Remember when Trump…

didn’t know that India and China shared a border?

In the book A Very Stable Genius, the two Washington Post and Pulitzer prize winning authors recount a meeting between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Trump remarked, “It’s not like you’ve got China on your border,” which prompted “shock and concern” from the PM, which turned to “resignation.” The border between India and China, called the Border of Actual Control, is over 2,500 miles long. The two countries have multiple border disputes and have engaged in three conflicts between 1962 and 1987.

Trump also previously thought that the neighboring countries of Nepal and Bhutan were in India, pronouncing them as “nipple” and “button.”

India Today – Donald Trump didn’t know India-China share border, PM Narendra Modi was shocked: New book
New Zealand Herald – Donald Trump reportedly didn’t know India and China shared a border
Wikipedia – China-India Relations

claimed that he had opposed the Iraq War “from the beginning”?

Trump voiced criticism of the war before many other public officials of the time, however his frequently repeated claim that he opposed the war “from the beginning” is false.

Trump voiced support multiple times, even preceding the invasion, such as in his 2000 book “The America We Deserve” and a 2002 interview with Howard Stern in which he said, “Yeah, I guess so. I wish the first time it was done correctly.”

Trump first criticized the war in 2004, about a year after it began.

During that 2004 interview with Esquire, Trump remarked,

My life is seeing everything in terms of “How would I handle that?” Look at the war in Iraq and the mess that we’re in. I would never have handled it that way. Does anybody really believe that Iraq is going to be a wonderful democracy where people are going to run down to the voting box and gently put in their ballot and the winner is happily going to step up to lead the county? C’mon. Two minutes after we leave, there’s going to be a revolution, and the meanest, toughest, smartest, most vicious guy will take over. And he’ll have weapons of mass destruction, which Saddam didn’t have.

Trump also argued the point throughout the primary and Presidential debates.

His opponent, Hillary Clinton, expressed regret for her Senate vote for the Iraq War in a 2006 interview, saying, “Obviously, if we knew then what we know now, there wouldn’t have been a vote, and I certainly wouldn’t have voted for it.”

Esquire – Donald Trump: How I’d Run the Country (Better)
CNN – Fact check: Trump falsely claims, again, to have opposed the invasion of Iraq
Snopes – Was Trump Against the Iraq War from the Beginning?
Politifact – Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton and authorizing the war in Iraq 

awarded the Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh?

Trump made the announcement during the 2020 State of the Union address. Limbaugh, a far-right radio host, had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.

Limbaugh is notorious for his wide array of conspiracy theories and other debunked claims, including the assertion that nicotine had been proven to not be harmful or addictive. He has also made remarks like that Columbus saved the Indians from themselves, that Obama was paying lesbians to become farmers in rural states, and called 12 year old Chelsea Clinton “a dog,” among various other racist remarks.

Image via Mark Wilson/Getty Images

The New York Times – Rush Limbaugh Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom at State of the Union
USA Today – Medal of Freedom: What is it and why did Trump award it to Rush Limbaugh during State of the Union?
Snopes – Rush Limbaugh Said … What?
Vanity Fair – Rush Limbaugh’s 10 Dumbest Remarks

discussed his germophobia?

A former campaign official recalled, “If you’re the perpetrator of a cough or of a sneeze or any kind of thing that makes you look sick, you get that look. “You get the scowl.” When acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney started coughing during an interview, Trump said, “I don’t like that, you know. I don’t like that. If you’re going to cough, please, leave the room.”

Across multiple interviews with Howard Stern, he said he likes to wash his hands “as many times as possible,”

Trump has also said he likes fast food for it’s “cleanliness,” always uses a straw for his drink to avoid “contamination,” prefers steak well-done with ketchup, and uses utensils to eat fried chicken.

Donald Trump Is a Germaphobe

Politico – The Purell presidency: Trump aides learn the president’s real red line
Newsweek – Trump says he is scared of germs and needs to drink from a straw to avoid contamination
The Independent – Donald Trump admits ‘I have germ phobia’ in Howard Stern interview
CNN – Donald Trump really likes fast food

 

ate steaks well-done with ketchup?

Trump has long been known to eat steaks in such a way, saying of his ideal steak, “It would rock on the plate, it was so well done.”

Despite the preference of preparation and longtime predilection for fast food, Trump tried to sell branded steaks through the Sharper Image.

Eating steaks well-done is likely a component of Trump’s self-avowed germophobia. Eating steaks with ketchup is likely a component of Trump’s lack of taste.

The Washington Post – The most depressing thing about how Donald Trump prefers his steak
Business Insider – Trump likes his steaks well-done with ketchup — here’s how the other presidents ate theirs
Eater – Actually, How Donald Trump Eats His Steak Matters

said he prefers fast food for its cleanliness?

Trump explained, “One bad hamburger, you can destroy McDonald’s. I’m a very clean person. I like cleanliness, and I think you’re better off going there than maybe someplace that you have no idea where the food’s coming from. It’s a certain standard.” Trump has openly called himself a germophobe, to which many of his odd diet choices have been attributed. For instance, he uses a straw for his drink to avoid contamination, prefers steak well-done with ketchup, and uses utensils to eat fried chicken.

In the book Fire and Fury, Trump’s fondness of fast food was attributed to a longstanding fear of being “poisoned.” The concern wasn’t limited to accidental food poisoning, as Trump long preferred fast food because “nobody knew he was coming and the food was safely premade.” His former campaign manager Cory Lewandowki said in the book Let Trump be Trump, “on Trump Force One there were four major food groups: McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, pizza, and Diet Coke.”

Trump famously served fast food to college football champions visiting the White House. He also wrote his own doctor’s note, which claimed him to be “the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.”

CNN – Donald Trump really likes fast food
The Washington Post – President Trump loves fast food. But does he love it for the wrong reasons?
Business Insider – Trump reportedly loves McDonald’s because he has a ‘longtime fear’ of being poisoned
Newsweek – Trump eats McDonald’s because he’s afraid of being poisoned elsewhere
Eater – Trump’s Weird Junk Food Habits Revealed by Former Campaign Manager

didn’t know about Pearl Harbor?

According to the book A Very Stable Genius, during a private tour of the Pearl Harbor memorial, Trump asked his Chief of Staff John Kelly, “Hey, John, what’s this all about? What’s this a tour of?”

The authors explain that Trump didn’t grasp the site’s significance, as he’d “heard the phrase ‘Pearl Harbor’ and appeared to understand that he was visiting the scene of a historic battle…he did not seem to know much else.”

In a tweet the same day of his visit, Trump repeated a common misquote of Franklin Roosevelt’s description of the Pearl Harbor attack, “a date that will live in infamy.”

His wife Melania also wrongly placed the date of the Pearl Harbor attacks in a deleted tweet.

Deleted tweet / The Washington Post

A year prior, Trump attacked Obama for not bringing up Pearl Harbor during an official visit to Japan.

The Washington Post – ‘A Very Stable Genius’ portrays Trump as erratic, ‘at times dangerously uninformed
The Washington Post – Melania Trump tweets, then quickly deletes, wrong Pearl Harbor date
Business Insider – ‘What’s this a tour of?’: Trump barely understood the significance of an iconic Pearl Harbor memorial during a private tour, new book says
The Week – Trump reportedly doesn’t know what happened at Pearl Harbor
Politico – White House misremembers historical details on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

invited college football champions to the White House for fast food?

Trump served an assortment of pizza, hamburgers, and fries to the Clemson Tigers. He commented, “I think we’re going to serve McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King with some pizza. I really mean it. It would be interesting. And I would think that’s their favorite food.”

Trump also noted that the fast food was due to the ongoing government shut down over border wall funding. However, two months later, he presented a similar feast to a North Dakota team.

Susan Walsh/AP

Trump has long had an affinity for fast food, which he has explained is because of its cleanliness.

 

The New York Times – White House Welcomes College Football Champions With Fast-Food Buffet
The Hill – Trump serves McDonald’s, Burger King to visiting Clemson football team
NPR – Feast Fit For A Burger King: Trump Serves Fast Food To College Football Champs
Associated Press – Fast food at White House for North Dakota football champs

dismissed criticism because of “Trump Derangement Syndrome?”

Trump Derangement Syndrome, a descendant of Bush Derangement Syndrome, is a phrase used to deflect criticism by painting it as rabidly unreasonable. Accepting criticism isn’t one of Trump’s strong suits, because despite his claims of humility, he has also said that he doesn’t admit to mistakes.

The Daily Beast – POTUS: ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ Is Why People ‘Hate’ My Friendship With Putin
The Hill – Trump urges followers to read Dershowitz book arguing against impeachment
Wikipedia – Trump Derangement Syndrome

claimed at the UN that “my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country,” prompting laughter?

At the United Nations General Assembly, Trump drew laughter after saying “my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country.” After, he remarked, “Didn’t expect that reaction, but that’s okay.”

During Obama’s administration, Trump said “we need a president who isn’t the laughing stock of the world.”

New York Magazine – Trump’s Plan to Make the World Respect America Again Is Succeeding — on His Terms
Business Insider – World leaders laugh as Trump claims his administration has accomplished more than any other in US history
Associated Press – World leaders laugh as Trump boasts of his achievements

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