Remember when Trump…

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

attacked John McCain repeatedly for voting against Obamacare repeal?

Trump railed against Senator John McCain for being the deciding vote against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Even after McCain’s death, Trump called his behavior “disgraceful,” among other remarks:

We needed 60 votes, and we had 51 votes. And sometimes, you know, we had a little hard time with a couple of them, right? Fortunately, they’re gone now. They’ve gone on to greener pastures—or perhaps far less green pastures. But they’re gone. They’re gone, Bill. I’m very happy they’re gone.

Trump and McCain had a long and mutual animosity. Trump infamously said he didn’t consider the former Vietnam pilot and Viet Cong prisoner a war hero because he was captured.

After the failure to repeal Obamacare without any Republican alternative, Trump remarked that “nobody knew that healthcare could be so complicated.” He later claimed that he “saved Pre-Existing Conditions,” even though that was a landmark provision of the legislation that he sought to repeal.

The Hill – Trump attacks John McCain over Obamacare repeal
USA Today – President Donald Trump on the late Sen. John McCain: ‘He did the nation a tremendous disservice’
The New York Times – Trump Again Attacks a Dead Senator: ‘I Never Will Be’ a Fan of John McCain

claimed that he “saved Pre-Existing Conditions”?

Since the Affordable Care Act was instituted, also known as Obamacare, insurance companies have been prohibited from refusing coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions. Trump has railed against Obamacare since his campaign, and has tried to weaken its provisions since taking office. He repeatedly attacked John McCain for being the deciding vote in preventing the repeal of the ACA. Despite this, Trump tried to claim via tweet that he was the person who saved the pre-existing conditions provision, and promised to protect it.

Trump’s confusion regarding healthcare is not a new phenomenon, as he had previously remarked how “nobody knew that healthcare could be so complicated.”

Politico – Why McCain screwed the GOP on Obamacare repeal — again
The New York Times – To the Contrary, Trump Has Tried to Weaken Protections for Pre-existing Conditions
US News & World Report – AP FACT CHECK: No, Trump Didn’t Save Preexisting Conditions
Newsweek – TRUMP CLAIMS HE ‘SAVED’ PRE-EXISTING HEALTH CARE CONDITIONS, BUT HIS ADMINISTRATION WANTS TO KILL THEM

ended joint defense exercises between the US and South Korea at North Korea’s request?

In a major concession to North Korea, Trump said that he would be ending the “provocative” defensive joint exercises with South Korea. He also said that US soldiers stationed in South Korea should be withdrawn “at some point.” It was unclear what concessions and assurances North Korea offered in return. In response, Congress passed budget legislation prohibiting the reduction of US forces in South Korea below 22,000.

The move came after a summit between Trump and Kim Jong Un in Singapore, which featured an awkward moment where Trump saluted a North Korean officer. Trump had said he didn’t need to prepare or take notes for the historic meeting.

Trump gave his assurances that if he was wrong about trusting Kim Jong Un, he’d “find some kind of excuse.”

The New York Times – Pentagon and Seoul Surprised by Trump Pledge to Halt Military Exercises
Reuters – Trump surprises with pledge to end military exercises in South Korea
ABC News – Trump’s pledge to stop ‘war games’ with South Korea throws critical exercises into question
Time – ‘Think of It From a Real Estate Perspective’: The Most Memorable Quotes From the Trump-Kim Summit Press Conference
The Hill – Bipartisan House group introduces bills to stall Syria, South Korea troop withdrawals
WIkipedia – 2018 North Korea–United States Singapore Summit

said he didn’t need preparation or notes for a summit with Kim Jong-Un?

Trump explained that he didn’t need to prepare much for an upcoming summit with North Korea in Singapore, a first between the two nations. Instead, he explained that it was all about “attitude.”

He also said that he didn’t need notes from the meeting, due to having “one of the great memories of all time,” a claim Trump has repeated elsewhere.

After the meeting, Trump declared he would end “provocative” joint defense exercises in South Korea.

Boomberg – Trump Says He Doesn’t Need to ‘Prepare Very Much’ for Kim Summit
Politico – Trump says Kim meeting will be about ‘attitude,’ not prep work
ABC News – Trump says he doesn’t need to ‘prepare very much’ for North Korea summit, ‘it’s about attitude’
The Hill – Trump on lack of notes from Kim meeting: ‘I have one of the great memories of all time’

said the US should prevent forest fires by “raking and cleaning and doing things”?

Trump left many confused when he discussed how Finland prevented widespread forest fires, and how the United States should emulate them. He recalled a conversation with the leader of Finland, saying, “They spend a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things.” He explained, “We’ve got to take care of the floors, you know the floors of the forest, very important. You look at other countries where they do it differently and it’s a whole different story.

The Finnish President said that “raking” never came up in their conversation. Trump was likely referring to methods of clearing brush, which are in fact key methods of preventing and minimizing fires, and are employed in California and elsewhere.

Trump made the remarks while visiting Paradise, California, a town that had been devastated by forest fires. He later threatened to withhold funding to California for managing fires and disaster relief.

Newsweek – TRUMP SUGGESTS NOT RAKING LEAVES IS BIGGER CAUSE OF CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES THAN CLIMATE CHANGE
Independent – Trump leaves Finland bewildered by claiming country stops wildfires by ‘raking and cleaning’

said that his tweets are sufficient notice to Congress for military strikes?

After a senior Iranian official was killed by drone strike, Congressional members balked at how the White House had failed to brief them on the attack. Trump said via tweet that no notice is required (in direct contradiction with the 1973 War Powers Act), but that his Twitter posts would serve as notice to Congress.

He has similarly failed to brief Congress for strikes, including when he told Russia and Turkey of an impending attack on an ISIS leader before anyone in Congress.

Business Insider – Trump claims his ‘Media Posts’ on Twitter now count as official notification to Congress about any plans to attack Iran
Stars and Stripes – Trump claims his tweets are sufficient notice to Congress that US might strike Iran

More assuredly to come soon

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