[ { "id": "reform-party-2000-run", "title": "The 1999 Reform Party campaign that ended before a single vote was cast", "quote": "[paraphrase] Trump announced a presidential exploratory committee on Larry King Live, said he could win, and campaigned in Florida, California and Minnesota — then quit.", "date_promised": "1999-10-07", "venue": "CNN's Larry King Live", "deadline_text": null, "deadline_days": null, "category": "elections", "era": "pre-politics", "status": "broken", "what_happened": "Trump hired Roger Stone to run the exploratory committee, gave interviews as a candidate, and qualified for two Reform Party primaries. After Jesse Ventura — his loudest backer — left the party in February 2000, Trump ended the campaign on the February 14, 2000 broadcast of NBC's Today. He never expanded past the exploratory phase. It set the template for the 2011, 2012 and 2014 teases that followed.", "repeat_count": 4, "sources": [ { "title": "Donald Trump 2000 presidential campaign", "outlet": "Wikipedia", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_2000_presidential_campaign", "date": "2024-01-01" }, { "title": "The Inside Story Of That Time Trump Almost Ran For President In 2000", "outlet": "Talking Points Memo", "url": "https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/trump-reform-party-president-2000", "date": "2016-02-01" } ] }, { "id": "wealth-tax-1999", "title": "The 14.25% wealth tax Trump said would wipe out the national debt", "quote": "[paraphrase] A one-time 14.25 percent tax on the net worth of Americans worth more than $10 million would raise $5.7 trillion and pay off the entire national debt.", "date_promised": "1999-11", "venue": "Reform Party presidential campaign proposal / Trump's policy rollout", "deadline_text": null, "deadline_days": null, "category": "taxes", "era": "pre-politics", "status": "never-delivered", "what_happened": "The arithmetic did not work: Trump's estimate of $50 trillion in total American wealth and the share held by the top 1 percent were both badly wrong, by trillions of dollars. Trump abandoned the campaign in February 2000 and never proposed a wealth tax again. As president he did the opposite, signing the 2017 tax law that cut rates on high earners and estates, and the national debt rose sharply on his watch.", "repeat_count": 1, "sources": [ { "title": "Trump Had His Own Wealth Tax in 1999 — But the Math Was Wrong", "outlet": "Bloomberg Tax", "url": "https://news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-report/trump-had-his-own-wealth-tax-in-1999-but-the-math-was-wrong", "date": "2019-11-06" }, { "title": "Trump Had His Own Wealth Tax in 1999 - But the Math Was Wrong", "outlet": "WealthManagement.com", "url": "https://wealthmanagement.com/high-net-worth/trump-had-his-own-wealth-tax-1999-math-was-wrong", "date": "2019-11-06" }, { "title": "Donald Trump's Forgotten Plan to Tax Wealth", "outlet": "Independent Institute", "url": "https://www.independent.org/article/2024/07/26/donald-trumps-forgotten-tax-wealth-plan/", "date": "2024-07-26" } ] }, { "id": "universal-healthcare-2000-book", "title": "\"We must have universal health care\" — the 2000 book pledge he inverted", "quote": "We must have universal healthcare. ... I'm a conservative on most issues but a liberal on this one. ... We need, as a nation, to reexamine the single-payer plan.", "date_promised": "2000-01", "venue": "Trump's book \"The America We Deserve\"", "deadline_text": null, "deadline_days": null, "category": "healthcare", "era": "pre-politics", "status": "broken", "what_happened": "Trump praised Canada's single-payer system in print in 2000 and told CNN in 1999 he believed health care was \"an entitlement\" from birth. By 2011 he had abandoned the position, and as president he spent 2017 trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement, called single-payer a \"curse\" in September 2017, and in 2024 said he had only \"concepts of a plan.\" Universal coverage never came.", "repeat_count": 2, "sources": [ { "title": "Donald Trump In 1999: \"I Believe In Universal Health Care...It's An Entitlement\" From Birth", "outlet": "BuzzFeed News", "url": "https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/andrewkaczynski/donald-trump-in-1999-i-believe-in-universal-health-careits-a", "date": "2015-07-01" }, { "title": "The America We Deserve", "outlet": "Wikipedia", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_America_We_Deserve", "date": "2024-01-01" }, { "title": "Conservative columnist: Trump once backed single-payer health care", "outlet": "PolitiFact", "url": "http://politifact.com/factchecks/2015/jul/24/erick-erickson/conservative-columnist-trump-once-backed-single-pa/", "date": "2015-07-24" }, { "title": "Trump calls single-payer a curse but it makes health care better", "outlet": "CNBC", "url": "https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/15/trump-calls-single-payer-a-curse-but-it-makes-health-care-better.html", "date": "2017-09-15" } ] }, { "id": "birther-hawaii-investigators-2011", "title": "Birther 'investigators in Hawaii' who found something unbelievable", "quote": "I have people that actually have been studying it and they cannot believe what they're finding.", "date_promised": "2011-04-07", "venue": "NBC 'Today' show interview with Meredith Vieira", "deadline_text": "imminently / 'they cannot believe what they're finding'", "deadline_days": 14, "category": "transparency", "era": "pre-politics", "status": "never-delivered", "what_happened": "Trump said he had dispatched private investigators to Honolulu who were about to reveal shocking findings about Barack Obama's birth certificate. Obama released his long-form birth certificate on April 27, 2011, and no findings were ever produced. Hawaii's state registrar said he had no record of Trump or any representative requesting the records, and in 2021 Michael Cohen said on MSNBC that Trump had simply made the investigators up.", "repeat_count": 3, "sources": [ { "title": "Trump Sends Birther Investigators to Hawaii", "outlet": "Honolulu Civil Beat", "url": "https://www.civilbeat.org/2011/04/10184-trump-sends-birther-investigators-to-hawaii/", "date": "2011-04-11" }, { "title": "There's Still No Evidence That Trump Sent Investigators To Hawaii To Dig Up Dirt On Obama", "outlet": "HuffPost", "url": "https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-hawaii-investigators_n_57dc3bffe4b04a1497b46da1", "date": "2016-09-16" }, { "title": "Michael Cohen says Trump lied about sending investigators to Hawaii", "outlet": "The Week", "url": "https://theweek.com/speedreads/936488/michael-cohen-says-trump-lied-about-sending-investigators-hawaii-look-into-obamas-birth-certificate", "date": "2021-01-14" }, { "title": "Interview: Donald Trump Interviewed by Meredith Vieira on NBC's The Today Show", "outlet": "Roll Call Factba.se", "url": "https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-interview-nbc-the-today-show-april-7-2011/", "date": "2011-04-07" } ] }, { "id": "tax-returns-for-birth-certificate-2011", "title": "Trump offered to release his tax returns if Obama released his birth certificate", "quote": "Maybe I'm going to do the tax returns when Obama does his birth certificate. ... I may tie my tax returns into Obama's birth certificate.", "date_promised": "2011-04-21", "venue": "ABC News interview with George Stephanopoulos", "deadline_text": "when Obama does his birth certificate", "deadline_days": null, "category": "transparency", "era": "pre-politics", "status": "never-delivered", "what_happened": "Obama released his long-form birth certificate six days later, on April 27, 2011. Trump did not release his tax returns, saying instead they would come out \"at the appropriate time.\" Fifteen years later he has still never voluntarily released a full return; six years of returns became public only when the House Ways and Means Committee forced their release in December 2022.", "repeat_count": 1, "sources": [ { "title": "Trump In 2011: I'll Release My Tax Returns When Obama Releases His Birth Certificate", "outlet": "BuzzFeed News", "url": "https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/andrewkaczynski/donald-trump-tax-returns-birth", "date": "2016-05-11" }, { "title": "Trump To Show Tax Returns If Obama Shows Birth Certificate", "outlet": "Gothamist", "url": "https://gothamist.com/news/trump-to-show-tax-returns-if-obama-shows-birth-certificate", "date": "2011-04-21" }, { "title": "Trump Promised To Release His Tax Returns With Obama's Birth Certificate — So Where Are They?", "outlet": "The National Memo", "url": "https://www.nationalmemo.com/trump-promised-release-tax-returns-obamas-birth-certificate", "date": "2016-05-12" }, { "title": "Tax returns of Donald Trump", "outlet": "Wikipedia", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_returns_of_Donald_Trump", "date": "2024-01-01" } ] }, { "id": "presidential-tease-2011", "title": "The 2011 run that ended at an NBC advertiser presentation", "quote": "I will not be running for president, as much as I'd like to. ... Ultimately, business is my greatest passion and I am not ready to leave the private sector.", "date_promised": "2011-05-16", "venue": "NBC upfront presentation to advertisers, Hilton Midtown, Manhattan", "deadline_text": null, "deadline_days": null, "category": "elections", "era": "pre-politics", "status": "broken", "what_happened": "For four months in 2011 Trump topped some Republican primary polls, told interviewers he was \"serious\" and repeatedly promised a decision by June. He announced he would not run at NBC's advertiser upfront on May 16, 2011, in the same breath as announcing another season of Celebrity Apprentice. CNN's write-up the same day was headlined \"Was he ever serious? How Trump strung the country along, again.\"", "repeat_count": 3, "sources": [ { "title": "Donald Trump announces he won't run for president", "outlet": "CNN", "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/05/16/trump.president/", "date": "2011-05-16" }, { "title": "Was he ever serious? How Trump strung the country along, again", "outlet": "CNN", "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/05/16/trump.again/", "date": "2011-05-16" }, { "title": "Donald Trump Is Not Running For President, In Case You Thought He Would", "outlet": "NPR", "url": "https://www.npr.org/2011/05/16/136357313/donald-trump-is-not-running-for-president-in-case-you-thought-he-would", "date": "2011-05-16" }, { "title": "Donald Trump Announces He Won't Run For President And Will Return To 'Apprentice'", "outlet": "Deadline", "url": "https://deadline.com/2011/05/donald-trump-announces-he-wont-run-for-president-will-return-to-apprentice-132561/", "date": "2011-05-16" } ] }, { "id": "obama-records-five-million-charity-2012", "title": "The $5 million \"major announcement\" offer for Obama's records", "quote": "If Barack Obama opens up and gives his college records and applications, and if he gives his passport applications and records, I will give to a charity of his choice ... a check immediately for five million dollars.", "date_promised": "2012-10-24", "venue": "Video posted to Trump's Twitter account, billed all week as a \"major announcement\"", "deadline_text": "by October 31st, at 5 o'clock in the afternoon", "deadline_days": 7, "category": "transparency", "era": "pre-politics", "status": "never-delivered", "what_happened": "Trump had spent the week teasing an election \"bombshell\" that would be \"very big\" and \"possibly bad for the President.\" The announcement turned out to be a publicity stunt: a conditional charity offer with a one-week deadline. Obama ignored it, the October 31, 2012 deadline passed, no money was ever paid, and the stunt produced nothing. Trump has never substantiated any claim about Obama's college or passport records.", "repeat_count": 2, "sources": [ { "title": "Trump-October Surprise: Donald Trump offers $5 million for release of Obama's college records", "outlet": "Slate", "url": "https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2012/10/trump-october-surprise-donald-trump-offers-5-million-for-release-of-obama-s-college-records.html", "date": "2012-10-24" }, { "title": "Donald Trump's Big Obama Announcement: $5 Million In Exchange For Obama's College, Passport Records", "outlet": "U.S. News & World Report", "url": "https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2012/10/24/donald-trumps-big-obama-announcement-5-million-in-exchange-for-obamas-college-passport-records", "date": "2012-10-24" }, { "title": "Donald 'Bombshell' Fails to Blow Up", "outlet": "ABC News", "url": "https://abcnews.com/Politics/OTUS/donald-trump-fails-drop-bombshell-offers-cash-obama/story?id=17553670", "date": "2012-10-24" }, { "title": "Donald Trump Tells Forbes Why He's Offering $5 Million For Obama's Records", "outlet": "Forbes", "url": "https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2012/10/24/trump-tells-forbes-why-hes-offered-5-million-for-obamas-records/", "date": "2012-10-24" }, { "title": "5 Years Ago Today Trump Offered $5 Million For Obama's College Records", "outlet": "HuffPost", "url": "https://www.huffpost.com/entry/today-marks-five-years-from-when-trump-offered-5-million_b_59ef8c58e4b04809c05011ae", "date": "2017-10-24" } ] }, { "id": "new-york-governor-tease-2014", "title": "The New York governor run he said he'd decide on \"pretty soon\"", "quote": "[paraphrase] It's a possibility — I'll make a decision at some time pretty soon, if the Republican Party unifies behind me.", "date_promised": "2014-02", "venue": "Interviews and a meeting with New York Republican lawmakers", "deadline_text": "a decision at some time pretty soon", "deadline_days": null, "category": "elections", "era": "pre-politics", "status": "never-delivered", "what_happened": "Trump strung along New York Republicans recruiting him to challenge Governor Andrew Cuomo, setting a condition — party unity behind him — that he controlled the goalposts for. He never ran. Rob Astorino became the Republican nominee and lost to Cuomo in November 2014. The episode followed the same tease-then-decline pattern as 2000, 2011 and 2012.", "repeat_count": 2, "sources": [ { "title": "Donald Trump Considering Run For NY Governor", "outlet": "CBS New York", "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/newyork/news/donald-trump-considering-run-for-ny-governor", "date": "2014-02-14" }, { "title": "Trump's considering NY gubernatorial run", "outlet": "NBC News", "url": "https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/wbna54291287", "date": "2014-02-14" } ] } ]