We all remember the real horrors: Helsinki and Charlottesville, Puerto Rico, Khashoggi, caging children and betraying Kurds. The Russia thing. The Ukraine thing. But there is such a tide of crazy crashing over us every day that we may forget many loony moments. I made a list:
Ordered official government photos of his inauguration cropped to make the crowd look bigger. (Jan 2017) Issued a statement for Holocaust Remembrance Day that didn’t mention Jews or Judaism. (Jan 2017)
When black reporter April Ryan asked him if he would be meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus, he replied, “Do you want to set up the meeting? Are they friends of yours?” (Feb 2017) Attacked Nordstrom for dropping his daughter’s clothing line. (Feb. 2017)
Did not appear aware that Frederick Douglass died in 1895, calling him “an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is getting recognized more and more, I notice.” (Feb 2017)
Allowed paying customers of his Mar a Lago club to pose for photos with the “nuclear football.” (Feb 2017) Sent his bodyguard to the offices of his eccentric doctor without warning to remove all his medical records. (Feb 2017)
Eliminated the ethics course for incoming White House staff. (March 2017) Signed legislation allowing hunters in Alaska to shoot hibernating bears in their caves and wolves inside dens with their cubs. Legalizing hunting bears from planes. (April 2017)
Shoved the Prime Minister of Montenegro aside so he could get to the front of a NATO photo op. (May 2017) Signed the guest book at the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem: “It is a great honor to be here with all of my friends - so amazing and will never forget!” (May 2017)
Put Eric Trump’s wedding planner in charge of federal housing for the city of New York. (June 2017) Held a bizarre televised cabinet meeting where he made each cabinet secretary, in turn, praise and flatter him lavishly. They did. (June 2017)
Left his seat at a G20 summit meeting and had Ivanka sit in for him. (July 2017) Pardoned ex Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio who had been convicted of ignoring a court order to stop racially profiling Latinos. (Aug 2017)
Criticized for giving an inappropriate speech to the Boy Scouts of America, he then lied and said the head of Scouts called him to say “it was the greatest speech that was ever made to them.” He had not. (Aug 2017)
Asked why he hadn’t written to or called the families of four American servicemen killed in Niger two weeks earlier, he declared President Obama never called Gold Star families - a lie. (Oct 2017)
Promised a $25,000 personal check to the father of a fallen soldier who complained that his ex wife was getting his son’s death benefit. Did not pay until the day a Washington Post story noted the failure three months later. (Oct 2017)
At an to honor elderly Native American veterans of World War II, he mocked Elizabeth Warren as “Pocahontas.” (Nov 2017) Endorsed Alabama Republican Roy Moore for the Senate despite a flurry of credible accusations of underage sexual predation. (Dec 2017)
Took personal credit for zero aviation deaths in 2017. (Jan 2018) Said Democrats who didn’t clap during his State of the Union were guilty of treason. (Feb 2018)
Claimed North Korea had agreed to denuclearize and stop missile tests. They had not. (April 2018) Pardoned right wing commentator Dinesh D'Souza, who had pleaded guilty to making illegal campaign contributions in other people's names. (May 2018)
Said of North Korean tyrant Kim Jong Un: “We would go back and forth. And then we fell in love, ok? No really. He wrote me beautiful letters. And they’re great letters. And then we fell in love.” (Oct 2018)
In a meeting with members of Congress, called African nations as “shithole countries.” Said he wanted immigrants from Norway, not Haiti. (Jan 2018) Ignored advisors and failed to alert trading partners when he imposed sweeping tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. (March 2018)
Declined a request to lower American flags in honor of the reporters killed in the massacre at the Capital newsroom in Maryland. (July 2018) Announced he would strip former CIA chief John Brennan’s security clearance for criticizing him. (Aug 2018)
Claimed you need photo ID to buy cereal. (Aug 2018) Called Stormy Daniels, the stripper he paid to keep quiet about their fling, “Horseface” in a tweet. (Oct 2018)
Announced he intends to end birthright citizenship in the United States. (Oct 2018) Threatened to close the border with Mexico entirely. (Oct 2018)
Awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom - the highest honor given to a civilian - to the undistinguished Miriam Adelson, whose rich husband donates millions to Republicans. (Nov 2018)
Stripped CNN’s Jim Acosta of his press pass after Acosta asked antagonistic questions at a press conference. A judge ordered it returned. (Nov 2018)
Went to France to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, but skipped a ceremony at the American Cemetery to honoring America’s World War I fallen because it was drizzling. (Nov 2018)
Said Finland doesn’t have forest fires because the Finns spend “a lot of time on raking and cleaning” and “taking care of the floors” of forests. (Nov 2018)
Said “I will take him at his word” when Kim Jong Un claimed to nothing about the imprisonment and torture of American Otto Warmbier (Feb 2019) Complained he didn’t get a thank you for authorizing a state funeral for John McCain. (March 2019.)
Said the noise from windmills causes cancer. (April 2019) Arriving in London, he attacked the city’s mayor, calling him “a stone cold loser” and also short. Then he wore an extremely unfortunate tux to dinner with the Queen. (June 2019)
Told four minority Democratic congresswomen, three of them born here, that they should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came” before “telling the people of the United States” how to run things. (July 2019)
He told his staff he wanted to buy Greenland and canceled a trip to Copenhagen when Denmark said, uh, no. (Aug 2019) Declared that all US companies “are hereby ordered” to leave China. (Aug 2019)
Said Melania Trump has “gotten to know” Kim Jong Un. She has never met him. (Aug 2019) Mocked the physique of a supporter at one his rallies, mistaking him for a protester. “That guy’s got a serious weight problem. Go home. Start exercising." (Aug 2019)
On the same day, he declares “I am the Chosen One” and quotes a supporter who likens him to “the second coming of God.” (Aug 2019) Said China had made two calls to his trade team seeking to restart trade talks. China said he made that up. (Aug 2019)
Said American Jews who voted for Democrats were “very disloyal to Israel.” (Aug 2019) Told his staff they could use nuclear bombs to stop hurricanes. (Aug 2019)
When he was mildly criticized for mistakenly including Alabama in the possible path of a looming hurricane, he clumsily drew on the official NOAA map with a black marker to make it seem he had been right. (Sept 2019)
Referred to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff as “Adam Schitt.” (various) At a press conference to discuss banning e-cigarettes, he said the danger to teens particularly interested his wife. “That’s how the first lady got involved. She’s got a son.” (Sept 2019)
Acted out a sexual climax between two FBI officials at a rally. (Oct 2019) Bragged about the impenetrable border wall he’s building in Colorado is. Colorado is not on the border. (Oct 2019)
Proffered an invitation to the White House to the family of a British teenager killed by an American woman who fled claiming diplomatic immunity. Surprised them by saying the woman was waiting in the next room and suggested a conciliatory photo op. They declined. (Oct 2019)
Said the US didn’t owe the Kurds because “they didn’t help us with Normandy.” (Oct 2019) Announced the next G7 summit would be hosted at his struggling Doral property in Florida. Claimed it came first in a rigorous national search for a venue. (Oct 2019)
Said the Pentagon told him in 2017 they had run out of ammunition. (Oct 2019) His lawyers told a court that Trump’s immunity from prosecution was so strong that if he started shooting people on Fifth Avenue, the NYPD could not stop him. (Oct 2019)
Toured a Texas plant that had been manufacturing the Apple Mac Pro for nearly six years, claimed he opened it that day. (Nov 2019) Suggested the late congressman John Dingell was “looking up” from Hell and mocked his grieving widow. (Dec 2019)
Complained that it takes 10-15 flushes to clear a toilet these days. (Dec 2019) Tweeted a close up photo of a large turd with a sign saying “Bernie Sanders - free shit.” (Dec 2019)
Happy New Year! No doubt 2020 will be even crazier. Buckle up.
2020 update: well, turns out I had no idea. Setting aside the horrors of the pandemic and the employment/hunger crisis, here are some of the weirder minor events from this year you might have forgotten:
Trump tweets “I was the person who saved Pre-Existing Conditions in your Healthcare,” even though his administration is in court trying to nullify the Affordable Care Act. - Jan. 13, 2020
Dismisses reports that 34 US soldiers suffered traumatic brain injuries in an Iranian missile attack. “I heard they had headaches.” - Jan 24, 2020
Hosts a Super Bowl party at Maralago that costs taxpayers $3.4 million. Video shows him fidgeting during the singing of the National Anthem and pretending to conduct the band. - Feb. 2, 2020
On Twitter he hails the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory. “You represented the Great State of Kansas...so very well.” Kansas City is in Missouri. - Feb 2, 2020
Trump holds televised meeting with pharma heads, tells them they should use the flu vaccine to combat the new coronavirus. - March 2 2020
Denies eliminating the National Security Council’s pandemic task force in 2018. “I didn’t do it. I don’t know anything about it.” (He had bragged about it at the time, saying he was saving money by cutting useless staff.) March 13, 2020
Tweets “HAPPY GOOD FRIDAY!” - April 10, 2020
Responding to criticism from TV host Joe Scarborough, Trump accuses him in tweets of murdering an intern. May 12 2020
Responding to a widely viewed video of 75-year-old peaceful protester knocked down in Buffalo by cops who then ignore him as he bleeds from the head, Trump tweets that the old man “could be an ANTIFA provocateur” faking the whole thing. June 9 2020
Appearing at West Point, Trump was unable to hold a glass of water with one hand and shuffled tentatively down a ramp. He was mocked - and then spent weeks obsessing about it, ranting to rally crowds and even drinking a glass of water in public to show he could. - June 13, 2020
AG William Barr says US Atty Geoffrey Berman has resigned. Berman said he has not and only the President can fire him. Barr releases a letter saying Trump fired Berman. Trump then says on TV that he “wasn’t involved” in Berman’s firing. - June 20, 2020
Trump retweets a video showing one of his Florida supporters shouting “White Power!” June 28, 2020
Responding to a reporter’s question about Ghislaine Maxwell, who is in awaiting trial on charges of procuring minors for sexual assault, Trump says he “wishes her well.” - July 21, 2020
In an interview with Fox News, Trump brags about “passing” a cognitive test meant to identify dementia, touting repeatedly that he could remember the words “person, woman, man, camera, TV.” - July 22, 2020
Irked by Dr. Anthony Fauci getting press for throwing out the first pitch at a Washington Nationals game, Trump abruptly announces he’s been asked by the Yankees to do the same, surprising his staff - and also the Yankees. He later cancels. - July 23, 2020
Trump says a huge explosion in Beirut “looks like a terrible attack” and says the Pentagon calls it a bomb. The Pentagon says they have no idea what he’s talking about. Aug 4 2020
Twice mispronounces Yosemite as “Yo! Semite!” - Aug 4 2020 Calls Thailand “Thighland” - Aug 6 2020
Denies a report in The Atlantic that he skipped a 2018 visit to a WWI American war cemetery in France because he was concerned about his hair in the rain, saying he “called home” to tell Melania Trump how much he wanted to go. She was with him on that trip. - Sept 3 2020
Trump gloats on twitter that he was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, ignoring that practically anyone can be nominated. His campaign takes out ads bragging about the “Noble” nomination. - Sept 11 2020
Trump retweets an accusation that Osama bin Laden is secretly still alive and Obama and Biden had Seal Team 6 executed to hide this information. - Oct 13 2020
At a campaign rally, Trump asks for favor. “Suburban women, will you please like me?" Oct 13 2020
Trump walks out of an interview with 60 Minutes’ Leslie Stahl, claiming she was unfair. He then released the raw video of the interview, thinking it made him look good. It did not. - October 25, 2020
I forgot this gem, from July 31, on protesters: "You have people coming over with bags of soup - big bags of soup. And they lay it on the ground and the anarchists take it and they start throwing it at our cops...When they get caught, they say, 'No, this is soup for my family.'”
Updating this thread: I forgot so much! Like how the Trump inauguration cake was copied directly from Obama’s. (Jan 20 2017)
Invited the Clemson Tigers, national college football champions, to a reception in the glittering White House State Dining Room and served them McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and Domino’s. Jan 14, 2019
Amid blanket nationwide warnings not to look directly at the eclipse, he looked directly at the eclipse. - Aug 21, 2017
They gave him a telephone to speak to kids calling NORAD about tracking Santa. He told a 7-year-old girl: “Are you still a believer in Santa? Because at seven, it’s marginal, right?’” They didn’t do that again. - Dec 25, 2018
Saluted a North Korean general. Even Kim Jong Un looked surprised. - June 12, 2018
