was called “a f*cking moron” by his Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson?
After a July 20, 2017 meeting at the Pentagon, the New Yorker reported that then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson referred to Trump as “a f*cking moron.”
When asked about it, Tillerson said he wouldn’t be resigning, but also didn’t deny whether he’d said the remark.
After the report emerged, Trump publicly challenged his Secretary of State to an IQ test.
Tillerson was fired the following year.
Time – The Rise and Fall of Rex Tillerson: A Timeline
New York Magazine – Tillerson, Who Privately Called Trump ‘Moron,’ Pretty Much Confirms It in Public
Quartz – All the ways Trump’s closest confidants insult his intelligence
BBC News – Rex Tillerson – Trump’s former top diplomat
said he lost the popular vote because of fraud?
Trump claimed that he lost the popular vote because of millions of double votes and illegal immigrants committing voter fraud. Though he repeated the claims many times, no evidence has been provided. He has asserted that voter ID laws are necessary to curb fraud, saying that Americans need ID to buy groceries but not to vote.
The claims began immediately after Trump’s election victory.
Trump repeated the assertions even after inauguration. Then-Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in Trump’s defense,
I think he’s stated his concerns of voter fraud and people voting illegally during the campaign and he continues to maintain that belief based on studies and evidence people have presented to him.
Spicer also defended the President’s claim that he had the largest inaugural crowd size ever. After six months, Spicer resigned and was replaced by Anthony Scaramucci, who held the office for a record 11 days.
Though the Trump administration created an elections integrity commission to find evidence of fraud, none was ultimately found. He has continued to repeat the claim.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Congressional proposals included an expansion of voting by mail. Trump said that such measures would never allow for a Republican to be elected again.
BBC News – Trump claims millions voted illegally in presidential poll
Politico – Spicer makes misleading voter fraud claim to defend Trump’s false voter fraud claim
NBC News – Trump Again Makes Debunked Claim: ‘Illegals’ Cost Me Popular Vote
Politifact – No proof of Trump’s conspiracy theory that millions voted many times
Washington Post – Yet again, Trump falsely blames illegal voting for getting walloped in California
met with his cabinet for the first time?
During the public portion of Trump’s first cabinet meeting, Vice President Pence set the tone for the unusual 11-minute spectacle that followed, praising Trump while he sat smiling. Each of Trump’s cabinet members took turns offering praise and thanks.
The Washington Post – Praise for the chief – Trump’s cabinet tells him it’s an ‘honor’ and ‘blessing’ to serve
The New York Times – Trump Is Praised — by the Cabinet He Appointed
said “[Paul] Manafort has nothing to do with our campaign”?
The remarks came after Manafort was indicted and jailed for witness tampering. Manafort was Trump’s campaign manager for 5 months, personally picked Pence as his running mate, and was part the transition team. Manafort has since been convicted of tax and bank fraud, stemming from his work as a lobbyist for Russian interests in Ukraine.
The New York Times – Paul Manafort, Trump’s Former Campaign Chairman, Guilty of 8 Counts
The Guardian – Paul Manafort: judge sends ex-Trump chair to jail for violating bail terms
asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to reverse his recusal from the Russian investigation?
Serving as Trump’s Attorney General, Sessions recused from the investigation into Russian election interference. himself per a Department of Justice regulation that disallows officials from investigating campaigns they were a part of.
As head of the FBI, Sessions explained that Department of Justice regulations required he do so. The rule in question states that DoJ employees cannot “participate in a criminal investigation or prosecution if he has a personal or political relationship with any person or organization substantially involved…or who would be directly affected by the outcome.”
After, Trump repeatedly attacked his Attorney General, demanding he reverse his recusal. Sessions ultimately resigned the day after the 2018 midterm elections.
Trump continued to attack Sessions after, especially amid Sessions’ 2020 candidacy for Alabama’s US Senator.
Business Insider – Jeff Sessions explains why he recused himself from Trump campaign-related investigations
Business Insider – Jeff Sessions says he has no regrets over recusing himself from the Russia investigation
The New York Times – Trump Asked Sessions to Retain Control of Russia Inquiry After His Recusal
The Hill – Trump attacks Sessions: A ‘total disaster’ and ‘an embarrassment to the great state of Alabama’
had unprotected sex with adult film actress Stormy Daniels?
Trump first met Daniels at a 2006 celebrity golf tournament. They took photos together, and he invited her to dinner in his hotel room. After promising her a spot on Celebrity Apprentice, they had unprotected sex. Just months prior, Trump’s wife Melania had given birth to Barron, her only child, and his fifth.
Daniels sold the story for $15,000 to a magazine in 2011, but it never ran and she was never paid. She alleged that soon after, a man approached her in a parking lot and directly threatened her over the story.
A month ahead of the 2016 election, Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, provided a $130,000 payment for her to maintain her silence. Cohen later pleaded guilty to campaign finance crimes for his role in facilitating the non-disclosure agreement.
Trump repeatedly denied that the affair happened, and that he didn’t know of any payments to her.
When Daniels spoke out, a prolonged legal battle began over her breaking the terms of the NDA. Her lawsuits to break the terms of the NDA were eventually dismissed. Trump took the opportunity tweet further denials, using his moniker for her, “Horseface.”
Within a month of denying any knowledge of the payment, spokesman Rudy Giuliani revealed that Trump had reimbursed Cohen for the $130,000.
Daniels filed three suits against Trump and his legal team to escape the NDA. One was dismissed, another was dismissed where Daniels was ordered to pay $293k in legal fees and went into an appeal process, and the third was settled.
Michael Cohen was eventually sentenced to 3 years in prison. In his testimony, he called Trump a con-man, a liar, and a cheat, and implicated Trump in his campaign finance violations.
Business Insider – Porn star Stormy Daniels is taking a victory lap after Michael Cohen’s guilty plea. Here’s a timeline of Trump’s many marriages and rumored affairs.
CNN – Stormy Daniels says she was threatened to keep quiet about Trump
CBS News – Stormy Daniels describes her alleged affair with Donald Trump
BBC News – Why the Stormy Daniels-Donald Trump story matters
Los Angeles Times – Stormy Daniels settles suit against Michael Cohen in hush-money scandal
The New York Times – Stormy Daniels Ordered to Pay Trump $293,000 in Legal Fees
ABC News – Trump says ‘much of the Stormy Daniels stuff’ a ‘political hoax’, ally says: ‘Those were his words’
Politifact – The timeline of Donald Trump’s explanations for the Stormy Daniels payment
Wikipedia – Stormy Daniels–Donald Trump scandal
