Trump has a history of saying horribly bias and sexist things, as well as lying as easily as he breathes. Let’s be honest, nobody was expecting him to clean it up for the first debate with Kamala Harris. So, here’s a running list of the dumbest shit Trump has said on the debate stage.
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“I get treated worse than the tea party got treated… I get treated very badly by the IRS” (2020)
During the final presidential debate of 2020, Trump lamented about how poorly he is treated by the IRS. Considering his 34 felony convictions for falsifying business documents that would come years later, this felt more like an omen than a complaint.
“[Immigrants are ] taking Black jobs now and it could be 18, it could be 19 and even 20 million people” (2024)
When debating Biden earlier this year, Trump commented on immigrants and the U.S. economy. “They’re taking Black jobs, and they’re taking Hispanic jobs, and you haven’t seen it yet, but you’re going to see something that’s going to be the worst in our history.” No one knows what a “Black job” is, but Trump really thought he was on to something.
“I did not have sex with a porn star” (2024)
Earlier this year, Biden went after Trump about his convictions in New York due to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump denied he ever slept with Daniels, making for one of the wildest moments in debate history.
“Children are brought here by coyotes and lots of bad people, cartels..They used to use them to get into our country” (2020)
When asked about migrant children being separated from their families at the US-Mexico border in the 2020 debate, Trump insisted that they were “brought here by coyotes and lots of bad people.” This was a false claim, as the children were accompanied to the border with their parents but separated between 2017 and 2018.
“Such a nasty woman” (2016)
In the final moments of the final 2016 presidential debate, Trump called Hillary Clinton a “such a nasty woman” while she was answering a question about how she would raise taxes on the rich to tackle debt if she were to become president. It was a predictable move on Trump’s part — calling names to take away from his sheer incompetence.
“On January 6th, we were respected all over the world. All over the world, we were respected” (2024)
In the 2024 debate, Trump was asked about voters who were concerned about his role in the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He replied: “On January 6th, we were respected all over the world. All over the world, we were respected. And then he comes in and we’re now laughed at.” The insurrection actually left many Americans in fear — and hundreds of participants behind bars.
“It’s not my fault that [COVID-19] came here. It’s China’s fault” (2020)
During his presidency, Trump completely mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and incited racist rhetoric by calling it the “China virus.” This is another example of that kind of thinking. The first known of COVID was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
“Joe could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done. He’s done horrible things” (2024)
After President Biden pointed out Trump’s criminal record, Trump decided to try to turn the tables by stating: “Joe could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done. He’s done horrible things.” There was only one convicted felon on the stage that night debating and his name is Donald Trump.
“I say nothing” (Regarding Obama’s birtherism claims) (2016)
After years of insisting Barack Obama was not born in the United, Trump replied “I say nothing” when asked about why he finally changed his mind and admitted Obama was in fact an American citizen. This moment took place during the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Trump in 2016. He also tried to blame Clinton for starting the heinous rumor, which isn’t true.
“He’s become like a Palestinian but they don’t like him because he’s a very bad Palestinian” (2024)
During the Biden-Trump debate earlier this year, Biden talked about the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. “The only one who wants the war to continue is Hamas,” Biden said. Trump retorted by saying Biden has “become like a Palestinian,” which was not only derogatory and shocking as well.
“No, You’re Wrong” (Regarding Stop-And Frisk) (2016)
In 2016, presidential debate moderator Lester Holt stated “Stop and frisk was ruled unconstitutional in New York.” As a response, Trump quipped “No, you’re wrong.” However, Trump was wrong. On Aug. 12, 2013, U.S. District Court Judge Shira A. Scheindlin ruled the police tactic was unconstitutional.
“I gave [Biden] a country with no, essentially no inflation. It was perfect. It was so good” (2024)
During the 2024 presidential debate, Trump tried to blame inflation solely on the Biden administration. He stated: “I gave [Biden] a country with no, essentially no inflation. It was perfect. It was so good. All he had to do is leave it alone.” This is factually incorrect as Trump’s mishandling of Covid devastated the American economy.
“This is something that everybody wanted” (Regarding Roe v. Wade being overturned) (2024)
During the 2024 presidential debate, Trump said that everybody wanted Roe v. Wade overturned when discussing women’s rights. However, this was a lie: opinion polls showed that Americans wanted Roe v. Wade to stay intact.
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