President and others did not." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"Ronald Reagan ... is so smooth and so effective a performer that he completely won over the American people. Only now, nearly seven years later, are people beginning to question whether there's anything beneath that smile." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"... Ronald Reagan, to me, was a great president. And whether you are liberal or you're conservative, people really view him as a great president. He'll go down as a great president and not so much for the things he did, it's just, there was a demeanor to him and a spirit that the country had under Ronald Reagan that was really phenomenal. And, you know, there was just a style and a class ... I mean, that's a really big part of being president. Ronald Reagan had it." (CNN, October 8, 1999)
George H.W. Bush is "a great man. He's a man I support." (Washington Post, April 21, 1988)
"But I disagree with him when he talks of a kinder, gentler America. I think if this country gets any kinder or gentler, it's literally going to cease to exist." (Playboy, March 1990) George W. Bush? "I like him." (CNN, October 8, 1999)
"Don't talk to me about Bush, I was never a defender or a fan!" (Twitter, April 12, 2013)
"I like John McCain." (Twitter, May 28, 2013)
"I'm not a fan of John McCain." (Facebook, July 18, 2015)
"Ron Paul has some serious ideas which deserve serious consideration. Wrong for media to ignore him." (Twitter, August 23, 2011)
"He should be ignored." (Twitter, January 4, 2012)
"Mitt Romney "is the steady conservative who can restore America's future." (Twitter, February 22, 2012)
"He's a jealous fool and not a bright person. He's good looking. Other than that, he's got nothing." (New York Times, March 18, 2016)
"George Pataki is "the most underrated guy in American politics." (Trump: The America We Deserve, 2000)
Pataki "couldn't be elected dog catcher." (Twitter, July 1, 2015)
"Jeb Bush is a good man. I've held fundraisers for him. He's exactly the kind of political leader this country needs now and will very much need in the future. He, too, knows how to hang in there. "His first shot at Florida's governorship didn't work out, but he didn't give up. He was campaigning the day after his loss. He won the next race in a landslide. He's bright, tough, and principled." (Trump: The America We Deserve, 2000)
"He's like a lost soul, Jeb Bush ... this poor, pathetic, low-energy guy." (Las Vegas, January 21, 2016)
"Barack Obama is "a strong guy who really knows what he wants." (Fox News, February 9, 2009)
"He's been a horrible president." (Fox News, April 14, 2011)
"Here's a man that not only got elected, I think he's doing a really good job." (CNN, April 15, 2009)
"Barack Obama has been the worst president ever." (Fox News, April 14, 2011)
"Barack Obama is not who you think he is." (Twitter, October 15, 2012)
"Oh, yes, he's a champion. I mean, he won against all odds. If you would have looked-when he first announced, people were giving him initially no chance. And he's just done something that's amazing. He's totally a champion." (CNN, April 15, 2009)
"Hillary Clinton is definitely smart and resilient." (Trump: The America We Deserve, 2000)
"Incompetent Hillary doesn't know what she's talking about. She doesn't have a clue. She's made such bad decisions." (Fox News, March 22, 2016)
"I think that a lot of people will be looking at Hillary's record as secretary of state, and she will be defending that, and I'm sure she'll do a good job of defending it." (NBC News, August 10, 2013) "She was the worst secretary of state in the history of our nation. There's never been a secretary of state so bad as Hillary." (NBC News, July 8, 2015)
"I know Hillary and I think she'd make a great president ..." (Trump University "Trump Blog," March 13, 2008)
"Hillary will be a disaster as a president." (NBC News, July 9, 2015)
"She has a husband that I also like very much." (CNN, September 24, 2007)
"She's married to an abuser." (NBC News, January 10, 2016)
President Trump? "He would believe very strongly in extreme military strength. He wouldn't trust anyone. He wouldn't trust the Russians." (Playboy, March 1990)
"I have always felt that Russia and the United States should be able to work well with each other." (Reuters, December 18, 2015)
"I see NATO as a good thing." (Washington Post, March 21, 2016)
"I think NATO is obsolete." (ABC News, March 27, 2016)
In favor of invading Iraq? "Yeah, I guess so." (The Howard Stern Show, September 11, 2002)
"It looks like a tremendous success from a military standpoint." (Fox Business, March 21, 2003)
"The war's a mess." (Washington Post, March 25, 2003)
"Qadhafi in Libya is killing thousands of people, nobody knows how bad it is, and we're sitting around, we have soldiers, all over the Middle East, and we're not bringing 'em in to stop this horrible carnage. ... We should go in, we should stop this guy, which would be very easy and very quick." (Trump video blog, February 2011)
"I never discussed that subject. I was in favor of Libya? We would be so much better off if Qadhafi were in charge right now." (Houston, February 25, 2016)
"Angela Merkel is doing a fantastic job ... Youth unemployment is at a record low & she has a budget surplus." (Twitter, October 3, 2013)
"She's "ruining Germany." (Twitter, December 9, 2015)
John Kerry is "a very solid and stand-up guy." (Twitter, January 25, 2013)
"Obviously Kerry did not read The Art of the Deal." (Virginia Beach, Virginia, February 24, 2016)
"Compromise is not a dirty word." (Manchester, New Hampshire, October 12, 2015)
"I'm not big on compromise. I understand compromise. Sometimes compromise is the right answer, but oftentimes compromise is the equivalent of defeat, and I don't like being defeated." (Life, January 1989)
"I'm walking, talking proof of the American Dream. For me, the American Dream is not just a dream; it's a reality." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"The American Dream is dead." (New York, June 16, 2015)
"Maybe we Americans pump ourselves up too much." (Trump: The America We Deserve, 2000)
"We are the greatest country the world has ever known." (Time to Get Tough: Make America #1 Again, 2011)
"I'm never self-satisfied." (Playboy, March 1990)
"In truth I am dazzled as much by my own creations as are the tourists and glamour hounds that flock to Trump Tower." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"If I were satisfied, I would not be Donald Trump." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I think there are two Donald Trumps." (Palm Beach, Florida, March 11, 2016)
"I don't think there are two Donald Trumps. I think there's one Donald Trump." (Palm Beach, Florida, March 11, 2016)
"Stop the indecisive internal dialogue before it starts. That is your biggest enemy." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I think we've had enough debates." (Fox News, March 16, 2016)
"More debate is always better." (Twitter, December 7, 2011)
"I mean, my whole life is a debate, but I don't debate." (South Bend, Indiana, May 2, 2016)
"Sometimes-not often, but sometimes-less is more." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"I always say, 'More is more.'" (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"New York is a great place. It's got great people. It's got loving people, wonderful people." (North Charleston, South Carolina, January 14, 2016)
"I know this city. There are some terrible people in this city." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"Nobody owns me." (New York Post, April 18, 1999)
"I'm owned by the people!" (Rolling Stone, September 9, 2015)
"There's not a team." (MSNBC, March 8, 2016)
"Yes, there is a team. I'm going to be forming a team." (MSNBC, March 8, 2016)
"I don't like eminent domain." (Breitbart News, November 5, 2015)
"If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of 'em, would you? Seriously. OK? Just knock the hell-I promise you, I will pay the legal fees, I promise, I promise." (Cedar Rapids, Iowa, February 1, 2016)
"I do not condone violence in any shape." (NBC News, March 13, 2016)
"Oh, I believe in polls." (ABC News, November 17, 2010)
"I honestly believe those polls are wrong." (Miami, October 24, 2015)
"I believe in positive thinking, but I also believe in the power of negative thinking." (Playboy, March 1990)
"I never think of the negative." (New York Times, August 7, 1983)
"I always go into the deal anticipating the worst." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"I believe in the power of positive thinking, but I never like to talk about it." (Washington Post, October 7, 2015)
"I don't think positively, I don't think negatively." (Gwenda Blair's Donald Trump: Master Apprentice, 2005)
"I don't worry about anything." (New York Times Magazine, September 29, 2015)
"But I often think of nuclear war. I've always thought about the issue of nuclear war; it's a very important element in my thought process. It's the ultimate, the ultimate catastrophe, the biggest problem this world has, and nobody's focusing on the nuts and bolts of it. It's a little like sickness. People don't believe they're going to get sick until they do. Nobody wants to talk about it. I believe the greatest of all stupidities is people's believing it will never happen, because everybody knows how destructive it will be, so nobody uses weapons. What b...s.. On a much lower level, I would never hire anybody who thinks that way, because he has absolutely no common sense. He's living in a world of make-believe. It's like thinking the Titanic can't sink. Too many countries have nuclear weapons; nobody knows where they're all pointed, what button it takes to launch them. The bomb Harry Truman dropped on Hiroshima was a toy next to today's. We have thousands of weapons pointed at us and nobody even knows if they're going to go in the right direction. They've never really been tested. These jerks in charge don't know how to paint a wall, and we're relying on them to shoot nuclear missiles to Moscow. What happens if they don't go there? What happens if our computer systems aren't working? Nobody knows if this equipment works, and I've seen numerous reports lately stating that the probability is they don't work. It's a total mess." (Playboy, March 1990)
"I'm an environmentalist." (CNN, April 28, 2010)
"Global warming is a total, and very expensive, hoax!" (Twitter, December 6, 2013)
"I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun." (Trump: The America We Deserve, 2000)
"I am the strongest person running in favor of the Second Amendment." (Hanahan, South Carolina, February 15, 2016)
"My sons love to hunt. They are members of the NRA, very proudly. I am a big believer in the Second Amendment." (Ayrshire, Scotland, July 31, 2015)
"I'm not a hunter and don't approve of killing animals. I strongly disagree with my sons who are hunters." (Twitter, March 15, 2012)
For a woman who has an abortion, "there has to be some form of punishment." (MSNBC, March 30, 2016)
"If Congress were to pass legislation making abortion illegal and the federal courts upheld this legislation, or any state were permitted to ban abortion under state and federal law, the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman ..." (DonaldJTrump.com, March 30, 2016)
"Millions and millions of women-cervical cancer, breast cancer-are helped by Planned Parenthood. So you can say whatever you want, but they have millions of women going through Planned Parenthood that are helped greatly." (Houston, February 25, 2016)
"But Planned Parenthood should absolutely be defunded. I mean, if you look at what's going on with that, it's terrible." (Fox News, October 18, 2015)
"I continue to alienate members of the press on occasion, but on the whole, I like them." (Trump: Think Like a Billionaire, 2004)
"They are the most dishonest people in the world. The media. They are the worst. They are very dishonest people. They are terrible." (Indianapolis, April 20, 2016)
I guess we wouldn't be here, maybe, if it wasn't for the media, so maybe we shouldn't be complaining.
"OK, no, I don't hate anybody. I love the media. They're wonderful." (Indianapolis, April 20, 2016)
"I guess we wouldn't be here, maybe, if it wasn't for the media, so maybe we shouldn't be complaining." (Indianapolis, April 20, 2016)
"If you equivocate, it's an indication that you're unsure of yourself and what you're doing. It's also what politicians do all the time, and I find it inappropriate, insulting and condescending. I try not to do it." (Trump: How to Get Rich, 2004)
"I tend to do what I do." (Time, December 25, 2015)
"I do it to do it." (Trump: The Art of the Deal, 1987)
"Define yourself in a big way. We all have self-definitions; give yourself a big definition." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I have an organization but it's largely myself." (New York Times, March 19, 2016)
"You are what you think you are." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I'm Swedish." (New York Times, November 1, 1976)
"I'm proud to have that German blood. Great stuff." (Kings of Kallstadt, 2014)
"I'm not the world's happiest person." (New York magazine, March 5, 1990)
"I'm a very happy man." (Forbes, October 1, 2009)
"The worst hell you will ever face is the hell you create with your own mind." (Trump: Think Big, 2007)
"I'm very capable of changing to anything I want to change to." (Fox News, February 11, 2016)
"I am me." (New York, April 26, 2016)
"What I say is what I say." (Cleveland, Ohio, August 6, 2015
After a year in office, Trump assures us that HE is the greatest (not Muhammad Ali)
How Trump is transforming himself into the greatest president ever
By Dana Milbank in The Washington Post
Outgoing national security adviser H.R. McMaster, in a parting shot at President Trump, said this week that "we have failed to impose sufficient costs" on Russia - joining a consensus view that Trump has been inexplicably soft on Vladimir Putin's assaults on democracy and stability.
But we can all stand down.
"Nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have," Trump announced Tuesday afternoon.
Phew.
I felt similar relief when, even though he used anti-Semitic themes in his campaign and hesitated to condemn vandalism against Jewish targets, Trump informed us that "I am the least anti-Semitic person that you've ever seen in your entire life."
I likewise was not troubled by Trump's talk about "s___hole" countries in Africa, or his defense of white supremacists in Charlottesville, because, as Trump assured us, "I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed."
I don't share the stock market's jitters over the trade war Trump started, because I recall his assurance that "nobody knows more about trade than me."
The allegations about his infidelity and his boasts about assaulting women are not troubling, because "nobody respects women more than I do," and "nobody loves the Bible more than I do."
The outrage about him mocking a disabled journalist on the campaign trail? Misplaced - because "nobody's better to people with disabilities than me."
You think he's foul-mouthed and his insult-an-hour leadership is unpresidential? WRONG! "I have one of the great temperaments," he said.
And on those occasions when Trump pits Americans against each other by race and ethnicity, fear not: "There's nobody that's done so much for equality as I have."
Nobody! Take that, Frederick Douglass - though you've done an amazing job and I'm glad to see you are getting recognized more and more.
In rare moments of self-doubt, Trump admits he may not be quite as great as the Great Emancipator, but, he said, "with the exception of the late, great Abraham Lincoln, I can be more presidential than any president that's ever held this office."
It's a signature Trump move: Don't just deny the charge but declare yourself to be the polar opposite (while accusing your opponents of whatever you were accused of: You're the puppet!). He can't be a racist, or soft on Russia, or anything bad - because he's the furthest possible thing from that.
It's all terribly reassuring.
Trump's biggest-and-greatest talk defines him, of course, and ranks him at the pinnacle of all human endeavors. His "I.Q. is one of the highest." He has "the best words." He is a "stable genius." He has "one of the great memories of all time." He was "always the best athlete." His building makes "the best taco bowls." He knows more about the Islamic State than the generals, and nobody "in the history of the world" knows more about taxes than Trump.
Some might quibble, saying his claim to be "the most militaristic person ever" is unfair to Genghis Khan, or that his claim that "nobody in the history of this country has ever known so much about infrastructure as Donald Trump" forgets the people who built the Panama Canal. But to point this out would be to further the historic persecution of Trump, victim of "the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history." In fact, "no politician in history ... has been treated worse or more unfairly."
Instead, I resolve to be comforted by his superlatives, no matter how flagrantly they assault reality.
I was concerned about the flood of international criticism of Trump - until Trump said that he received "red carpet like I think probably nobody has ever received" in Asia, and that his speech in Poland "was the greatest speech ever made on foreign soil by a president."
I worried about his cowboy talk of raining fire and fury on fat Rocket Man and his puny nuclear button, but I'm comforted to know that "there's nobody that understands the horror of nuclear better than me."
The rash of ethical scandals among Cabinet members was troubling, until I remembered that Trump's Cabinet has "by far the highest IQ of any Cabinet ever."
Trump's tweets seem to show he's unaware of policy details, so I'm relieved to discover that he understands legislation better "than any president that's ever been in office."
And despite figures showing Congress has ground to a halt, I'm delighted to learn that "never has there been a president ... who's passed more legislation," except for Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In coming months, I expect Trump will usher in a new caravan of superlatives: Most faithful spouse in history. Least nepotistic person in America. Greatest gentleman in the world. Least susceptible to flattery. Most polite Twitter user. Least likely to watch cable news. And the humblest person - by far. He will be, in short, the greatest role model of all time.
By Dana Milbank in The Washington Post
Outgoing national security adviser H.R. McMaster, in a parting shot at President Trump, said this week that "we have failed to impose sufficient costs" on Russia - joining a consensus view that Trump has been inexplicably soft on Vladimir Putin's assaults on democracy and stability.
But we can all stand down.
"Nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have," Trump announced Tuesday afternoon.
Phew.
I felt similar relief when, even though he used anti-Semitic themes in his campaign and hesitated to condemn vandalism against Jewish targets, Trump informed us that "I am the least anti-Semitic person that you've ever seen in your entire life."
I likewise was not troubled by Trump's talk about "s___hole" countries in Africa, or his defense of white supremacists in Charlottesville, because, as Trump assured us, "I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed."
I don't share the stock market's jitters over the trade war Trump started, because I recall his assurance that "nobody knows more about trade than me."
The allegations about his infidelity and his boasts about assaulting women are not troubling, because "nobody respects women more than I do," and "nobody loves the Bible more than I do."
The outrage about him mocking a disabled journalist on the campaign trail? Misplaced - because "nobody's better to people with disabilities than me."
You think he's foul-mouthed and his insult-an-hour leadership is unpresidential? WRONG! "I have one of the great temperaments," he said.
And on those occasions when Trump pits Americans against each other by race and ethnicity, fear not: "There's nobody that's done so much for equality as I have."
Nobody! Take that, Frederick Douglass - though you've done an amazing job and I'm glad to see you are getting recognized more and more.
In rare moments of self-doubt, Trump admits he may not be quite as great as the Great Emancipator, but, he said, "with the exception of the late, great Abraham Lincoln, I can be more presidential than any president that's ever held this office."
It's a signature Trump move: Don't just deny the charge but declare yourself to be the polar opposite (while accusing your opponents of whatever you were accused of: You're the puppet!). He can't be a racist, or soft on Russia, or anything bad - because he's the furthest possible thing from that.
It's all terribly reassuring.
Trump's biggest-and-greatest talk defines him, of course, and ranks him at the pinnacle of all human endeavors. His "I.Q. is one of the highest." He has "the best words." He is a "stable genius." He has "one of the great memories of all time." He was "always the best athlete." His building makes "the best taco bowls." He knows more about the Islamic State than the generals, and nobody "in the history of the world" knows more about taxes than Trump.
Some might quibble, saying his claim to be "the most militaristic person ever" is unfair to Genghis Khan, or that his claim that "nobody in the history of this country has ever known so much about infrastructure as Donald Trump" forgets the people who built the Panama Canal. But to point this out would be to further the historic persecution of Trump, victim of "the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history." In fact, "no politician in history ... has been treated worse or more unfairly."
Instead, I resolve to be comforted by his superlatives, no matter how flagrantly they assault reality.
I was concerned about the flood of international criticism of Trump - until Trump said that he received "red carpet like I think probably nobody has ever received" in Asia, and that his speech in Poland "was the greatest speech ever made on foreign soil by a president."
I worried about his cowboy talk of raining fire and fury on fat Rocket Man and his puny nuclear button, but I'm comforted to know that "there's nobody that understands the horror of nuclear better than me."
The rash of ethical scandals among Cabinet members was troubling, until I remembered that Trump's Cabinet has "by far the highest IQ of any Cabinet ever."
Trump's tweets seem to show he's unaware of policy details, so I'm relieved to discover that he understands legislation better "than any president that's ever been in office."
And despite figures showing Congress has ground to a halt, I'm delighted to learn that "never has there been a president ... who's passed more legislation," except for Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In coming months, I expect Trump will usher in a new caravan of superlatives: Most faithful spouse in history. Least nepotistic person in America. Greatest gentleman in the world. Least susceptible to flattery. Most polite Twitter user. Least likely to watch cable news. And the humblest person - by far. He will be, in short, the greatest role model of all time.
Intelligence Briefing
The Washington Post has compiled a database of the more than 3,000 false or misleading claims President Trump has made since becoming president (as of May 31, 2018).
Click here for the database
Click here for the database
Three years later, evaluating the 10 laws Trump said he'd pass in his first 100 days
By Philip Bump / WaPo / Oct. 25, 2019
Washington Post article October 25, 2019
In the last few weeks of the 2016 presidential election, trailing Democrat Hillary Clinton by a daunting margin, Donald Trump's campaign lifted a play from the 1994 Republican playbook. On Oct. 22, 2016, Trump unveiled his "Contract with the American Voter," a list of 60 promises meant to persuade voters to back his candidacy. Three years ago Thursday, Trump tweeted out the 10 proposed pieces of legislation included in the "contract." For the first two years of Trump's presidency, his party enjoyed unified control of Washington. Despite that — and despite Trump's reelection campaign refrain of "promises made, promises kept" — almost none of his proposed 100-day legislative agenda has seen the light of day, even 1,000 days into his presidency.
Here's where each proposed law stands.
Middle Class Tax Relief and Simplification Act
An economic plan designed to grow the economy 4% per year and create at least 25 million new jobs through massive tax reduction and simplification, in combination with trade reform, regulatory relief and lifting the restrictions on American energy. The largest tax reductions are for the middle class. A middle-class family with two children will get a 35% tax cut. The current number of brackets will be reduced from seven to three, and tax forms will likewise be greatly simplified. The business rate will be lowered from 35% to 15%, and the trillions of dollars of American corporate money overseas can now be brought back at a 10% rate.
Status: Passed in part. Trump did sign into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017. But it only loosely resembled the description above. The largest tax rate reductions in the law, according to analysis by the Joint Committee on Taxation, went to those making $1 million a year or more. Well, really, the biggest reductions were for corporations, though not to 15 percent — and, unlike for individuals, the corporate cuts are permanent. Off-shored profits got a 15.5 percent tax rate on returning to the United States. (A lot of that repatriated money was used to buy back stock.) The number of tax brackets remained unchanged. Trump's frequent prediction that the tax cuts would spur 4 percent annual growth remains unfulfilled. Critics' predictions that the deficit would spike, however, have been borne out. This was the closest Trump got to enacting promised legislation. It came more than 300 days into Trump's presidency.
End the Offshoring Act
Establishes tariffs to discourage companies from laying off their workers in order to relocate in other countries and ship their products back to the U.S. tax-free.
Status: Not passed. Trump has acted unilaterally to impose tariffs on foreign countries but generally in an effort to affect trade negotiations. For a while, congressional Republicans flirted with a border-adjustment tax that would target some of Trump's goals, but it was eventually dropped.
American Energy and Infrastructure Act
Leverages public-private partnerships, and private investments through tax incentives, to spur $1 trillion in infrastructure investment over ten years. It is revenue neutral.
Status: Not passed. Despite numerous weeks ostensibly dedicated to infrastructure, there's been no significant new infrastructure legislation proposed by the White House or passed by Congress.
School Choice and Education Opportunity Act
Redirects education dollars to give parents the right to send their kid to the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school of their choice. Ends Common Core and brings education supervision to local communities. It expands vocational and technical education, and makes two- and four-year college more affordable.
Status:Not passed. Common Core, a boogeyman of conservative media in the years leading up to 2016, has faded from the spotlight. Trump hasn't proposed any legislation curtailing it, though he did sign an executive order to mandate that the secretary of education assess possible federal overreach in curriculum development. There has also been no legislation passed that would bolster nonpublic education. He signed an executive order on vocational education in July 2018.
Repeal and Replace Obamacare Act
Fully repeals Obamacare and replaces it with Health Savings Accounts, the ability to purchase health insurance across state lines and lets states manage Medicaid funds. Reforms will also include cutting the red tape at the FDA: there are over 4,000 drugs awaiting approval, and we especially want to speed the approval of life-saving medications.
Status: Not passed. House Republicans spent much of 2017 trying to figure out legislation that could replace Obamacare, without success. A vote that summer that would have ended the Affordable Care Act (as Obamacare is officially known) failed in the Senate when then-Arizona Sen. John McCain voted against it. The individual mandate component of Obamacare was repealed in the Tax Cut and Jobs Act. Trump did have some success in speeding drug approval times, though not through legislation.
Affordable Childcare and Eldercare Act
Allows Americans to deduct childcare and eldercare from their taxes, incentivizes employers to provide on-site childcare services and creates tax-free dependent care savings accounts for both young and elderly dependents, with matching contributions for low-income families.
Status: Not passed. The tax bill did increase the child tax credit (thanks to the advocacy of two Republican senators) but none of the other components of this proposed legislation have been enacted.
End Illegal Immigration Act
Fully-funds the construction of a wall on our southern border with the full understanding that the country of Mexico will be reimbursing the United States for the full cost of such wall; establishes a two-year mandatory minimum federal prison sentence for illegally re-entering the U.S. after a previous deportation, and a five-year mandatory minimum federal prison sentence for illegally re-entering for those with felony convictions, multiple misdemeanor convictions or two or more prior deportations; also reforms visa rules to enhance penalties for overstaying and to ensure open jobs are offered to American workers first.
Status: Not passed. Trump's efforts to get full funding for a wall on the border with Mexico resulted in a dramatic fight late last year, as the president allowed the government to shut down in lieu of signing a funding bill that didn't include the wall. Eventually, Trump declared a national emergency, allowing him (after some legal fights) to move Defense Department spending to wall construction. His administration has also enacted other reforms aimed at discouraging immigration into the United States from Mexico, including revisions to the asylum process. The criminal statutes described in his "contract" have not been enacted, though some new restrictions did pass the House in 2017.
Restoring Community Safety Act
Reduces surging crime, drugs and violence by creating a task force on violent crime and increasing funding for programs that train and assist local police; increases resources for federal law enforcement agencies and federal prosecutors to dismantle criminal gangs and put violent offenders behind bars.
Status: Not passed. A task force on violent crime was created, but by executive order. Trump's proposed budgets have included cuts to Justice Department grant programs.
Restoring National Security Act
Rebuilds our military by eliminating the defense sequester and expanding military investment; provides veterans with the ability to receive public VA treatment or attend the private doctor of their choice; protects our vital infrastructure from cyber-attack; establishes new screening procedures for immigration to ensure those who are admitted to our country support our people and our values.
Status: Passed in part. In August 2018, the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act became law, increasing military funding. (The sequester overall ended with a spending bill passed in July.) While Trump regularly touts the passage of a VA Choice bill, it was initially passed under President Barack Obama. The screening procedures for immigration are still under consideration but, as with so many other goals of Trump's, are not being enacted legislatively.
Clean Up Corruption in Washington Act
Enacts new ethics reforms to drain the swamp and reduce the corrupting influence of special interests on our politics. Status: Not passed. This has not been a big focus of Trump's presidency. So how does Trump argue that he's kept the promises he made? By reframing the promises he focuses on. Take a pair of tweets from last month in which Trump walked through his various reasons that his presidency has been a success. "All time best unemployment numbers, especially for Blacks, Hispanics, Asians & Women. More people working today than ever before. Rebuilt Military & Choice for Vets," he wrote. "Became Number 1 in World & Independent in Energy. Will soon have record number of Judges, 2 SC Justices. Done more than any President in first 2 1/2 years..." The military and choice for veterans were part of his 10 proposed bills. The others are successes that Trump seems to be highlighting mostly because he can,
And then there was this reader's comment to the article online:
Allow me to summarize:
- "Reduce deficit" - FAIL
- "Repeal Obamacare and provide great health care at low cost to everyone. It will be so easy" - FAIL
- "Make America's infrastructure great again" - FAIL
- "Build a southern border wall, and Mexico will pay for it" - FAIL
- "End opioid crisis" - FAIL
- "End gun violence - this carnage stops here" - FAIL
- "Improve relations with foreign countries" - FAIL
- "Eliminate national debt" - HILARIOUS FAIL
- "Never play golf" - FAIL
- "Never go on vacation" - FAIL
- "Turn my business completely over to my sons" - FAIL
- "Bring back coal jobs" - FAIL
- "Fix Welfare and Social Security" - FAIL
- "Denuclearize the Korean peninsula" - FAIL
- "Bring peace to the Middle East" - FAIL
- "Bring back American manufacturing" - FAIL (at 10 year low now)
- "Fix immigration" - FAIL
- "Drain the swamp" - DOUBLE FAIL
- "Hire only the best" - QUADRUPLE FAIL
- "Fight online bullying" (Melania) LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Philip Bump / WaPo / Oct. 25, 2019
Washington Post article October 25, 2019
In the last few weeks of the 2016 presidential election, trailing Democrat Hillary Clinton by a daunting margin, Donald Trump's campaign lifted a play from the 1994 Republican playbook. On Oct. 22, 2016, Trump unveiled his "Contract with the American Voter," a list of 60 promises meant to persuade voters to back his candidacy. Three years ago Thursday, Trump tweeted out the 10 proposed pieces of legislation included in the "contract." For the first two years of Trump's presidency, his party enjoyed unified control of Washington. Despite that — and despite Trump's reelection campaign refrain of "promises made, promises kept" — almost none of his proposed 100-day legislative agenda has seen the light of day, even 1,000 days into his presidency.
Here's where each proposed law stands.
Middle Class Tax Relief and Simplification Act
An economic plan designed to grow the economy 4% per year and create at least 25 million new jobs through massive tax reduction and simplification, in combination with trade reform, regulatory relief and lifting the restrictions on American energy. The largest tax reductions are for the middle class. A middle-class family with two children will get a 35% tax cut. The current number of brackets will be reduced from seven to three, and tax forms will likewise be greatly simplified. The business rate will be lowered from 35% to 15%, and the trillions of dollars of American corporate money overseas can now be brought back at a 10% rate.
Status: Passed in part. Trump did sign into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017. But it only loosely resembled the description above. The largest tax rate reductions in the law, according to analysis by the Joint Committee on Taxation, went to those making $1 million a year or more. Well, really, the biggest reductions were for corporations, though not to 15 percent — and, unlike for individuals, the corporate cuts are permanent. Off-shored profits got a 15.5 percent tax rate on returning to the United States. (A lot of that repatriated money was used to buy back stock.) The number of tax brackets remained unchanged. Trump's frequent prediction that the tax cuts would spur 4 percent annual growth remains unfulfilled. Critics' predictions that the deficit would spike, however, have been borne out. This was the closest Trump got to enacting promised legislation. It came more than 300 days into Trump's presidency.
End the Offshoring Act
Establishes tariffs to discourage companies from laying off their workers in order to relocate in other countries and ship their products back to the U.S. tax-free.
Status: Not passed. Trump has acted unilaterally to impose tariffs on foreign countries but generally in an effort to affect trade negotiations. For a while, congressional Republicans flirted with a border-adjustment tax that would target some of Trump's goals, but it was eventually dropped.
American Energy and Infrastructure Act
Leverages public-private partnerships, and private investments through tax incentives, to spur $1 trillion in infrastructure investment over ten years. It is revenue neutral.
Status: Not passed. Despite numerous weeks ostensibly dedicated to infrastructure, there's been no significant new infrastructure legislation proposed by the White House or passed by Congress.
School Choice and Education Opportunity Act
Redirects education dollars to give parents the right to send their kid to the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school of their choice. Ends Common Core and brings education supervision to local communities. It expands vocational and technical education, and makes two- and four-year college more affordable.
Status:Not passed. Common Core, a boogeyman of conservative media in the years leading up to 2016, has faded from the spotlight. Trump hasn't proposed any legislation curtailing it, though he did sign an executive order to mandate that the secretary of education assess possible federal overreach in curriculum development. There has also been no legislation passed that would bolster nonpublic education. He signed an executive order on vocational education in July 2018.
Repeal and Replace Obamacare Act
Fully repeals Obamacare and replaces it with Health Savings Accounts, the ability to purchase health insurance across state lines and lets states manage Medicaid funds. Reforms will also include cutting the red tape at the FDA: there are over 4,000 drugs awaiting approval, and we especially want to speed the approval of life-saving medications.
Status: Not passed. House Republicans spent much of 2017 trying to figure out legislation that could replace Obamacare, without success. A vote that summer that would have ended the Affordable Care Act (as Obamacare is officially known) failed in the Senate when then-Arizona Sen. John McCain voted against it. The individual mandate component of Obamacare was repealed in the Tax Cut and Jobs Act. Trump did have some success in speeding drug approval times, though not through legislation.
Affordable Childcare and Eldercare Act
Allows Americans to deduct childcare and eldercare from their taxes, incentivizes employers to provide on-site childcare services and creates tax-free dependent care savings accounts for both young and elderly dependents, with matching contributions for low-income families.
Status: Not passed. The tax bill did increase the child tax credit (thanks to the advocacy of two Republican senators) but none of the other components of this proposed legislation have been enacted.
End Illegal Immigration Act
Fully-funds the construction of a wall on our southern border with the full understanding that the country of Mexico will be reimbursing the United States for the full cost of such wall; establishes a two-year mandatory minimum federal prison sentence for illegally re-entering the U.S. after a previous deportation, and a five-year mandatory minimum federal prison sentence for illegally re-entering for those with felony convictions, multiple misdemeanor convictions or two or more prior deportations; also reforms visa rules to enhance penalties for overstaying and to ensure open jobs are offered to American workers first.
Status: Not passed. Trump's efforts to get full funding for a wall on the border with Mexico resulted in a dramatic fight late last year, as the president allowed the government to shut down in lieu of signing a funding bill that didn't include the wall. Eventually, Trump declared a national emergency, allowing him (after some legal fights) to move Defense Department spending to wall construction. His administration has also enacted other reforms aimed at discouraging immigration into the United States from Mexico, including revisions to the asylum process. The criminal statutes described in his "contract" have not been enacted, though some new restrictions did pass the House in 2017.
Restoring Community Safety Act
Reduces surging crime, drugs and violence by creating a task force on violent crime and increasing funding for programs that train and assist local police; increases resources for federal law enforcement agencies and federal prosecutors to dismantle criminal gangs and put violent offenders behind bars.
Status: Not passed. A task force on violent crime was created, but by executive order. Trump's proposed budgets have included cuts to Justice Department grant programs.
Restoring National Security Act
Rebuilds our military by eliminating the defense sequester and expanding military investment; provides veterans with the ability to receive public VA treatment or attend the private doctor of their choice; protects our vital infrastructure from cyber-attack; establishes new screening procedures for immigration to ensure those who are admitted to our country support our people and our values.
Status: Passed in part. In August 2018, the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act became law, increasing military funding. (The sequester overall ended with a spending bill passed in July.) While Trump regularly touts the passage of a VA Choice bill, it was initially passed under President Barack Obama. The screening procedures for immigration are still under consideration but, as with so many other goals of Trump's, are not being enacted legislatively.
Clean Up Corruption in Washington Act
Enacts new ethics reforms to drain the swamp and reduce the corrupting influence of special interests on our politics. Status: Not passed. This has not been a big focus of Trump's presidency. So how does Trump argue that he's kept the promises he made? By reframing the promises he focuses on. Take a pair of tweets from last month in which Trump walked through his various reasons that his presidency has been a success. "All time best unemployment numbers, especially for Blacks, Hispanics, Asians & Women. More people working today than ever before. Rebuilt Military & Choice for Vets," he wrote. "Became Number 1 in World & Independent in Energy. Will soon have record number of Judges, 2 SC Justices. Done more than any President in first 2 1/2 years..." The military and choice for veterans were part of his 10 proposed bills. The others are successes that Trump seems to be highlighting mostly because he can,
And then there was this reader's comment to the article online:
Allow me to summarize:
- "Reduce deficit" - FAIL
- "Repeal Obamacare and provide great health care at low cost to everyone. It will be so easy" - FAIL
- "Make America's infrastructure great again" - FAIL
- "Build a southern border wall, and Mexico will pay for it" - FAIL
- "End opioid crisis" - FAIL
- "End gun violence - this carnage stops here" - FAIL
- "Improve relations with foreign countries" - FAIL
- "Eliminate national debt" - HILARIOUS FAIL
- "Never play golf" - FAIL
- "Never go on vacation" - FAIL
- "Turn my business completely over to my sons" - FAIL
- "Bring back coal jobs" - FAIL
- "Fix Welfare and Social Security" - FAIL
- "Denuclearize the Korean peninsula" - FAIL
- "Bring peace to the Middle East" - FAIL
- "Bring back American manufacturing" - FAIL (at 10 year low now)
- "Fix immigration" - FAIL
- "Drain the swamp" - DOUBLE FAIL
- "Hire only the best" - QUADRUPLE FAIL
- "Fight online bullying" (Melania) LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!