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Donald Trump – In His Own Words
Donald Trump spent his four years in office sowing bigotry, chaos, and indisputable harm on the country he inherited. Nearly every week of his presidency brought a new scandal, failure, or broken promise. At the end of his presidency, the pandemic’s death toll stood at 400,000, his destruction of the economy cost 2.9 million Americans their jobs, and his work to rig the federal judiciary cost many Americans their most basic rights – including overturning Roe v. Wade and the loss of abortion rights for millions.
Trump left office as he came into it – lying and dividing our country. He spent months lying about the election, culminating in a deadly insurrection. Since then, New York’s Attorney General and the Fulton County, GA district attorney have launched investigations into his misconduct and he was charged.
But where does he stand on some of the most important issues facing America today?
Listen to what he says…in his own words.
Abortion: Proud to overturn Roe v Wade
Just before Donald Trump was elected President in 2016, he said he would appoint the number of Supreme Court justices necessary to overturn Roe v. Wade; he delivered on that promise by nominating three conservative justices over the course of his presidency. Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, with all three of Trump’s justices voting to void the right to abortion. His record as president continues today on the campaign trail where he has repeatedly said he supports allowing states to ban abortion, even in cases of rape, incest or the life of the mother is at risk.
- “54 years they were trying to get Roe v. Wade terminated, and I did it. And I’m proud to have done it.” [Source: CNN 5/10/23]
- Donald Trump says “there has to be some form of punishment” for women who have an abortion. [Source: MSNBC 3/30/16]
- Trump supports states banning abortion: “Now it’s up to the states to do the right thing…You must follow your heart on this issue, but remember you must also win elections to restore our culture, and in fact, to save our country, which is currently, and very sadly, a nation in decline.” [Source: The American Independent 4/9/24 ]
Economy: Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans
In 2017, President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a scam bill that cut taxes for the richest Americans while delivering minimal savings or even tax increases for everyone else. Trump’s tax bill was a massive giveaway to corporations and the wealthy. It exploded the national debt while harming middle class homeowners, the poor, and the families of deceased veterans, also putting Social Security and Medicare at risk. With parts of the law affecting individual taxpayers set to expire in 2025, Trump and his allies are saying they will pass new legislation to make them permanent if Trump is elected president in 2024.
- Donald Trump to wealthy campaign donors: “I will make the Trump tax cuts permanent.”[Source: NBC News 4/7/24]
- Trump spoke to donors at a fundraiser for North Carolina Lt. Governor Mark Robinson: “You’re Rich As Hell… We’re Going To Give You Tax Cuts” [Source: Mar-A-Lago Fundraiser 12/12/2023]
- Donald Trump called his tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans “a big, beautiful Christmas present” for the American people, even though studies show the Trump tax cuts mostly reduced tax rates for corporations and wealthy individuals while increasing them for millions of working families. [Source: The Hill 11/02/17] [Source: The American Independent 3/5/24]
Democracy: Trump defends January 6th insurrection, claims he’ll be a dictator on Day One
After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump claimed the election was rigged and is currently facing criminal charges related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. His repeated false claims of rigged election led to rioting and the insurrection in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Trump encouraged the rioting and insurrection, proving that he’ll go to any length, including inciting violence, to protect himself.
Now on the campaign trail, Trump is pledging to be a dictator, echoing the language of Hitler, and considering pardoning the insurrectionists who beat up police on January 6th:
- Trump to campaign supporters: “I’m Proud And Strong Election…I’m A Very Proud Election Denier.” [Source: Trump Rally 11/11/2023]
- “I’m going to be a dictator for one day. We’re going to do two things, the border, we’re going to make it so tight. You can’t get in unless you come in legally and the other is energy. We’re going to drill baby drill.” [Source: Fox News 1/10/24]
- When asked if Trump would “consider pardoning every one of [the insurrectionists prosecuted for their violence on January 6th].” Trump said: “I would consider that, yes…Yes, absolutely.” [Source: Time 4/30/2024]
Trump called his political opponents ‘vermin,’ echoing the language of past authoritarian leaders like Hitler:
- “And today, especially in honor of our great veterans on Veterans Day, we pledge to you that we will root out the Communists, Marxist fascists, and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections and will do anything possible. They’ll do anything, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America and to destroy the American dream.” [Source: Trump Rally 11/11/2023]