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14 Disturbing Things Trump Said In His First 100 Days
The first 100 days of a presidency are widely considered the best time for a new commander-in-chief to push for their agenda. For President Donald Trump, a lack of public support and Republican infighting and incompetence in Congress has largely thwarted this goal. But part of Trump's inability to enact the policy proposals he advocated for in his campaign seems to be his own fault — the presidential pivot that Trump promised after the election never came, and it's negated his ability to command the public's respect and support. These terrible things Trump said in his first 100 days as president are by no means the only ones, but they show exactly how "unpresidential" his behavior still is.
After the presidential election in November, pundits and spectators observed that even Trump seemed to be a little surprised by the results. He had never fit the mold of a presidential candidate, and he didn't seem to be on his way to change as president, either. His first joint address to Congress had many people believing that Trump had finally pivoted and adopted the more presidential tone that the American public has grown to expect, but he quickly lost that rapport amid the growing scandal of possible Russian involvement in his campaign. A hundred days in office hasn't done much to change him, as shown through these quotes from the last three months.
When He Said "You're Fake News"
In his first press conference after the election, Trump appeared to have been overwhelmed by the pressure and reverted back to his very non-presidential nature. He accused CNN's Jim Acosta of being "fake news" and shut him down from asking further questions.
When He Tweeted "Fake Tears Chuck Schumer"
Shortly after announcing his travel ban that was later blocked by the courts, Trump accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of crying "fake tears" when the senator announced his commitment to fighting the ban.
People were quick to point out that Schumer's great-grandmother and seven of his great-aunts and uncles died in the Holocaust, and that the travel ban probably drew some painful emotional parallels for Schumer.
When He Couldn't Get Over Arnold Schwarzenegger's 'Apprentice' Ratings
Despite the fact that he's now the president of the United States, Trump still found it necessary to needle Schwarzenegger over the failure of the new Apprentice. Maybe the show's poor ratings had to do more with the fact that Trump was still an executive producer of the show.
When He Asked, "Are They Friends Of Yours?"
One of the age-old stereotypes about racial minorities is that they all know each other, which Trump perpetuated through the office of the president. He really asked black White House Press Corps member April Ryan to essentially be his legislative liaison and set up a meeting with the Black Congressional Caucus, probably assuming that they were all friends.
When He Alleged Obama Wiretapped Him
I cannot stress enough how unfounded, and therefore irresponsible, this claim is. Nearly two months on, there's still no evidence that this is true, plus it's a historically brash insult to a presidential predecessor.
When All He Could Talk About Was Cake
Shortly after bombing Syria, the first direct U.S. military action against Bashar Al-Assad's regime, Trump wanted to talk about the chocolate cake he was eating at the time he decided to launch the attack.
When He Couldn't Remember Which Country He Bombed
In the same interview as the chocolate cake comment, Trump literally forgot what country he had bombed and said Iraq instead of Syria.
When He Tweeted About His Daughter's Clothing Line
Once again, Trump shows how divided his focus is between the job he was elected to do and his obsession with maintaining his family brand. He can't be considered presidential without devoting his full attention to the business of the presidency.
When He Blamed The Military For Ryan Owens' Death
Back in February, a Navy SEAL team carried out an ill-fated raid on a strategic target in Yemen that led to the death of Chief Petty Officer Ryan Owens. Despite having ordered and approved the raid, Trump blamed the military for Owens' death, saying that "they lost Ryan," but didn't have any problems putting Owens' widow on television for his own political gain during his joint address to Congress.
When He Wouldn't Stop Talking About The Size Of His Inauguration Crowd
Despite clear photographic evidence that the crowd at his inauguration was smaller than the crowd at the Women's March the next day, Trump claimed that more than a million people showed up, and that news outlets lied about how many people came.
"It looked honestly like a million and a half people, whatever it was, it was, but it went all the way back to the Washington Monument and I turn on, by mistake, I get this network, and it showed an empty field. Said we drew 250,000 people. Now, that's not bad. But it's a lie," Trump said during a speech at the CIA headquarters on Jan. 21.
When He Called Tax Marchers Paid Protesters
The Tax March drew hundreds of thousands of protesters across the country, but Trump couldn't be mature enough to respect his constituents' legitimate political beliefs. Trump tweeted that the marchers must have been paid, which somehow makes more sense in his head than that people actually want to hold him accountable.
When He Was Still Attacking Hillary Clinton
Trump randomly tweeted a criticism of his election opponent April 3, five months after the election, without any evidence to support his claims. It also seems that the claim isn't true. It was literally just a distraction tactic and a way to stir his base.
When He Ranted About Not Ranting
In his continued attack on the American media, Trump ranted about not ranting, which actually might have been a semi-effective strategy. "Tomorrow, they will say, 'Donald Trump rants and raves at the press,'" Trump said at a press conference. "I'm not ranting and raving. I'm just telling you. You know, you're dishonest people. But — but I'm not ranting and raving. I love this. I'm having a good time doing it."
When He Said He Won The Popular Vote*
If you hadn't noticed yet, there's a recurring theme here of Trump making things up and blaming his failures on others. In January, he claimed that he would have won the popular vote "if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally," even though there is absolutely zero evidence that systemic illegal voting occurred.
Trump's lack of presidential behavior may be his biggest barrier to achieving a lasting legacy in office. Even though he's generally quick to blame his problems on other people, Trump's really his own worst enemy.
