Remember when Trump…

attacked Obama repeatedly for playing too much golf?

Trump tweeted over two dozen times deriding Obama’s for playing golf. Nonetheless, by his third year, Trump had spent 1 in 5 days in office playing golf, accumulating over $100 million in travel costs, nearly as much as Obama spent for all travel costs over both terms.

Despite all the tweets attacking Obama, there was one oddly friendly one:

Trump Twitter Archive

claimed the death toll in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria was a Democrat conspiracy?

Trump claimed that the death toll in Puerto Rico following the devastating disaster was an inflated figure advanced by Democrats to make him look bad. Confused by how the count rose from the day of the hurricane, he did not seem to understanding that more victims were found in the following days, and that the death toll also included those who died as a consequence of the aftermath, like through lack of power or clean water. Even as the death toll continued to rise, Trump’s administration continually delayed aid funding, though he has also asserted that he’s the best thing that ever happened to the island.

The final death toll has been pegged at 2,975. 2,977 died across the attacks on 9/11 and 2,403 in Pearl Harbor.

The Hill – Trump says Puerto Rico death toll inflated by Democrats: ‘3000 people did not die’
The Wall Street Journal – Trump Denies Heavy Death Toll in Puerto Rico From Hurricane Maria
NPR – Trump Denies Almost 3,000 Died In Puerto Rico, Falsely Claims Democrats Inflated Data

drove a golf cart on the greens?

Trump broke golf etiquette when he drove a cart across the greens at the Bedminister golf club in New Jersey. In fairness to the President, he owned the club, though others have noted that it is a regular habit. Even when meeting with other foreign leaders, he preferred taking a golf cart alone rather than walking with the others.

Despite regularly disparaging his predecessor for it, Trump golfed more often and more frequently at courses outside DC, costing taxpayers over $100 million by his third year in office.

The Washington Post – President Trump angers golf fans by driving golf cart on green. He apparently does this a lot.
Golf.com – WATCH: President Trump drives cart all over Bedminster green

described an inadequate military briefing used to justify an attack on Iran as the “best presentation they’ve ever seen”?

Trump justified a strike on a senior Iranian official and escalated tensions by claiming that he represented an imminent threat, possibly targeting up to four US embassies. At a briefing for Congressional representatives those present reported that they weren’t given any meaningful information, despite asking multiple times about the nature of the imminent threat. Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah described it as “the worst briefing” he’d ever seen on a military issue.

When asked about this, Trump in typical fashion replied some people said that it actually the “best presentation they’ve ever seen.” He provided little further information on the nature of the imminent threat.

Axios – GOP Sen. Mike Lee calls Soleimani briefing the “worst” he’s ever seen
Roll Call – Trump to Lee: Other people called it ‘best presentation they’ve ever seen’

withheld relief aid from Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria?

Trump’s administration stalled relief funding to the island after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017. Though Trump asserted that the figure was inflated by Democrats to make him look bad, 2,975 died in the disaster, while 2,977 died across the attacks on 9/11 and 2,403 in Pearl Harbor. The Department of Housing and Urban Development missed a congressionally mandated deadline to begin the process for approving and distributing aid. While HUD acknowledged they had no standing to do so, they said that it was due to concern over “Puerto Rico’s capacity to manage these funds.” He has also invented inflated the figures for funding provided to justify denying funding.

When he finally signed a delayed disaster relief bill, he commented, “Puerto Rico should love President Trump. Without me, they would have been shut out!” Nevertheless, Puerto Rico only received a third of the money Congress had allocated.

Trump made headlines when he was photographed throwing paper towels to hurricane victims. He has also asserted that he’s the best thing that ever happened to the island.

As a US commonwealth, Puerto Ricans have full US citizenship.

The Washington Post – Trump seems to inflate the price tag for Puerto Rico’s recovery to deny funding Puerto Rico’s recovery
The Washington Post – Trump signs disaster relief bill delayed for months by his opposition to Puerto Rico aid
NBC News – Trump administration doubles down on opposition to Puerto Rico funding, drawing criticism
NBC News – HUD officials knowingly failed ‘to comply with the law,’ stalled Puerto Rico hurricane relief funds

claimed he started out with just a small loan of $1 million?

Trump claimed that he only received a “small” loan of $1 million from his father to start his own businesses. Further, Trump said that he had to repay the loan with interest. He explained, “It has not been easy for me. It has not been easy for me.”

An investigation into his family’s finances later revealed that Trump was loaned $60 million from his father, and inherited $413 million, largely through fraudulent means.

Politico – Trump: My dad gave me a ‘small loan’ of a million dollars
CNBC – Trump claimed he turned a ‘small’ $1 million loan from his father into an empire. The New York Times says it was more like $60.7 million in loans
NPR – “I Started With A Million Dollar Loan.” Taking Apart Trump’s Taxes

illegally inherited $413 million?

Contrary to his claims that he only received a “small loan” of $1 million to build his business, Trump inherited some $413 million from his father. Despite the estate tax being 55%, by using a variety of illegal means to transfer wealth, Trump’s father paid about $25 million in taxes to transfer about a billion dollars to Donald and his siblings.

The New York Times – Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father
Bloomberg – New York Times: Trump Got $413 Million From His Dad, Largely From Tax Dodges
The Economist – Donald Trump’s inheritance
PBD – NYT investigation unearths new details about Trump’s early millions
Business Insider – If Trump had done nothing but invest the ‘small loan’ his father gave him, he’d still be worth about $2 billion today
Business Insider – New York Times report says Trump engaged in ‘outright fraud’ to avoid taxes as he inherited father’s wealth — worth more than $400 million in today’s dollars

tweeted an image of himself as Rocky Balboa?

The day before Thanksgiving, the President of the United States tweeted a photoshopped image of his head superimposed on the body of fictitious boxer Rocky Balboa.

The tweet wasn’t completely random; Rocky IV, in which the titular character fights Russian Khal Drogo, was released 34 years earlier on November 27, 1985.

Variety – Trump Tweets Doctored Photo of Himself With Rocky Balboa’s Body
ABC7 News – President Trump tweets picture of himself as ‘Rocky’

retweeted an image of a dead body as part of an attack on Nancy Pelosi?

The graphic photo was of a dead Iranian protester, slung over a fence. It read,

Question: Who in America supports this mullahs’ crime? ‘Answer : Nancy Pelosi #NancyPelosiFakeNews #IranProtests2020 #IranPortests’

The photo was removed shortly after for violating Twitter rules.

As part of the anti-Pelosi Twitter storm, Trump also retweeted an image of Pelosi and Chuck Schumer in Iranian dress in front of an Iranian flag.

Independent – Trump appears to tweet image of dead body
Newsweek – TRUMP RETWEETS DOCTORED PHOTO OF NANCY PELOSI WEARING HIJAB IN FRONT OF IRANIAN FLAG TO HIS 70 MILLION FOLLOWERS
CBS News – Trump retweets fake image of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer in front of Iranian flag

promised healthcare that would provide “insurance for everybody”?

Trump’s promise included “lower numbers, much lower deductibles,” and that “We’re going to have insurance for everybody,” but he never elaborated on the plan. Less than two months later, Trump said, “nobody knew that healthcare could be so complicated.”

Ultimately, Republicans tried to push through a “skinny repeal” of Obamacare without any alternative. The repeal failed due to the final vote cast by John McCain, for which he was heavily criticized by Trump.

The New York Times – Trump Promises ‘Insurance for Everybody’ as Health Law Replacement
Reuters – Trump vows ‘insurance for everybody’ in replacing Obamacare

More assuredly to come soon

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