Louisiana Voice

“One of the hardest jobs in politics must be cleaning up after after (Joe Biden) gaffes. I feel sorry for his spokespeople.”

—Donald Trump tweet, Aug. 16, 2012 (of course, that was before Trump became POTUS and promptly eclipsed all records for gaffes).

“Cassidy, Kennedy, Scalise, Johnson and the rest really did earn the plaudits they’re getting from the White House. The president couldn’t have created this demoralizing new reality without them.”

—Stephanie Grace, Baton Rouge Advocate, Feb. 8, 2020.

“I fully understand.”

—Donald Trump, putting self before party in refusing to change his mind after raising his hand in a 2016 Republican debate in which he indicated that he would not take the pledge to support the GOP nominee if it were someone other than him. (Four years later, Republicans voted to put party before country).

“You all just got a lot richer.”

—Donald Trump, on Dec. 22, 2017, to a group of his billionaire friends at Mar-a-Lago hours after signing his tax “reform” bill.

The following quote was purposely held back because it had become trite, almost a cliché. But in light of Wednesday’s Senate vote, Donald Trump’s four-year-old proclamation seems more relevant, more chillingly accurate than ever:

“I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I would wouldn’t lose any votes. It’s like incredible.”

—Donald Trump at Iowa campaign rally, Jan. 23, 2016. (…and he’s probably correct.)

“This is a blue-collar boom.”

—Donald Trump, SOTU address, Feb. 4, 2020.

“The manufacturing sector is in a technical recession, and only 9,000 manufacturing jobs have been gained since June. Job growth has slowed in many “blue-collar” sectors such as transportation, construction and mining.”

—Washington Post Fact Check, Feb. 5, 2020.

“Since my election, the net worth of the bottom half of wage earners has increased by 47 percent — three times faster than the increase for the top 1 percent.”

—Trump SOTU address, Feb. 4, 2020.

“People in the bottom half have essentially no wealth — just 1.6 percent of the nation’s wealth — as debts cancel out whatever assets they might have. The top 5 percent hold more than 70 percent of all net worth in the United States.”

Washington Post Fact Check, Feb. 5, 2020.

“In the Senate, we have confirmed a record number of 187 new federal judges.”

—Trump SOTU, Feb. 4, 2020.

“It’s not a record. Trump has a long way to go to have appointed the most federal judges. Reagan has the record, with 383, followed by Bill Clinton with 378 and then Obama with 329.”

Washington Post Fact Check, Feb. 5, 2020.

“We will always protect patients with preexisting conditions.”

—Trump SOTU, Feb. 4, 2020.

“In an ongoing court case, the Trump administration is supporting a total repeal of the Affordable Care Act — including its guarantee that patients can’t be denied coverage for preexisting conditions.(emphasis mine) Republicans in Congress tried for years to repeal the whole law. Trump has not presented a plan to cover the gaps in case the court challenge is successful. Moreover, he has promoted short-term plans (which he touted in his speech) that are not required to cover preexisting conditions.” (emphasis mine)

—Washington Post Fact Check, Feb. 5, 2020.

“Forty million American families have an average $2,200 extra thanks to our child tax credit.”

—Trump POTUS, Feb. 4, 2020.

“The child tax credit has existed since 1997, and it has been expanded since then, including in the recent tax law. In 2016, under Obama, 35 million American families took the tax credit, with an average benefit of over $1,500 a year. So there’s only been a modest increase (in part because of inflation).”

—Washington Post Fact Check, Feb. 5, 2020.