said he had broken more records than Elton John with only a mouth and “the brain attached to the mouth”?

The full statement was,

“I have broken more Elton John records. He seems to have a lot of records. And I, by the way, I don’t have a musical instrument. I don’t have a guitar or an organ. No organ. Elton has an organ. And lots of other people helping. No, we’ve broken a lot of records. We’ve broken virtually every record. Because you know, look, I only need this space.

 

They need much more room. For basketball, for hockey and all of the sports, they need a lot of room. We don’t need it. We have people in that space. So we break all of these records. Really, we do it without, like, the musical instruments. This is the only musical – the mouth. And hopefully the brain attached to the mouth, right? The brain. More important than the mouth is the brain. The brain is much more important.”

As awkward as Trump’s phrasing was, he has in fact drawn larger audiences than Elton John. Trump has been a longtime fan of the artist, despite Elton John having turned down an offer to perform at Trump’s inauguration.

The New York Times – Despite Turning Down Inauguration Gig, Elton John Has a Recurring Role in Trump’s Presidency
CNN – Trump’s Elton John crowd size boast is actually true

said if he was wrong about trusting Kim Jong-un, “I’ll find some kind of an excuse”?

On June 12, 2018, Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un held a historic summit meeting in Singapore. They signed a joint statement in which North Korea agreed to begin denuclearizing in exchange for security assurances. When asked about whether he believed North Korea could be trusted, and what he would do if they backed out of any the agreement, Trump replied,

I may be wrong, I mean I may stand before you in six months and say, ‘Hey I was wrong.’ I don’t know that I’ll ever admit that, but I’ll find some kind of an excuse.

Trump had said he didn’t need to prepare or take notes for the historic meeting.

Following the summit, Trump declared an end to joint defensive exercises in South Korea. North Korea has not yet denuclearized. Congress passed budget legislation prohibiting the reduction of US forces in South Korea below 22,000.

The Hill – Trump: If I was wrong about Kim, ‘I’ll find some kind of an excuse’
Business Insider – Trump says if he ends up being wrong about Kim Jong Un, he probably won’t admit it and will find ‘some kind of an excuse’
The Hill – Bipartisan House group introduces bills to stall Syria, South Korea troop withdrawals
WIkipedia – 2018 North Korea–United States Singapore Summit

accused Germany of being “totally controlled by Russia”?

The accusation came at a NATO summit after Trump had questioned ongoing US military presence in Germany. He based his claim on Germany’s import of Russian oil and natural gas. Most of Europe has long purchased Russian fossil fuels, particularly natural gas, given the expense of having it shipped overseas. The US was also a net importer of oil and had until recently had also been a net importer of natural gas.

Politico EU – Trump Tips Into Germany at NATO Chief Breakfast
US Energy Information Administration – Oil Imports and Exports
US Energy Information Administration – United States has been a net exporter of natural gas for more than 12 consecutive months

called NATO “as bad as NAFTA”?

Trump made the remark at a G7 meeting, which includes 5 other NATO members. He has repeatedly attacked and cast doubt on the organization’s future. NATO is a mutual defense treaty created to defend against the Soviet Union, which includes 29 members across North America and Europe. NAFTA is a free trade agreement instituted in the 90s between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The two have no connection.

The Hill – Trump told G-7 leaders that ‘NATO is as bad as NAFTA’: report
Axios – Scoop: Trump’s private NATO trashing rattles allies
The Washington Post – Trump misunderstands NATO so badly, he thinks Brazil could be part of it

said Canadians were smuggling goods over the border, like dairy and shoes?

He explained during the speech to the National Federation of Independent Businesses,

The tariffs to get common items back into Canada are so high that they have to smuggle them in. They buy shoes, then they wear them. They scuff them up. They make them sound old or look old.

Trump was referencing a New York Post opinion article in which the Canadian author describes a personal experience obtaining cheaper shoes from the United States:

A Toronto-based designer I know purchased two pairs of shoes (retail $800 each) online from a midtown department store and shipped them to my office. The Italian contraband sat under my desk for weeks until I could entrust them to a carrier who would be crossing the border. I finally convinced my nephew who had been visiting New York to stuff them into his back-pack and rendezvous with the designer in Toronto for the drop-off. My friend saved $159.59 in combined federal and provincial taxes, and $187.26 in estimated customs charges.

New York Post – Why Canadians will never give up American products 
Slate – Trump Explains That “You Have to Take the Children Away” in Unhinged Speech to Small-Business Owners
Snopes – Did President Trump Say That Canadians Smuggle Shoes Out of the United States?

said that he has the “absolute right” to pardon himself of any and all crimes?

The remarks were in reference to any potential charges stemming from the Special Council investigating Russian interference in US elections. While asserting his right to pardon himself, he denied any wrongdoing.

Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution explicitly states that the President “shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.”

Time – President Trump Says He Can Pardon Himself. Most Voters Disagree
The Washington Post – Trump says he has ‘absolute right’ to pardon himself of federal crimes but denies any wrongdoing
Interactive Constitution – Article II, Executive Branch

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