suggested selling Puerto Rico?

After Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, resulting in nearly 3,000 deaths, former acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke said Trump considered selling the US commonwealth.

Trump famously visited Puerto Rico after the 2017 hurricane, and was photographed throwing paper towels into a crowd. He also withheld relief funding. In a separate instance, he suggested buying Greenland.

The New York Times – Leading Homeland Security Under a President Who Embraces ‘Hate-Filled’ Talk
Business Insider – Trump touted selling Puerto Rico after the territory was devastated by a hurricane in 2017, says former official
USA Today – Trump floated idea of selling Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, says ex-Homeland Security head Duke

shut down the government over funding for the border wall?

Starting on December 22, 2018, the federal government was shut down for 35 days over Trump’s promise to veto a budget that didn’t include nearly $6 billion in funding for a border wall with Mexico.

Trump claimed that most of the 800,000 federal workers affected by the shut down wanted it to continue until the wall received funding.

As his approval rating declined over the shut down, Trump eventually instead declared a state of national emergency in order to attain funding through other means, siphoning billions from the Defense Department, despite originally claiming that Mexico would pay for it. The shut down was the longest in American history.

The Wall Street Journal – U.S. Government Shuts Down Over Border Wall Funding 
Reuters – Backing down, Trump agrees to end shutdown without border wall money
Wikipedia – 2018–2019 United States federal government shutdown

siphoned billions from the Defense Department to pay for the border wall?

Despite repeatedly claiming that Mexico would pay for the border wall, Trump requested and redirected billions of dollars for funding.

Trump repeatedly ran into funding difficulties through the official budget. The federal government shut down for 35 days starting in December 2018 when Trump refused to sign any funding bill that didn’t include money for the wall.

In March 2019, The Department of Defense is shifting $1 billion from a military personnel account to build a 57-mile fence

In August 2019, a quarter billion dollars were taken from FEMA, the federal organization responsible for disaster response and funding.

In September 2019, The Pentagon announced that 127 military projects would be delayed or suspended in order to provide $3.6 billion in funding for the wall.

In April, 2020, an additional half billion was pulled from overseas military construction projects.

In June 2020, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that $2.5 billion in Defense Department funds were diverted illegally for the wall, as it was without congressional approval.

A private organization that sought to gain additional funding, We Build the Wall, raised approximately $25 million for the effort. In August 2020, longtime Trump ally and chair of the organization Steve Bannon was arrested for fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

As of January 2020, from official and redirected funds, $11 billion had been spent on the wall at a cost of approximately $20 million per mile.

NPR – Pentagon Takes $1 Billion From Military Personnel Account To Build Border Fence
US News & World Report – Trump Administration to Redirect FEMA Money to Border
Vanity Fair – Trump Is Using More Pentagon Money to Pay For His Border Wall
Politico – Pentagon pulls money from overseas projects to pay for border wall
Wikipedia – We Build The Wall
NPR – $11 Billion And Counting: Trump’s Border Wall Would Be The World’s Most Costly

repeatedly claimed that Mexico would pay for the border wall?

Trump claimed repeatedly during his campaign and into his term that Mexico would pay for a wall along the 2,000 mile border between Mexico and the United States.

Over the course of his term, Trump backtracked from his statements, claiming instead that it would be indirectly be paid for with Mexico tariffs, or through solar power generated by the wall, or other vague means.

Trump diverted billions of dollars from the Department of Defense to pay for the wall, which ultimately led to few new miles of wall and primary replaced preexisting fencing.

BBC News – Donald Trump: ‘Mexico will pay for the wall’
Politifact – Build a wall, and make Mexico pay for it 
The Washington Post – There’s new wall on 194 miles of the border. Sixteen miles didn’t have a barrier before.
Los Angeles Times – Trump campaigns on new border wall. There’s not much of it.
Politifact – “On the Southern border, as you know, the wall is going up, it’s going up very rapidly. We’re at 182 miles.” 
USA Today – A 2,000-mile search for answers

claimed that a defective section of border wall was to make him “look bad”?

Trump made the claim after a segment of wall on the US-Mexico border began showing severe “signs of erosion“ months after being completed. Fisher Industries of North Dakota, which built the segment for $42 million, referred to the design a “Lamborghini.”

The same company won an additional $300 million contract in August, 2020, in addition to $1.5 billion in contracts it previously had.

Other segments of the wall had previously collapsed from strong winds.

Politico – Trump on private border wall segment: ‘It was only done to make me look bad’
Valley News – New border wall contract for North Dakota’s Fisher Industries

promoted Goya products in the Oval Office?

On July 9, 2020, Goya CEO Robert Unanue appeared at the White House Rose Garden to praise Trump. Unanue likened Trump to his grandfather, who founded Goya, saying “We’re all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder. And that’s what my grandfather did.”

The remarks immediate sparked backlash against the company from critics of the administration. In response, Trump and his daughter Ivank posed with various Goya products, posting them on Instagram and Twitter.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCrAzKiBFUQ/?utm_source=ig_embed

The photos were met with another round of backlash, as they appeared to violate federal ethics rules about using one’s position for promotional purposes. Federal law outlining the standards of conduct for employees in the executive branch are directly prohibited from using the office for private gain:

§ 2635.702 Use of public office for private gain.

An employee shall not use his public office for his own private gain, for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise, or for the private gain of friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity, including nonprofit organizations of which the employee is an officer or member, and persons with whom the employee has or seeks employment or business relations. The specific prohibitions set forth in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this section apply this general standard, but are not intended to be exclusive or to limit the application of this section.

Various members of the Trump administration violated such provisions.

Business Insider – Trump posts photo of himself grinning alongside Goya products in the Oval Office, as critics accuse Ivanka Trump of violating ethics rules for promoting the company’s beans
Politico – Struggling with Latinos, Trump hypes Goya food fight
The Washington Post – Ivanka Trump posts photo holding Goya beans, draws criticism for using her position to promote a product
Cornell University Legal Information Institute – 5 CFR § 2635.702 – Use of public office for private gain.

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

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

tweeted “I love Hispanics!” with a photo of himself eating a taco bowl?

The tweet using Cinco de Mayo to advertise Trump Tower Grill quickly became popular on social media. Trump is also known for his love of fast food and eating steak well done with ketchup.

NPR – #MemeOfTheWeek: Donald Trump’s Taco Bowl
Politico – Trump tweets picture of him eating taco bowl, says, ‘I love Hispanics’
CNN – Pictured with taco bowl, Trump proclaims, ‘I love Hispanics!’

said he’s “the best thing that ever happened to Puerto Rico”?

He added, “We did a great job in Puerto Rico. They don’t like to give me the credit for it, but we did a great job. I have many Puerto Rican friends. I have a real understanding of Puerto Rico.”

In another instance, he said he’s taken better care of Puerto Rico than “any living human being,” despite withholding disaster relief funds, claiming the death toll was fake, and infamously throwing paper towels at victims.

On describing his handling of the crisis, Trump said, “I give ourselves a 10.”

ABC News – The Latest: Trump says he’s ‘best thing’ for Puerto Rico
The Hill – Trump says he’s taken better care of Puerto Rico than ‘any living human being’

More assuredly to come soon

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