165 remarks, 1989–2026, in which Donald Trump insulted or demeaned women, immigrants, other countries or American cities. Each entry quotes his own words, says where and when he said them, and records what followed: the reaction, any denial or apology, and any action he took. How entries qualify.
Women
75remarks
Remarks about women's looks, bodies, intelligence and worth, and the women who challenged him.
“I'll say it with great respect: Number one, she's not my type. Number two, it never happened.”
Remarks about immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, and the communities they come from.
“In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what's happening in our country, and it's a shame.”
“When they let, I think the real number is 15, 16 million people into our country, when they do that, we got a lot of work to do. They're poisoning the blood of our country.”
“When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're...”
· Presidential campaign announcement, Trump Tower, New York · What happened →
Remarks about other nations, their people and their leaders.
“Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here? ... Why do we need more Haitians? Take them out. (as quoted by people briefed on the meeting, per The Washington Post)”
· Oval Office meeting with senators on a bipartisan immigration deal · What happened →
“Now, I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you've thrown our budget a little out of whack because we've spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico, and that's fine. We've saved a lot of lives. If you look at the -- every death is a horror. But if...”
· Hurricane relief briefing, Luis Muñiz Air National Guard Base, and Calvary Chapel, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico · What happened →
“Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged out maniacs and homeless people, and we're not going to let it happen anymore.”
“Cumming District is a disgusting rat and rodent infested mess. If he spent more time in Baltimore maybe he could help clean up this very dangerous & filthy place”
“Here are people, they came over here, they had nothing. They came from a government that doesn't exist. They come from a part of the world that only knows how to kill each other.”
· Midterm political rally, Youngstown, Ohio
Trump spoke at a rally for Ohio Republican candidates Jon Husted and Vivek Ramaswamy. He said 'members of the Somalian community have looted tens of billions of dollars from Minnesota welfare programs' and called them 'low-IQ people.' He said 'Somalia bandits, Third World gangs and jihadist sympathizers do not belong in Ohio.' Of Springfield's Haitian residents, he said 'they're being taken out' and 'we're giving the town back.' The crowd chanted 'Deport.' No independent news coverage of this rally was checked for this entry.
“I am looking to see if the Federal Government has any legal right to avert this disaster, before it is too late, for the millions of people who cherish New York and want to see it thrive, as opposed to becoming a filthy, crime ridden, decrepit place of mockery and scorn.”
· Truth Social
The post attacked New York City's proposed pied-a-terre tax and congestion pricing, which he said would 'destroy what was once a great City.' He called the city's leaders 'Radical Left Jihadists' and said 'Financial, and then Social, RUIN, is a 100% certainty.' He said New York was 'a place I once loved.'
“Canada's nasty. They are. They're nasty. People think Canada -- they're nasty people. I love the people, but they're nasty, nasty leadership.”
· Speech on the economy and tax policy, Las Vegas
The remark came while Trump was defending his tariffs. He had earlier told Fox News on June 29, 2025 that 'Canada is very nasty to deal with,' citing its dairy tariffs, and in an October 2025 meeting called Prime Minister Mark Carney a 'nice man, but he can be nasty.'
“Never smiled. She never -- she's a young, beautiful woman, never smiles. I never see a smile off her face I see her standing there with hatred in her eyes like she has hatred because we have borders, because we have a strong military, because we cut our taxes.”
· Oval Office executive order signing on trade
Collins was asking about the administration's $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization' fund; Trump also told her to 'be quiet.' CNN called Collins 'an exceptional journalist.' Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote that it was 'a sexual predator telling a female journalist to smile.' Trump had made a similar remark in February 2026 and repeated it at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on July 24, 2026 ('So smile, Kaitlan, just smile').
“Can you believe that, Somalia? They turned out to be higher IQ than we thought. I always say, these are low IQ people, how do they go into Minnesota and steal all that money?”
· World Economic Forum address, Davos, Switzerland
Trump was referring to Minnesota's federal fraud prosecutions. Most of the defendants in the largest cases are of Somali descent, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. In the same passage he spoke of '$19 billion in fraud that was stolen by Somalian bandits' and called Somalis 'pirates.' A day earlier, at a White House press briefing on January 20, 2026, he had said 'A lot of very low IQ people' and that piracy is 'about the only thing they're good at.' Residents of Mogadishu condemned the remarks as ignorant, Africanews reported. He kept up the attacks, saying at a May 27, 2026, Cabinet meeting, 'They're all crooks, the Somalians.' Africanews also reported that the administration had said earlier that month it would end Temporary Protected Status for Somalis.
“And Greenland basically, their defense is two dog sleds. Do you know that? You know what their defense is? Two dogs sleds.”
· Press gaggle aboard Air Force One
Trump first used the line on January 25, 2025 ('they put two dog sleds there two weeks ago') and repeated it on January 4 and January 14, 2026 ('They added a second dog sled. That's not going to do the trick'). Channel 4 News and other fact-checkers said the claim misrepresented Denmark's Arctic forces, which include the Sirius dog-sled patrol alongside ships and aircraft. Greenland's and Denmark's governments rejected his demands.
“Why can't we have some people from Norway, Sweden -- just a few -- let us have a few from Denmark. Do you mind sending us a few people? Send us some nice people, do you mind? But we always take people from Somalia, places that are a disaster, right? Filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime -- the only thing they're good at is going after ships.”
· Political rally, Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania
The rally was billed as the start of an economic affordability tour. Trump revived the 2018 Oval Office 'shithole countries' episode, which he had previously denied, saying 'we had a meeting and I say why is it we only take people from shithole countries, right?' He also said Ilhan Omar 'should get the hell out, throw her the hell out,' and the crowd chanted 'Send her back.' AP and Global News reported the remarks.
“The only reason Marjorie "Traitor" Brown (Green turns Brown under stress!) went BAD is that she was JILTED by the President of the United States (Certainly not the first time she has been jilted!).”
· Truth Social
Trump withdrew his endorsement of Greene on November 14, 2025, after she pushed for release of the Epstein files and criticized his policies; he called her 'Wacky' Marjorie and 'Marjorie "Traitor" Greene.' Greene, who had backed him since 2020, said the attacks were leading to threats against her. The December 8 post followed her 60 Minutes interview and also called her 'the low IQ traitor.' Greene left Congress and her seat was filled in a 2026 special election.
“I don't want them in our country, I'll be honest with you, OK? Somebody would say, oh, that's not politically correct. I don't care. I don't want them in our country. Their country is no good for a reason. Their country stinks and we don't want them in our country.”
· Cabinet meeting, White House
Trump made the remarks near the end of a long Cabinet meeting. He called Somalia 'barely a country' where people 'just run around killing each other' and said Somalis 'contribute nothing.' He added, 'we're going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country' and 'Ilhan Omar is garbage, she's garbage. Her friends are garbage.' AP noted he drew no distinction between citizens and noncitizens. The remarks came days after the administration halted asylum decisions following the November 26 National Guard shooting, whose suspect was Afghan, not Somali.
“I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover ... and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization.”
· Truth Social
Two West Virginia National Guard members were shot near the White House on November 26, 2025, and Spc. Sarah Beckstrom died. An Afghan national was charged. That night Trump called Afghanistan 'a hellhole on Earth' and the suspect 'the animal who perpetrated this atrocity.' A companion Thanksgiving post said most of the 'Foreign population' was 'on welfare, from failed nations, or from prisons, mental institutions, gangs, or drug cartels.' The post did not define 'Third World Countries,' AP reported. The State Department paused visas for Afghan passport holders and USCIS halted asylum decisions, NBC News reported.
“As an example, hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia are completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota. Somalian gangs are roving the streets looking for “prey” as our wonderful people stay locked in their apartments and houses hoping against hope that they will be left alone.”
· Truth Social
In the same Thanksgiving-night post Trump used a slur for intellectual disability about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. He wrote that Rep. Ilhan Omar was 'always wrapped in her swaddling hijab' and 'probably came into the U.S.A. illegally.' He called Somalia 'a decadent, backward, and crime ridden nation.' CBS News reported the post. Walz replied, 'Release the MRI results.'
“Are you a stupid person? Because they came into, on a plane along with thousands of other people that shouldn't be here. And you're just asking questions 'cause you're a stupid person.”
· Thanksgiving remarks, Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida
Cordes asked why Trump blamed the Biden administration for the November 26 shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, given an inspector general report on vetting of Afghan evacuees; the suspect's asylum had been approved in 2025, under Trump's administration, outlets reported. Trump called her 'stupid' three times, Newsweek reported. The exchange followed his insults to reporters Catherine Lucey, Mary Bruce and Katie Rogers.
“I can report tonight that, based on the best available information, the Department of Homeland Security is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on Earth.”
· Recorded address on the National Guard shooting in Washington
Two National Guard members were shot near the White House that day; DHS identified the suspect as an Afghan national who had entered under a Biden-era resettlement program. In the address Trump said the government must re-examine every Afghan who entered under Biden. At a December 9, 2025 rally he listed Afghanistan among 'hellholes' covered by a 'permanent pause on Third World migration.'
“To put it more bluntly, they are killing white people, and randomly allowing their farms to be taken from them. ... South Africa has demonstrated to the World they are not a country worthy of Membership anywhere, and we are going to stop all payments and subsidies to them, effective immediately.”
· Truth Social
The U.S. boycotted the November 2025 G20 summit in Johannesburg; on November 7 Trump had posted that it was 'a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa.' In this post he said South Africa had refused to hand the G20 presidency to a U.S. embassy representative and that, 'at my direction,' it would not be invited to the 2026 G20 in Miami.
“The writer of the story, Katie Rogers, who is assigned to write only bad things about me, is a third rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out.”
· Truth Social
Rogers had co-written a Times article on signs of fatigue and aging in Trump's schedule. A Times spokesperson said the reporting was accurate and that 'name-calling and personal insults' did not change that. CNN counted it as the third time in recent weeks he had insulted a female reporter in personal terms. Trump has used 'ugly, both inside and out' for others, including a male rival in an October 30, 2025 post.
“You're a terrible person and a terrible reporter.”
· Oval Office meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Bruce asked whether it was appropriate for Trump's family to do business in Saudi Arabia while he was president, asked the crown prince about U.S. intelligence findings on Jamal Khashoggi's killing, and asked about the Epstein files. Trump also said 'the license should be taken away from ABC' and invoked FCC chair Brendan Carr. It came four days after his 'piggy' remark to Bloomberg's Catherine Lucey.
Lucey had begun asking why, if there was nothing incriminating in the Jeffrey Epstein files, Trump opposed releasing them. Video circulated on November 18, ahead of a House vote on the files. CNN's Jake Tapper called it 'disgusting and completely unacceptable'; Bloomberg said its journalists ask questions 'without fear or favor.' A White House official said Lucey had behaved 'in an inappropriate and unprofessional way' toward colleagues, without offering evidence. It began a series of insults to women reporters over the following two weeks.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, "guns-a-blazing," to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities. I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action.”
· Truth Social
The day before, Trump had designated Nigeria a 'Country of Particular Concern' over religious freedom. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth replied 'Yes sir' and said the department was preparing for action. Presidential spokesman Daniel Bwala said Nigeria would welcome U.S. help that respected its territorial integrity, and Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin called on Trump to apologize for calling Nigeria 'disgraced.' Reports noted that violence in Nigeria kills both Muslims and Christians.
“And I told Pete, we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military National Guard, but military, because we're going into Chicago very soon.”
· Address to senior military leaders, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia
Speaking to about 800 senior officers summoned by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump said cities run by 'radical left Democrats' such as San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles were 'very unsafe places and we're going to straighten them out one by one,' and called it 'a war from within.' He called Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker 'stupid' in the same passage. NPR reported he said the military would be used against the 'enemy within.'
“I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists. I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary.”
· Truth Social
NPR reported that 'war ravaged' did not describe conditions on the ground. Gov. Tina Kotek said 'There is no insurrection. There is no threat to national security' and refused to authorize Oregon's Guard; Mayor Keith Wilson said the number of troops needed was zero. Three days later, at Quantico, Trump said Portland 'looks like a war zone' and 'looked like World War II.'
“I look at London, where you have a terrible mayor, terrible, terrible mayor, and it's been so changed, so changed. Now they want to go to Sharia law. But you're in a different country. You can't do that.”
· 80th United Nations General Assembly, New York
Coverage noted that Trump offered no evidence for the claim. A spokesperson for London Mayor Sadiq Khan said, 'We are not going to dignify his appalling and bigoted comments with a response,' Fox News reported. He repeated the claim on March 3, 2026 in a meeting with Germany's chancellor ('in the UK you have a terrible mayor of London ... you have Sharia courts') and to GB News on September 2, 2026.
“You're destroying your countries. They're being destroyed. Europe is in serious trouble. They've been invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody's ever seen before. ... Your countries are going to hell.”
· 80th United Nations General Assembly, New York
In the same section of the speech he said immigration and 'suicidal energy ideas will be the death of Western Europe' and cited prison figures for Germany, Austria, Greece and Switzerland. Mediaite and other outlets highlighted the 'going to hell' line.
“In 2024, Memphis had the highest violent crime rate, the highest property crime rate and the third highest murder rate of any city in the nation. Other than that, they're doing quite well. ... A person is four times more likely to be murdered in Memphis, Tennessee today than in Mexico City.”
· Memorandum signing, White House
On Sept. 12, 2025 he told Fox & Friends 'we're going to Memphis. Memphis is deeply troubled.' At Republican Gov. Bill Lee's request, he signed a memorandum creating the 'Memphis Safe Task Force' of National Guard troops and federal agents. The Memphis Shelby Crime Commission reported murders had fallen 14% from 2023 to 2024. On Sept. 13 he posted that crime was down in Memphis only because of federal work and 'ONLY I CAN SAVE THEM!!!'
“I love the smell of deportations in the morning... Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR”
· Truth Social
The AI-generated image showed Trump as the film's helicopter-cavalry officer in front of a burning Chicago skyline, with helicopter emojis. Gov. JB Pritzker wrote that Trump 'is threatening to go to war with an American city' and 'This is not normal'; Sen. Tammy Duckworth called it 'not acceptable behavior.' Days later the administration began an immigration enforcement surge in Chicago.
“Chicago is the worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far. Pritzker needs help badly, he just doesn't know it yet.”
· Truth Social
An hour later he posted 'CHICAGO IS THE MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD!' The posts came as he threatened to send the National Guard to Chicago after the D.C. deployment. On Sept. 16, 2025 he told reporters 'Chicago is a death trap.'
“But first, you've got to clean up your crime because I'm not walking -- I'm not walking in Baltimore right now. Baltimore is a hellhole.”
· Cabinet meeting, White House
On Aug. 24, 2025 he posted that Moore must mean 'out of control, crime ridden, Baltimore,' offered to 'send in the "troops,"' and said he might 'rethink' bridge rebuilding money. On Sept. 1 he called it 'the Crime Drenched City of Baltimore,' and on Feb. 11, 2026 said Moore had 'allowed Baltimore to continue to be a Crime Disaster.' Moore said Baltimore's homicide rate was the lowest since before he was born and that he would 'never activate members of our National Guard for theatrics.'
“Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged out maniacs and homeless people, and we're not going to let it happen anymore.”
· White House press conference
The day before, he posted 'The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY... FAR from the Capital.' At the press conference he invoked the Home Rule Act to take control of the Metropolitan Police Department, the first president to use that provision, and ordered about 800 National Guard troops to the city. Bloomberg noted the Justice Department had announced weeks before he took office that violent crime in D.C. hit a 30-year low in 2024, and AP reported city officials stressed crime was already falling. In the same remarks he said Baltimore and Oakland were 'so far gone.'
“"Congresswoman" Jasmine Crockett is a Low (Very!!!) I.Q. Individual, much in the mold of the AOC Plus Three Gang of Country Destroying Morons - Only slightly dumber.”
· Truth Social
Trump called Crockett 'a seriously Low IQ individual' on June 24, 2025, and repeated the label on June 25 and August 11, 2025, at an October 6, 2025 meeting with Canada's prime minister ('she's a low IQ individual'), and in 2026 posts after she lost the Texas Senate primary (March 22 and May 27, 2026). Crockett said she would 'absolutely' take an IQ test against him and wrote that he was 'terrified of smart, bold Black women.'
“I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care. We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World.”
· Truth Social
The post came a day after Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on India plus an unspecified 'penalty' over its purchases of Russian oil and weapons, AFP reported. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi agreed with the remark, while other Indian politicians rejected it. Trump had earlier called India 'the tariff king' (press conference, October 1, 2018).
“Because of the fact that Rosie O'Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship. She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
· Truth Social
O'Donnell, born in New York, had moved to Ireland after the 2024 election and criticized Trump's response to the July 2025 Texas floods. Legal scholars including Georgetown's Steve Vladeck called the threat 'patently unconstitutional,' noting a president cannot revoke a native-born citizen's citizenship. Trump repeated it on September 3, 2025 ('She is not a Great American and is, in my opinion, incapable of being so!'). The feud dates to 2006, when he called her a 'pig' and 'slob.'
“Well, thank you and such good English, such beautiful -- where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where were you educated, where? In Liberia?”
· White House lunch with leaders of five West African nations
English has been Liberia's official language since the 1800s. A Liberian diplomat told CNN the remark was 'a bit condescending,' and Liberians expressed confusion and anger, Al Jazeera reported. Liberia's foreign minister, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, said no offense was taken.
“Stupid AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the "dumbest" people in Congress, is now calling for my Impeachment... AOC should be forced to take the Cognitive Test that I just completed at Walter Reed Medical Center, as part of my Physical.”
· Truth Social
Ocasio-Cortez had called for Trump's impeachment after he ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear sites without congressional authorization. The same post called Rep. Jasmine Crockett 'a seriously Low IQ individual' and attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar's country of origin. He said she should 'go back home to Queens' and fix 'her filthy, disgusting, crime ridden streets.'
“A once great American City, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by Illegal Aliens and Criminals. Now violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents to try and stop our deportation operations”
· Truth Social
In the same post he directed Homeland Security, the Pentagon and the Justice Department to 'liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion.' He had ordered 2,000 California National Guard troops federalized over Gov. Gavin Newsom's objection, and about 700 Marines were mobilized days later. Hours after the post he called protesters 'troublemakers and insurrectionists.' Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta sued over the deployment.
“Generally, they're White farmers and they're fleeing South Africa and it's a very sad thing to see ... there's a lot of hatred. There's a lot of death. It's a bloodbath.”
· Oval Office meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa
Trump had aides dim the lights and play a video that included opposition politician Julius Malema, whose party won less than 10 percent of the vote in 2024, AP reported. Ramaphosa said the video did not reflect government policy and said that if there were an Afrikaner farmer genocide, the white South African officials with him 'would not be here.' AP noted that the administration had cited such claims to justify letting white South Africans apply for U.S. refugee status.
“$8 million to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of.”
· Address to a joint session of Congress
Trump made the remark while listing foreign aid his administration had cut. Lesotho's foreign minister, Lejone Mpotjoane, called it insulting, told the AP that Trump should 'speak for himself,' and invited him to visit. AP noted that Elon Musk's Starlink had applied for a license to operate in Lesotho.
“It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada. I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all! DJT”
· Truth Social
The post followed a Mar-a-Lago dinner with Trudeau amid Trump's threat of 25 percent tariffs. Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said 'It sounds like we're living in an episode of South Park,' The Globe and Mail reported. On January 6, 2025, after Trudeau announced his resignation, Trump posted 'Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State,' and on January 9, 2025 he said, 'I called him Governor Trudeau because they should be the 51st state really.' He kept repeating both lines in 2025 interviews (Time, April 25; NBC, May 4).
“His daughter is a very dumb individual, very dumb. She's a radical war hawk. Let's put her with a rifle standing there with nine-barrel shooting at her.”
· Town hall with Tucker Carlson, Glendale, Arizona
Cheney, a former Republican congresswoman campaigning for Harris, responded that would-be dictators threaten those who speak against them with death, NPR reported. The Trump campaign said he was 'clearly describing a combat zone,' not a firing squad. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said her office would review whether the remark met the state's definition of a death threat. On February 6, 2026, Trump called her 'Wacky Liz Cheney' on Truth Social.
“I said, "Well, I'm going to do it whether the women like it or not. I'm going to protect them. I'm going to protect them from migrants coming in. I'm going to protect them from foreign countries that want to hit us with missiles and lots of other things."”
· Rally, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Trump said aides had told him to stop saying he would be women's 'protector.' Harris called the remark 'offensive to everybody' and said it showed he did not understand women's 'agency, their authority, their right and their ability to make decisions about their own lives.' Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt replied that Harris's policies had left women 'worse off financially and far less safe.'
“They come from the dungeons, think of that, the dungeons of the third world, from prisons and jails, insane asylums, and mental institutions. And she has had them resettled beautifully into your community to prey upon innocent, American citizens.”
· Campaign rally, Aurora, Colorado
At the rally Trump promised 'Operation Aurora,' a nationwide deportation effort under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act. He repeated his claim that Tren de Aragua had taken over apartment complexes in the city. Aurora's police chief said the city remained very safe, and local officials disputed the takeover claim, NPR and NBC News reported. He had used the 'dungeons of the third world' line since at least June 6, 2024, in Phoenix. In March 2025, as president, he invoked the Alien Enemies Act against Tren de Aragua.
“It'll be like Detroit. Our whole country will end up being like Detroit if she's your president. You're going to have a mess on your hands.”
· Detroit Economic Club, Detroit
Trump made the remark to a Detroit business audience while campaigning in Michigan. Mayor Mike Duggan pointed to falling crime and a rising population and wrote that 'lots of cities' should be like Detroit. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called Trump 'totally out of touch,' and Detroit Economic Club CEO Steve Grigorian said there are 'really, really great things happening here.'
“You know, now, a murderer, I believe this, it's in their genes. And we've got a lot of bad genes in our country right now.”
· The Hugh Hewitt Show (radio interview)
Trump appeared to be citing ICE data showing 13,099 noncitizens convicted of homicide on its non-detained docket. Many of them were in prison, and some of the convictions dated back decades, Reuters and AP reported. Campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said he 'was clearly referring to murderers, not migrants.' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the language 'hateful' and 'disgusting.'
“Joe Biden became mentally impaired. Kamala was born that way. Yeah, she was born that way. And if you think about it, only a mentally disabled person could have allowed this to happen to our country.”
· Rally, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
The rally was billed as a response to Harris's visit to the border in Douglas, Arizona. Maria Town of the American Association of People with Disabilities criticized the suggestion that having a disability means poor performance as president. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Harris 'is not crazy... her policies are.'
“When I mentioned Dr. Hannibal Lecter, I'm using that as an example of people that are coming in from "Silence of the Lambs," I use it.”
· Town hall, Flint, Michigan
Trump tied the 'Silence of the Lambs' character to his claims about 'insane asylums' starting in October 2023 (Waterloo, Iowa, October 7, 2023). He made it a running line in 2024. In Mosinee, Wisconsin, on September 7, 2024, he said Lecter is 'a representative of people that are coming into our country.' After the election he credited the line with winning votes, saying on March 26, 2025, 'We got a lot of votes because of Hannibal Lecter.'
Swift endorsed Harris on Instagram after the September 10, 2024 debate, signing as a 'childless cat lady.' Trump first told Fox News he was 'not a Taylor fan,' then posted the all-caps message on September 15. On May 16, 2025, he posted: 'Has anyone noticed that, since I said "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT," she's no longer "HOT?"' He had earlier shared AI-generated images suggesting Swift and her fans supported him.
“In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what's happening in our country, and it's a shame.”
· ABC presidential debate, Philadelphia
The claim spread from social media posts amplified by running mate JD Vance. Springfield's city manager said there were 'no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused' by members of the immigrant community, and moderator David Muir cited that on air. At a Youngstown, Ohio, rally on October 12, 2026, Trump said the Haitians in Springfield were 'being taken out,' added 'I was right,' and said 'they're getting their town back.'
“I'm not saying he's -- but I'd say that I am much better looking than her. I think I'm much better. Much better. I'm a better-looking person than Kamala.”
· Rally, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Trump was reacting to a Time magazine cover image of Harris, which he compared to Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor. The rally was billed as an economic speech, and Republican allies had urged him to focus on policy rather than personal attacks, AP reported. A Harris campaign spokesperson said Trump 'resorts to lies, name-calling, and confused rants.'
“Under these kinds of woke radical-left policies, Atlanta is like a killing field, and your governor ought to get off his ass and do something about it.”
· Campaign rally with J.D. Vance, Georgia State University Convocation Center, Atlanta
The line was part of a broader attack on Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, whom Trump called 'a bad guy' and 'disloyal.' Kemp replied that he was focused on beating Kamala Harris, 'not engaging in petty personal insults,' and told Trump to 'leave my family out of it.'
“She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black.”
· NABJ convention, Chicago
Harris, whose mother was from India and father from Jamaica, attended historically Black Howard University. She called the remarks 'the same old show' of 'divisiveness and disrespect.' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called them 'repulsive.' Asked about it at the September 10, 2024 debate, Trump said, 'I read where she was not Black... And then I read that she was Black, and that's OK.'
“Wow, just watching the Fake News, and they're doing their very best to turn the Worst President in the History of our Country into a "Brilliant and Heroic Leader" (He was heroic because he quit!), and to turn "Dumb as a Rock" Kamala Harris from a totally failed and insignificant Vice President into a future "Great" President.”
· Truth Social
Fox Business host Stuart Varney called the attack a 'profound mistake,' saying women react to that kind of thing. Trump repeated 'dumb as a rock' and 'low IQ' about Harris through the campaign (for example Truth Social, October 21, 2024; Raleigh rally, November 4, 2024), and again on September 24, 2025, attacking her memoir.
“I call it Biden migrant crime. They're killing our citizens at a level that we've never seen before.”
· CNN presidential debate, Atlanta
Trump introduced the label at a Waterford Township, Michigan, rally on February 17, 2024: 'we will call it from now on, Biden migrant crime.' After Harris replaced Biden as the nominee he said in Charlotte (July 24, 2024) that he might rename it after her. Researchers cited by AP and Reuters have found that immigrants in the U.S. illegally do not commit crimes at higher rates than U.S.-born citizens.
“Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city.”
· Closed-door meeting with House Republicans, Washington (as reported by Punchbowl News)
Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman reported the remark from the private meeting, a month before Milwaukee hosted the Republican National Convention. Rep. Bryan Steil first posted that Trump did not say it, then said he was talking about specific challenges in the city; Rep. Derrick Van Orden said Trump meant crime. Trump told Fox News, 'It was very clear what I meant. We're very concerned with crime,' and said he loves Milwaukee. Milwaukee leaders and Democrats criticized the remark.
“Arthur Engoron is a Rogue Judge who was intimidated by the big, nasty, and ugly mouth of Leticia James, considered by many to be the WORST Attorney General in the U.S. She is a Low IQ individual who campaigned for Governor, using my name, and got TROUNCED.”
· Truth Social
James had won a civil fraud judgment against Trump and his company before Justice Arthur Engoron in February 2024; the post came days before a deadline to post bond on the judgment. Trump had called James 'a whack job' and 'a racist attorney general' in a September 22, 2022 radio interview.
“Because they sent us their criminals. That's why. It's true. It's true. Do you know Venezuela is down 66%? Because they sent us their gang members and their gangsters. They sent us their drug dealers and their murderers.”
· Political rally, Vandalia, Ohio
The figure shifted between 66, 67, 72 and 74 percent over later speeches (e.g. Mosinee, Wisconsin, September 7, 2024; the post-inaugural rally on January 20, 2025). WLRN reported that fact-checkers could not trace the figures to a reliable source and that criminologists said homicides had fallen, but not by those amounts or because of migration to the U.S. As president he said Venezuela 'emptied their prisons into our country' (Fox News, May 15, 2026).
“I don't know if you call them people. In some cases, they're not people, in my opinion. But I'm not allowed to say that because the radical left says that's a terrible thing to say.”
· Rally for Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, Vandalia, Ohio
Later in the same speech Trump called migrants 'animals.' It was also the speech in which he warned of a 'bloodbath' if he lost. AP and NPR covered the remarks. He repeated the idea through 2024, telling a Detroit audience on June 15, 2024, 'I said, no, they're not human beings. These are animals.'
“They're emptying out jails all over the world, in Africa, the Congo. The Congo, they empty out their jails.”
· Remarks to campaign volunteers, Des Moines, Iowa
He first made a version of the claim in a January 13, 2024 interview with Lou Dobbs and repeated it at rallies through at least October 12, 2026 (Youngstown, Ohio: 'From the Congo to South America, the prisons were all emptied out'). PolitiFact rated it Pants on Fire, finding no evidence that Congo released prisoners to send them to the U.S. CNN reported that both the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo denied the claim.
“When they let, I think the real number is 15, 16 million people into our country, when they do that, we got a lot of work to do. They're poisoning the blood of our country.”
· Campaign rally, Durham, New Hampshire
Trump had used the phrase about immigrants in a September 2023 interview with The National Pulse. The Biden campaign and historians noted that Adolf Hitler used similar 'blood poisoning' language in 'Mein Kampf.' The Anti-Defamation League called earlier uses 'racist, xenophobic and despicable.' Trump doubled down in a Hugh Hewitt interview on December 22, 2023: 'They are poisoning the blood of our country. And I'm not talking about a specific group, and I never read Mein Kampf.'
“Anyway, Birdbrain doesn't have the TALENT or TEMPERAMENT to do the job.”
· Truth Social
Trump introduced the nickname in a Truth Social post after the September 27, 2023 debate and used it at rallies through the primaries ('Birdbrain, Nikki Birdbrain,' Fort Dodge, Iowa, November 18, 2023). On October 1, 2023, Haley posted a photo of a birdcage and birdseed left at her Des Moines hotel room; reporter Marc Caputo said the Trump campaign sent him the photo.
“I AM CALLING FOR A FEDERAL TAKEOVER OF THIS FILTHY AND CRIME RIDDEN EMBARRASSMENT TO OUR NATION, WHERE MURDERS HAVE JUST SHATTERED THE ALL TIME RECORD, OTHER VIOLENT CRIMES HAVE NEVER NEEN WORSE, AND TOURISTS HAVE FLED.”
· Truth Social
He made the post days after his federal indictment in Washington over the 2020 election, arguing he could not get a fair trial there; the post itself said the takeover 'is very unpopular with potential area jurors.' He repeated the theme often: on Oct. 22, 2023 he posted that D.C. 'has become a dirty, crime ridden death trap'; on Nov. 11, 2023 he said 'It's dirty. It's filthy. It's crime-ridden'; and on June 14, 2024 he called it 'a hellhole.' He carried out a version of the takeover in August 2025.
“She wasn't raped, OK? ... And I didn't do anything else either, OK, because I don't know who the hell she is.”
· CNN town hall, Manchester, New Hampshire
The remarks came the day after a federal jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded Carroll about $5 million. He called her a 'whack job,' called her story 'fake' and 'made up' and the trial 'rigged,' drawing laughter from the audience while moderator Kaitlan Collins tried to interject. Carroll then sought additional damages over the town hall remarks. On January 26, 2024, a jury awarded her $83.3 million in her separate suit over his 2019 statements.
“So Philadelphia has become, as you heard, many times over the last short period of time, worse than it's ever been, it's become a killing field.”
· Political rally, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
In the same speech he called for the death penalty for drug dealers. He used 'killing field' for other places as well: on Oct. 1, 2022 in Warren, Michigan, he told the crowd 'Your cities and towns have become an absolute killing field' before describing a shooting in Detroit, and on Aug. 3, 2024 he said Atlanta was 'like a killing field.'
“I realized they didn't want to build security. They wanted to have an open border so that people can come in from other prisons, from prisons all over the world, from mental institutions and insane asylums all over the world.”
· Political rally, Southaven, Mississippi
This is the earliest instance found in the Factba.se archive. The line became a fixture of his 2024 campaign and second term. At CPAC on March 4, 2023, he said other countries were 'emptying out their prisons, insane asylums and mental institutions.' In the final days of the 2024 race he added 'from Venezuela to the Congo.' He was still using it at 2026 midterm rallies (e.g. Vandalia, Ohio, October 3, 2026). The Factba.se search returns hundreds of instances.
“Because bad things happen in Philadelphia, bad things. And I am urging my people. I hope it's going to be a fair election.”
· First presidential debate, Cleveland
Trump claimed his poll watchers had been 'thrown out' in Philadelphia. PolitiFact rated the claim False: the sites were new satellite election offices, not polling places, and Pennsylvania had not yet certified any poll watchers. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that city officials began preparing for possible voter intimidation on Election Day.
“Every year thousands of African-Americans are murdered as a result of violent crime. And again, in these Democrat run monstrosities. The way they run them, it's worse than Afghanistan. It's worse than -- we are at war.”
· Black economic empowerment event, Atlanta
'Democrat-run cities' was a regular line for him: Factba.se transcripts record the phrase more than 200 times from June 2019 on. On Sept. 21, 2020 he called Portland, Chicago, New York, Oakland and Baltimore 'a crime mess' and said 'all of these Democrat-run areas are a disaster.'
“And speaking about stupidity, Sleepy Joe will turn Minnesota into a refugee camp.”
· Campaign rally, Bemidji, Minnesota
CBS News reported that Trump warned of Biden's plan to 'flood your state with an influx of refugees from Somalia' and questioned how Ilhan Omar won reelection. He repeated the line in Duluth (September 30, 2020), saying of Biden, 'This guy loves Somalia.' In Lansing, Michigan (October 27, 2020) he said, 'when I think of Somalia I think of Omar.' A year earlier, at a Minneapolis rally on October 10, 2019, he had criticized leaders who 'brought large numbers of refugees to your state from Somalia.' Muslim civil rights groups and Minnesota Democrats condemned the 2020 remarks.
“persistent and outrageous acts of violence and destruction have continued unabated in many of America's cities, such as Portland, Seattle, and New York”
· Presidential memorandum
The memo directed the attorney general to list jurisdictions that 'have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract these criminal activities (anarchist jurisdictions)' and told agencies to review their federal funding. It also said Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser 'allowed rioters and anarchists to engage in violence and destruction.' On Sept. 21, 2020 the Justice Department named New York City, Portland and Seattle. Gov. Jay Inslee called it 'baseless, petty and divisive'; Wheeler called it 'dangerous, destructive and divisive.'
“Plus, she was very, very nasty to -- one of the reasons it surprised me, she was very -- she was probably nastier than even Pocahontas to Joe Biden. She was very disrespectful to Joe Biden.”
· White House coronavirus briefing
Trump was asked about Harris hours after Biden announced her as his vice-presidential pick. He called her 'nasty' repeatedly over following days. After the October 7, 2020 vice-presidential debate he called her 'this monster' on Fox Business ('And this monster that was on stage with Mike Pence... but this monster, she says, no, no, there won't be fracking').
“We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!”
· Twitter
Federal officers in unmarked vehicles had begun detaining protesters near Portland's federal courthouse. Mayor Ted Wheeler said the administration was violating the Constitution and told it to 'Keep your troops in your own buildings, or have them leave our city.' On July 20 Trump said 'These are anarchists. These are not protestors... These are people that hate our country.' On Aug. 30, 2020 he tweeted that 'Portland will never recover with a fool for a Mayor.'
“And you know what's going on in New York: Everyone is leaving. It's turned out to be a hellhole.”
· Roundtable with Hispanic leaders, White House
On Sept. 12, 2020 he told Fox News New York was 'like a ghost town,' and at the Sept. 29, 2020 debate he said 'It's almost like a ghost town and I'm not sure it can ever recover.' In September 2020 the Justice Department designated New York City an 'anarchist jurisdiction.'
“We have cities that are worse -- in some cases, far worse. Take a look at Detroit. Take a look at what's happening in Oakland. Take a look at what's happening in Baltimore. And everyone gets upset when I say it. ... These cities, it's like living in hell.”
· Fox News town hall with Sean Hannity, Wisconsin
In the same answer he said Chicago was 'like, worse than Afghanistan.' Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf replied on Twitter: 'Hell is another four years of this racist in the White House.' On Aug. 11, 2025, announcing the D.C. deployment, he said of Baltimore and Oakland, 'We don't even mention that anymore... they're so far gone.'
“Domestic Terrorists have taken over Seattle, run by Radical Left Democrats, of course. LAW & ORDER!”
· Twitter
Late on June 10, 2020 (Eastern time), after police pulled back from the East Precinct and protesters set up the 'CHAZ' zone, Trump told Gov. Jay Inslee and Mayor Jenny Durkan to 'Take back your city NOW. If you don't do it, I will' and called protesters 'ugly Anarchists.' Durkan replied 'Make us all safe. Go back to your bunker.' Inslee said a man 'totally incapable of governing should stay out of Washington state's business.' In September the Justice Department listed Seattle as an 'anarchist jurisdiction.'
“....These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!”
· Twitter
Shortly after midnight on May 29, 2020, after protesters burned a Minneapolis police precinct, Trump tweeted that he 'can't stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis,' called Mayor Jacob Frey 'very weak' and threatened to 'send in the National Guard,' then posted the 'THUGS' tweet. Twitter labeled it for 'glorifying violence' but left it up. The White House said he 'did not glorify violence'; later that day he tweeted that 'Looting leads to shooting' and that the phrase 'was spoken as a fact, not as a statement.'
“These people are sick. Pelosi is a sick woman. She's got a lot of problems, a lot of mental problems.”
· Press gaggle after lunch with GOP senators, U.S. Capitol
Trump was responding to Pelosi's comment that he was 'morbidly obese' and should not take hydroxychloroquine, which he had said he was taking against COVID-19. He used variations of the line about Pelosi's mental state repeatedly through 2020.
“If you look at what's happening to her district -- her district is going to hell, with homeless, with -- that they're not taking care of; with needles all over the street; with tents; with people; with sanitation; with horrible things being washed into the ocean, into the Pacific Ocean.”
· Press gaggle after Marine One arrival
The remarks came during the House impeachment inquiry led by Pelosi. Two days earlier, at a Nov. 1, 2019 rally in Tupelo, Mississippi, he described 'the great city, once, of San Francisco' as 'thousands and thousands of tents and drugs and needles.' On Oct. 2 he had called her district 'tent city.'
“It's embarrassing to us as a nation. All over the world, they're talking about Chicago. Afghanistan is a safe place by comparison.”
· International Association of Chiefs of Police conference, Chicago
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson skipped the speech, saying it did not line up with the city's 'core values.' Trump called that 'very insulting' and attacked him from the stage. Reporting at the time noted murders and shootings in Chicago were at a four-year low, according to police data.
“We can't let Los Angeles, San Francisco and numerous other cities destroy themselves by allowing what's happening.”
· Press gaggle aboard Air Force One
Trump spoke on his way to California fundraisers and said he was considering an 'individual task force'; AP reported he gave no specifics. The next day, Sept. 18, he said 'there are needles. There are other things' flowing into the ocean from Los Angeles and San Francisco and that San Francisco would get a violation notice. On Oct. 2, 2019 he said 'we just sent a violation to the city of San Francisco' through the EPA.
“Denmark, I looked forward to going, but I thought that the Prime Minister's statement -- that it was absurd; that it was an absurd idea -- it was nasty. I thought it was an inappropriate statement. All she had to do is say, "No, we wouldn't be interested." But we can't treat the United States of America the way they treated us under President Obama.”
· Press gaggle before Marine One departure, White House
On August 20, 2019 Trump canceled a September 2-3 state visit to Denmark after Frederiksen called the idea of selling Greenland 'an absurd discussion.' Frederiksen said she was 'disappointed and surprised' by the cancellation and told broadcaster DR she did not think she had been 'blunt or harsh,' Fortune reported.
“Cumming District is a disgusting rat and rodent infested mess. If he spent more time in Baltimore maybe he could help clean up this very dangerous & filthy place”
· Twitter
In a string of tweets on July 27, 2019, Trump attacked Cummings, who had criticized conditions at border detention facilities at a July 18 hearing. He also wrote that the district was 'the worst run and most dangerous anywhere in the United States. No human being would want to live there.' The tweets followed a Fox News segment on the district. Cummings replied that he goes home to his district daily; Mayor Jack Young and Maryland leaders condemned the remarks. Trump doubled down on July 28, calling Cummings 'racist' and saying 'There is nothing racist in stating plainly what most people already know,' and on Aug. 1 told reporters 'what happened in Baltimore is disgraceful. And it's not only Baltimore, it's other Democrat-run cities.'
“They never have anything good to say, that's why I say, "Hey, if they don't like it, let them leave, let them leave." Right? Let them leave.”
· Campaign rally, Greenville, North Carolina
As Trump listed claims about Omar, the crowd chanted 'Send her back.' PolitiFact found he paused about 13 seconds before continuing. On July 18 he told reporters, 'I was not happy with it. I disagree with it,' and said he had tried to stop it. PolitiFact rated that claim False. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said the chant had 'no place in our party.' The phrase came back at later rallies; at Mount Pocono on December 9, 2025, after Trump said of Omar 'throw her the hell out,' the crowd chanted 'Send her back.'
“Why don't they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how....”
· Twitter (@realDonaldTrump)
The thread said the 'Progressive' Democratic congresswomen 'originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe.' Three of the four were born in the United States; Ilhan Omar came to the U.S. as a refugee from Somalia and is a naturalized citizen. On July 16, 2019, the House voted 240-187 for a resolution condemning his 'racist comments.' Only four Republicans voted for it. Trump did not back down, tweeting that critics of the country 'can leave.'
“I'll say it with great respect: Number one, she's not my type. Number two, it never happened.”
· Interview with The Hill, White House
Carroll had written that Trump assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s; Trump denied it and said she was 'totally lying.' Carroll sued over his 2019 denials. On May 9, 2023, a federal jury in a separate suit found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in 1996 (it rejected the rape claim) and for defaming her in an October 2022 Truth Social post, awarding about $5 million. On January 26, 2024, a second jury ordered him to pay $83.3 million for the 2019 statements; Judge Lewis Kaplan had already ruled them defamatory. The 2nd Circuit upheld the $5 million verdict and, on September 9, 2025, the $83.3 million award. Trump called the cases a 'witch hunt' and appealed.
“But how do you stop these people? You can't. There's no -- that's only in the Panhandle you can get away with that said. Only in the Panhandle.”
· Campaign rally, Panama City Beach, Florida
After Trump asked how to stop migrants, an audience member shouted 'shoot them.' Trump paused, smiled as the crowd laughed, and made the Panhandle remark. Snopes later rated the incident as accurately reported. After the August 3, 2019, El Paso shooting, critics pointed back to the exchange.
“The people of Puerto Rico..... ....are GREAT but the politicians are incompetent or corrupt. Puerto Rico got far more money than Texas & Florida combined yet their government can't do anything right the place is a mess - nothing works.”
· Twitter
The tweets came after Senate Democrats blocked a disaster aid bill they said shortchanged Puerto Rico. In the same thread he called San Juan's mayor 'crazed and incompetent' and wrote '91 Billion Dollars to Puerto Rico and now the Dems want to give them more.' He repeated the theme on July 22, 2019 ('the leadership is corrupt and incompetent') and on September 18, 2020 ('Puerto Rico has been very corrupt in terms of its politicians').
“What a stupid question that is. What a stupid question. But I watch you a lot. You ask a lot of stupid questions.”
· Press gaggle before Marine One departure
Phillip asked whether Trump wanted acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to rein in special counsel Robert Mueller. CNN said she had asked a pertinent question. In the same gaggle he said of April Ryan, 'she doesn't know what the hell she's doing.' The National Association of Black Journalists condemned the remarks.
“You talk about somebody that's a loser; she doesn't know what the hell she's doing.”
· Press gaggle before Marine One departure
Two days earlier, at his November 7 news conference, Trump told Ryan to sit down as she tried to ask a question. Ryan wrote in a Washington Post op-ed that if he respected reporters, 'he'd either answer our questions or simply ignore them, not berate us.' The National Association of Black Journalists called the remarks 'appalling.'
“I don't know why you'd say that. That's such a racist question.”
· Post-midterm White House news conference
Alcindor asked whether Trump calling himself a 'nationalist' emboldened white nationalists. It was one of three exchanges with Black women reporters over three days, along with April Ryan and Abby Phillip on November 9. National Association of Black Journalists president Sarah Glover said his comments toward the three were 'appalling.'
“But Mia Love gave me no love, and she lost. Too bad. Sorry about that, Mia.”
· Post-midterm White House news conference
Trump listed Republicans who he said had kept their distance from him and lost, including Love, the only Black Republican woman in the House, and Barbara Comstock. Love's race was still being counted at the time and she narrowly lost when it was final. The clip was replayed in his November 18, 2018 Fox News interview with Chris Wallace.
“Many Gang Members and some very bad people are mixed into the Caravan heading to our Southern Border. Please go back, you will not be admitted into the United States unless you go through the legal process. This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you!”
· Twitter (@realDonaldTrump)
The caravan was still hundreds of miles from the border, VOA reported. The same day the Pentagon said it would send more than 5,000 troops to the border. Trump used 'invasion' about migrants repeatedly before the 2018 midterms. PolitiFact reviewed that framing on November 7, 2018. 'Invasion' became a standard term in his speeches: his March 15, 2025, Alien Enemies Act proclamation described Tren de Aragua as 'perpetrating an invasion,' and his 2026 rallies promote a 'No Invasion of Our Country Act.'
“Great, now I can go after Horseface and her 3rd rate lawyer in the Great State of Texas. She will confirm the letter she signed! She knows nothing about me, a total con!”
· Twitter
A federal judge had dismissed Daniels' defamation suit over an earlier Trump tweet, finding it protected 'hyperbolic' speech. Her lawyer Michael Avenatti called the comments 'outrageous'; Daniels replied 'Game on, Tiny.' Trump kept using the nickname on Truth Social in 2023 (for example February 1 and March 15 and 27, 2023) while the Manhattan hush-money case against him advanced.
“"I had one beer." Right? "I had one beer." "Well, you think it was..." "Nope, it was one beer." "Oh, good. How did you get home?" "I don't remember." "How did you get there?" "I don't remember." "Where is the place?" "I don't remember." "How many years ago was it?" "I don't know."”
· Rally, Southaven, Mississippi
Days earlier Trump had called Ford a 'good witness.' At the rally he imitated her answers to laughter and applause. Her attorney Michael Bromwich called it 'a vicious, vile and soulless attack.' The clip was replayed in his October 14, 2018 60 Minutes interview. The Senate confirmed Kavanaugh on October 6, 2018.
“That's okay. I know you're not thinking. You never do.”
· Rose Garden news conference on the USMCA trade deal
Vega had thanked Trump for calling on her and said she was not in shock; Trump replied with the remark before she asked about the FBI's Kavanaugh investigation, which he declined to answer. The White House's first official transcript rendered the word as 'thanking'; the next day it was revised to 'thinking,' matching the video, NBC News reported.
“I have asked Secretary of State @SecPompeo to closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers. 'South African Government is now seizing land from white farmers.' @TuckerCarlson @FoxNews”
· Twitter
The tweet (timestamped August 23 UTC) followed a Tucker Carlson segment on Fox News. South Africa's government said it reflected a 'narrow perception which only seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past,' PBS NewsHour reported. PolitiFact rated the claims Mostly False. Reuters noted that the ruling ANC had announced on August 1 plans to amend the constitution to allow land expropriation without compensation.
“When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn't work out. Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!”
· Twitter
Manigault Newman, promoting her book 'Unhinged,' had released a recording she secretly made of Chief of Staff John Kelly firing her in the Situation Room and claimed a tape existed of Trump using the N-word, which he denied. Rep. Frederica Wilson and Sen. Jeff Flake criticized the 'dog' language. Time noted that the attack on a Black woman complicated his denial of using racist language.
“Congresswoman Maxine Waters, an extraordinarily low IQ person, has become, together with Nancy Pelosi, the Face of the Democrat Party. She has just called for harm to supporters, of which there are many, of the Make America Great Again movement. Be careful what you wish for Max!”
· Twitter
Waters had urged supporters to confront administration officials in public places after protests at restaurants. She said she had called for 'peaceful, very peaceful protest,' not harm. Trump made 'low IQ' Maxine Waters a regular line in his 2018 midterm rally speeches, CNN reported.
“Democrats are the problem. They don't care about crime and want illegal immigrants, no matter how bad they may be, to pour into and infest our Country, like MS-13.”
· Twitter (@realDonaldTrump)
The tweet came at the height of public outcry over family separations under the administration's 'zero tolerance' border policy. On June 20, 2018, Trump signed an executive order ending the separations, though many children were still apart from their parents. On June 24 he tweeted, 'We cannot allow all of these people to invade our Country,' and called for sending people back 'with no Judges or Court Cases.'
“We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in -- and we're stopping a lot of them -- but we're taking people out of the country. You wouldn't believe how bad these people are. These aren't people. These are animals.”
· White House roundtable on California sanctuary policies
Trump was answering Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims, who had mentioned MS-13. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others said he had called undocumented immigrants 'animals.' The next day he said he meant MS-13. FactCheck.org noted that his remark itself did not name the gang. He had called MS-13 members 'animals' many times since 2017. In 2024 he regularly told crowds that Pelosi had said not to call them animals and that 'they're not human beings' (e.g. Detroit, June 15, 2024).
“Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here? ... Why do we need more Haitians? Take them out. (as quoted by people briefed on the meeting, per The Washington Post)”
· Oval Office meeting with senators on a bipartisan immigration deal
The Washington Post reported on January 11, 2018, citing several people briefed on the meeting, that Trump said this when lawmakers discussed protections for immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and African countries, and suggested the U.S. bring in more people from countries such as Norway. On January 12 he tweeted that 'this was not the language used' and that he 'Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is obviously a very poor and troubled country.' Haiti's government summoned the U.S. chargé d'affaires, and a U.N. human rights spokesman said the remarks, if confirmed, were 'shocking and shameful' and 'racist,' NPR reported. At a December 9, 2025 rally he recounted asking 'why is it we only take people from shithole countries' (see separate entry).
“The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan with little help. No more!”
· Twitter
It was his first tweet of 2018. Pakistan summoned U.S. Ambassador David Hale, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif called it a political stunt, and the country's National Security Committee expressed 'deep disappointment,' Al Jazeera reported. Reports at the time said the administration was weighing withholding $255 million in delayed aid.
“Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office "begging" for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!”
· Twitter
The tweet came a day after Gillibrand called on Trump to resign over sexual misconduct allegations. Gillibrand called it 'a sexist smear attempting to silence my voice.' USA Today's editorial board wrote that the tweet was 'clearly implying that a United States senator would trade sexual favors for campaign cash,' CNBC reported. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said 'there's no way' the tweet was sexist.
“You were here long before any of us were here, although we have a representative in Congress who, they say, was here a long time ago. They call her "Pocahontas."”
· White House event honoring Navajo Code Talkers
Trump made the remark while standing beside three Navajo veterans of World War II. The Navajo Nation's president said the prejudice Native Americans face is an unfortunate historical legacy, and the National Congress of American Indians said the slur overshadowed the ceremony. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said a racial slur 'was certainly not the president's intent.' Trump kept using the nickname, and on February 10, 2025, in the Oval Office, he said of Warren: 'She's a fake... She's a nasty woman. She's a really nasty woman despite her phony beer commercial.'
“The Fake News is going crazy with wacky Congresswoman Wilson(D), who was SECRETLY on a very personal call, and gave a total lie on content!”
· Twitter
Wilson said she overheard Trump tell Myeshia Johnson, widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, who was killed in Niger, that 'he knew what he signed up for.' Trump called her account fabricated and said he had proof, which he did not produce. The tweet was posted the evening of October 19, 2017 (02:53 UTC October 20); he repeated 'Wacky Congresswoman Wilson' on October 21 and October 22. Chief of Staff John Kelly also called Wilson an 'empty barrel.' Johnson's mother confirmed Wilson's account to The Washington Post, CNBC reported.
“Now, I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you've thrown our budget a little out of whack because we've spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico, and that's fine. We've saved a lot of lives. If you look at the -- every death is a horror. But if you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina, and you look at the tremendous hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people that died, and you look at what happened here with, really, a storm that was just totally overpowering -- nobody has ever seen anything like this. What is your death count, as of this moment -- 17?”
· Hurricane relief briefing, Luis Muñiz Air National Guard Base, and Calvary Chapel, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
Gov. Ricardo Rosselló answered that 16 deaths had been certified. Later that day, at a relief distribution center at Calvary Chapel in Guaynabo, Trump tossed rolls of paper towels into a crowd of residents. Puerto Rico's nonvoting member of Congress, Jenniffer González, said 'I would not have done that,' and a Puerto Rico government official took issue with the comparison to Katrina, NBC News reported. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz called the visit insulting.
“...Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan and others in Puerto Rico who are not able to get their workers to help. They.... ...want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job.”
· Twitter
The tweets, sent from his New Jersey golf club ten days after Hurricane Maria, followed San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz's plea for more federal help. In another tweet that morning he wrote that the mayor 'has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump.' Cruz responded by calling for a focus on people who needed help.
“I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came... to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!”
· Twitter
Trump posted the two tweets on June 29, 2017, after criticism on MSNBC's Morning Joe. Republican senators including Ben Sasse, Lindsey Graham, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski publicly objected; Murkowski wrote 'Stop it!' White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended the posts, saying the president 'fights fire with fire.' Brzezinski said on air that the tweets raised concerns about the president. Trump did not apologize.
“[paraphrase] Haiti had sent 15,000 people. They “all have AIDS,” he grumbled ... Once they had seen the United States, they would never “go back to their huts” in Africa (as reported by The New York Times, citing two officials)”
· Oval Office immigration meeting (reported December 23, 2017)
The New York Times reported on December 23, 2017, that Trump made the remarks in a June 2017 Oval Office meeting while reading a list of 2017 visa recipients. The account came from one attendee and another person briefed by someone who was there, plus two officials. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders denied it, and the White House said he never used the words 'AIDS' or 'huts.' Several participants told the Times they did not recall the words. Trump's words are known only through these secondhand accounts.
“The Germans are bad, very bad. See the millions of cars they are selling in the US. Terrible. We will stop this.”
· Meeting with EU leaders, Brussels
Der Spiegel reported the remark, citing 'participants at the meeting' with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU Council President Donald Tusk; the quote is an English translation of Spiegel's German account, and some outlets rendered it 'evil, very evil.' Juncker reportedly replied that free trade benefits everyone. Neither the White House nor the German chancellery commented immediately, AFP reported.
“I have a friend, he's a very, very substantial guy. He loves the city of lights, he loves Paris. ... And I said, Jim, let me ask you a question, how's Paris doing? "Paris? I don't go there anymore, Paris is no longer Paris."”
· Conservative Political Action Conference, Oxon Hill, Maryland
Trump used the anecdote while defending his immigration crackdown. The next day French President François Hollande replied, 'It is never good to show the slightest mistrust toward a friendly country,' Gulf News reported, and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also rebuked him. He had used versions of the line before: 'France is no longer France' (Derry, New Hampshire, August 19, 2015) and 'Paris is no longer Paris' (Lisbon, Maine, October 28, 2016).
“You look at what's happening in Germany, you look at what's happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this. Sweden. They took in large numbers. They're having problems like they never thought possible.”
· Political rally, Melbourne, Florida
No major incident had taken place in Sweden the night before. Former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt tweeted, 'Sweden? Terror attack? What has he been smoking?' and Sweden's foreign ministry sought clarification from the U.S. On February 19 Trump tweeted that his statement 'was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden.'
“If Chicago doesn't fix the horrible "carnage" going on 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016) I will send in the Feds!”
· Twitter
Trump posted the tweet the evening of Jan. 24, 2017, after a Fox News segment that used the same figures. DNAinfo reported official Chicago Police figures were lower: 234 people shot and 38 killed. Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said the department was willing to work with federal agencies. In his first TV interview as president days later, Trump said Chicago was 'like a war zone.'
“Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!”
· Twitter
The president-elect posted the two-part tweet the morning after Lewis, a civil rights leader, told NBC News he did not view Trump as a legitimate president. Later that day he tweeted again about 'burning and crime infested' inner cities. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed called Lewis 'an American hero & a national treasure,' and Georgia Democrats asked Trump to apologize. AP reported the 'crime infested' claim was hard to prove, though the district's crime and poverty rates were above the national average.
“But we have some bad hombres here, and we're going to get them out.”
· Third presidential debate, Las Vegas
In the same answer Trump said heroin 'pours across our southern border' and was 'poisoning the blood of their youth,' an earlier use of language he later applied to immigrants themselves. He returned to 'bad hombres' at 2018 rallies about the migrant caravan. At a September 27, 2019, Hispanic Heritage Month reception, after an audience member called out the phrase, he said, 'I used that word once, and nobody has let me forget it.'
Trump leaned into his microphone and cut in while Clinton was saying her Social Security contribution would rise, 'as will Donald's, assuming he can't figure out how to get out of it.' She kept answering without acknowledging him. Pundits from both parties called it one of his worst moments, and #nastywoman spread on social media. The next night, at the Al Smith charity dinner in New York, he joked: 'last night, I called Hillary a nasty woman.'
“Believe me, she would not be my first choice, that I can tell you.”
· Campaign rally, Greensboro, North Carolina
Leeds told The New York Times that Trump groped her on an airplane decades earlier. Just before the line above, Trump mocked her story to the crowd: 'I was sitting with him on an airplane, and he went after me on the plane. Yeah, I'm going to go after.' Trump called the claims reported by the Times 'totally and absolutely false.' This entry is limited to Trump's own words about her, not the allegation.
“Take a look, you take a look. Look at her, look at her words. You tell me, what you think. I don't think so -- I don't think so.”
· Campaign rally, West Palm Beach, Florida
Stoynoff had written in People that Trump forcibly kissed her at Mar-a-Lago in 2005, while she was reporting a story on him and Melania. His campaign said 'this never happened.' At the rally he called the accounts of several women 'pure fiction' and 'outright lies.' The next day in Greensboro he said of Stoynoff, 'check out her Facebook page, you'll understand.' This entry is limited to Trump's own words about her, not the allegation.
“Did Crooked Hillary help disgusting (check out sex tape and past) Alicia M become a U.S. citizen so she could use her in the debate?”
· Twitter
At the September 26 debate, Clinton said Trump had called Machado, the Venezuelan-born 1996 Miss Universe, 'Miss Piggy' and, because she is Latina, 'Miss Housekeeping.' Those nicknames come from Clinton and Machado; no recording of Trump using them was found for this entry. Trump had criticized her weight gain after she won; a January 28, 1997 photo shows him greeting her at a New York gym. The morning after the debate he told Fox News: 'She was the winner and she gained a massive amount of weight. And it was a real problem.' Starting around 5:30 a.m. ET on September 30 he posted a run of tweets about her, and Reuters reported that he offered no proof of his sex-tape claim. Clinton called the tweets 'unhinged, even for Trump.'
“We have a situation where we have our inner cities, African-Americans, Hispanics are living in hell because it's so dangerous. You walk down the street, you get shot.”
· First presidential debate, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York
The remark came in answer to a question about healing communities after police shootings, and he praised stop-and-frisk in the same answer. Clinton replied that crime had fallen and described positive aspects of life in those neighborhoods. NBC News wrote that his framing dismissed millions of Black residents of cities whose lives are not defined by crime or poverty. He repeated it on Oct. 25, 2016 in Sanford, Florida ('African-Americans are living in hell... in the inner cities') and at a Feb. 16, 2017 press conference.
“More than 3,000 people have been shot in Chicago since January -- think of that -- since January, 3000 people. That's like worse than the war-torn nations that you're looking at. That's worse than Afghanistan.”
· Campaign rally, High Point, North Carolina
Trump made the comparison repeatedly in September 2016, including in Colorado Springs (Sept. 17) and on Fox News (Sept. 21). DNAinfo Chicago called it misleading, citing Afghanistan's 2015 homicide rate of 33.3 per 100,000 against Chicago's 18.1. He kept using the line: July 31, 2020 ('far worse than Afghanistan'), June 26, 2021, April 23, 2022, Aug. 20 and Aug. 22, 2024 ('That's a war zone'), and Sept. 12, 2025 ('That's worse than Afghanistan... There's no city like that').
“I just don't think she has a presidential look and you need a presidential look.”
· ABC News interview with David Muir, Ohio
Earlier in Ohio, Trump had asked a crowd of Clinton supporters, 'Does she look presidential, fellas?' Tim Kaine called the comment 'idiotic' on Good Morning America. When the remark came up at the first presidential debate on September 26, 2016, Trump said: 'She doesn't have the look. She doesn't have the stamina.'
“Tried watching low-rated @Morning_Joe this morning, unwatchable! @morningmika is off the wall, a neurotic and not very bright mess!”
· Twitter
Minutes later he tweeted: 'Some day, when things calm down, I'll tell the real story of @JoeNBC and his very insecure long-time girlfriend, @morningmika. Two clowns!' CNN noted that the tweets came a day after his new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, said Trump does not hurl personal insults.
“You live in your poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58 percent of your youth is unemployed, what the hell do you have to lose?”
· Campaign rally, Dimondale, Michigan
Trump made the appeal to African American voters at a rally near Lansing. The Clinton campaign responded, 'This is so ignorant it's staggering,' AP reported. He repeated the line dozens of times through the fall, including in Akron on Aug. 22, 2016, where he said 'it's safer than living in some of our inner cities that are run by the Democrats.'
“So we've just seen many, many crimes getting worse all the time and as Maine knows, a major destination for Somali refugees, right? Am I right?”
· Campaign rally, Portland, Maine
Lewiston's acting police chief said there was no correlation between Somali immigration and increased crime and that the city's crime rate had fallen since Somalis began arriving in the 1990s. Portland's police chief said crime was down in his city too. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said remarks disparaging legal immigrants were 'particularly unhelpful.' Trump returned to the theme in Green Bay (August 5). In Minneapolis on November 6, 2016, he spoke of 'large numbers of Somali refugees coming into your state without your knowledge,' some of whom he said had joined ISIS.
“His wife, if you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably -- maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say. You tell me, but plenty of people have written that.”
· ABC News, This Week (interview with George Stephanopoulos)
Khizr Khan had criticized Trump's proposed Muslim ban at the Democratic National Convention on July 28, 2016, while his wife Ghazala stood beside him. The couple's son, Army Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed in Iraq in 2004. Ghazala Khan said she had not spoken because she was overcome with grief. In a Washington Post op-ed she called Trump 'ignorant' about Islam.
“Today, Iraq is Harvard for terrorism. You want to be a terrorist, you go to Iraq. It's like Harvard. OK. So sad.”
· Campaign rally, Raleigh, North Carolina
Trump made the remark right after saying Saddam Hussein 'killed terrorists' well. House Speaker Paul Ryan and Clinton adviser Jake Sullivan criticized the praise of Hussein, and PolitiFact rated the claim about Hussein Mostly False. He used the phrase again the next day in Cincinnati and, as president, called the region 'the Harvard of terrorists' (Tucker Carlson interview, June 29, 2019) and 'the Harvard University of terror' (Fox Radio, August 29, 2019).
“She wants a 550% increase in Syrian refugees coming into our country. Again, we don't know who they are. Where do they come from? This could be the all time great version modern day of the Trojan Horse, folks. Remember that, the Trojan Horse.”
· Campaign rally, Greensboro, North Carolina
Trump first used the 'Trojan Horse' line about refugees in a speech in Manchester, New Hampshire, on June 13, 2016, the day after the Orlando nightclub shooting. In that speech he said refugees' children were being 'radicalized.' He repeated it in Ashburn, Virginia (August 8) and Phoenix (August 31), where he called it 'the all time great Trojan Horse.' The January 2017 executive order suspended the U.S. refugee program for 120 days and barred Syrian refugees indefinitely.
“But we're building a wall. He's a Mexican. We're building a wall between here and Mexico. The answer is, he is giving us very unfair rulings, rulings that people can't even believe.”
· CNN interview with Jake Tapper
Curiel, born in East Chicago, Indiana, to parents who came from Mexico, was presiding over fraud lawsuits against Trump University. Trump repeated the point in other interviews that week, saying 'this judge is of Mexican heritage.' On June 7, 2016, House Speaker Paul Ryan called it 'the textbook definition of a racist comment,' according to AP. Trump did not retract it. In November 2016 he agreed to a $25 million settlement of the Trump University cases.
“Well, I think the only card she has is the woman's card. She's got nothing else going. And frankly, if Hillary Clinton were a man, I don't think she'd get 5% of the vote. The only thing she's got going is the woman's card, and the beautiful thing is women don't like her.”
· Primary-night victory speech, Trump Tower, New York
Trump said it on the night he won five Northeastern primaries. On NBC's Today on April 28 he repeated that 'without the woman's card Hillary wouldn't even be a viable person to even run for a city council position.' He kept using the line in later interviews, including CNN's New Day on May 9.
“The answer is that there has to be some form of punishment.”
· MSNBC town hall with Chris Matthews, Wisconsin
Matthews pressed Trump on whether women should be punished if abortion were illegal. Trump said yes and added, 'I have not determined what the punishment' would be. Anti-abortion groups criticized the remark. That afternoon his campaign put out two statements. The second said doctors who perform abortions, not women, would be held responsible, and both said his 'position has not changed.' On Fox News Sunday on April 3 he said the question had been a hypothetical and that 'it's the doctor's fault or whoever performs the act.'
“Why is this reporter touching me as I leave news conference? What is in her hand??”
· Twitter
On March 29, 2016, Jupiter, Florida police charged campaign manager Corey Lewandowski with simple battery over grabbing Fields' arm at a March 8 event. Trump tweeted that 'Look at tapes-nothing there!' and that she 'changed her tune' once she learned there was video. At a CNN town hall that night he said she 'is not a baby.' On Hannity on April 4 he asked whether she had quit or been fired. On April 14 the Palm Beach County state attorney declined to prosecute. He said the evidence would not support a conviction, though it was legally sufficient for the arrest.
“Lyin' Ted Cruz just used a picture of Melania from a G.Q. shoot in his ad. Be careful, Lyin' Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife!”
· Twitter
The threat followed an ad from the anti-Trump super PAC Make America Awesome that used a GQ photo of Melania Trump. The Cruz campaign said it had no connection to the PAC. Late on March 23, Trump retweeted a supporter's side-by-side of an unflattering photo of Heidi Cruz and a glamour shot of Melania, captioned 'A picture is worth a thousand words.' Ted Cruz called him a 'sniveling coward' and said 'Leave Heidi the hell alone.' Trump defended the image at a CNN town hall on March 29 ('I thought it was a nice picture of Heidi'). On Fox News Sunday on April 3 he said 'I could have done without the retweet,' and he told Maureen Dowd that 'it was a mistake' and that 'if I had to do it again, I wouldn't have sent it.'
“"Oh shut up, silly woman," said the reptile with a grin "You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in. Does that makes sense to anybody? Does that make any sense?”
· Campaign rally, Cedar Falls, Iowa
Trump introduced the lyrics, from a song recorded by Al Wilson, by saying 'we have a little situation that could be a Trojan horse,' citing the New Year's Eve assaults in Cologne, Germany. He kept reading it as president, dedicating it to the Border Patrol and ICE in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on April 29, 2017. He used it again at CPAC in 2018, in Manchester, New Hampshire, in February 2020, and throughout the 2024 campaign. On October 3, 2026, in Vandalia, Ohio, he dedicated it to Springfield and said: 'That's what happened at our border.' The family of songwriter Oscar Brown Jr. has been reported to object to his use of it.
“You go to Brussels -- I was in Brussels a long time ago, 20 years ago, so beautiful, everything is so beautiful -- it's like living in a hellhole right now.”
· Fox Business interview with Maria Bartiromo
Asked about his proposed ban on Muslims entering the U.S., Trump said places like Brussels and Paris had 'no assimilation.' Brussels residents answered with the hashtag #hellhole, and city alderman Geoffroy Coomans called him a buffoon, CBS News reported. After the March 22, 2016 Brussels bombings he repeatedly cited the remark, saying in Rochester, New York on April 10, 2016, 'I said Brussels is a total hellhole.' Protesters cited it when he visited Brussels as president in May 2017.
“She was favored to win and she got schlonged, she lost. ... I know where she went. It's disgusting, I don't want to talk about it.”
· Campaign rally, DeltaPlex Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Trump used the Yiddish slang word for penis to describe Clinton's 2008 primary loss to Barack Obama. He also mocked her for coming back late from a restroom break at the December 19 Democratic debate. Clinton spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri wrote that 'everyone who understands the humiliation this degrading language inflicts on all women should' respond. Jeb Bush said Trump's language was hurting the Republican Party. On December 22 Trump tweeted: '"Schlonged" is not vulgar. When I said Hillary got "schlonged" that meant beaten badly.'
“Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on. We have no choice. We have no choice. According to Pew Research, among others, there is a great hatred toward Americans by large segments of the Muslim population.”
· Campaign rally, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (read from a campaign statement issued the same day)
The proposal came five days after the San Bernardino shooting. Republican rivals objected: Jeb Bush called Trump 'unhinged,' and Ted Cruz said 'that is not my policy,' according to AP. On January 27, 2017, a week into his term, Trump signed Executive Order 13769. It suspended refugee admissions, barred Syrian refugees indefinitely, and paused entry from seven Muslim-majority countries. At the signing he said he was 'establishing new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out.' After two revisions, the Supreme Court upheld a third version in Trump v. Hawaii (June 2018).
“She's back there. Little Katy. She's back there. What a lie it was. No, what a lie -- Katy Tur. What a lie it was from NBC to have written that.”
· Campaign rally, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Trump singled Tur out by name from the stage at the rally, while she was in the press area at the back. At a Doral, Florida press conference on July 27, 2016 he asked her, 'Are you Katy Turek of NBC? It's a disguise.' The quote here is from the Factba.se transcript, which says only that Trump was disputing an NBC story he called false; that story has not been identified for this entry.
“Hey. I watched when the World Trade Center came tumbling down. And I watched in Jersey City, New Jersey where thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down. Thousands of people were cheering.”
· Campaign rally, Birmingham, Alabama
Trump made the claim at a rally while arguing for surveillance of mosques. The next day he told ABC's George Stephanopoulos the cheering came from areas with 'large Arab populations.' PolitiFact rated the claim Pants on Fire on November 22, 2015, finding no video or reporting of mass celebrations. Jersey City's mayor said Trump 'has memory issues or willfully distorts the truth.' Trump stood by the claim.
“Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?! I mean, she's a woman, and I'm not s'posedta say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?”
· Rolling Stone profile by Paul Solotaroff
Trump said it while watching Fiorina on television aboard his plane after a rally in Hampton, New Hampshire. Rolling Stone published the quote on September 9, 2015. He then told CNN's 'New Day', 'I'm not talking about looks. I'm talking about persona.' On Fox News, Fiorina said that 'maybe, just maybe, I'm getting under his skin a little bit because I am climbing in the polls.'
Trump made the remark during his primary campaign. The next day Klum posted a short video in which a man in a Trump mask rips a '10' off her shirt to reveal '9.99.' It ended with the hashtag #HeidiTrumpsTrump.
“I refuse to call Megyn Kelly a bimbo, because that would not be politically correct. Instead I will only call her a lightweight reporter!”
· Twitter
Hours after the August 6, 2015 debate, Trump's account retweeted a user who wrote: 'Fox viewers give low marks to bimbo @MegynKelly will consider other programs!' That night he also tweeted that Kelly 'really bombed.' Over the next months he called her 'lightweight' (September 23, 2015) and 'highly overrated.' On January 27, 2016, the day after he said he would skip the Fox News debate she was co-moderating, he posted the 'I refuse to call Megyn Kelly a bimbo' tweet quoted above.
“You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.”
· CNN Tonight with Don Lemon
The day after Kelly asked him at the first Republican debate about his insults toward women, Trump told CNN she had asked 'all sorts of ridiculous questions.' RedState editor Erick Erickson withdrew his invitation to speak at the RedState Gathering in Atlanta, citing a lack of decency, and invited Kelly to fill the slot. On August 8 Trump tweeted that he had meant 'NOSE.' He returned to the remark at a Colorado Springs rally on July 29, 2016, again saying 'I was talking about her nose.'
· First Republican primary debate, Cleveland (Fox News)
Moderator Megyn Kelly asked Trump: 'You've called women you don't like "fat pigs," "dogs," "slobs" and "disgusting animals."' He cut in with 'Only Rosie O'Donnell,' which drew laughter. Kelly replied, 'For the record, it was well beyond Rosie O'Donnell,' and Trump answered that 'the big problem this country has is being politically correct.' He brought O'Donnell up again at the September 26, 2016 presidential debate: 'I said very tough things to her, and I think everybody would agree that she deserves it and nobody feels sorry for her.'
“When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
· Presidential campaign announcement, Trump Tower, New York
Trump made the remark in the speech launching his 2016 presidential campaign. He did not retract it; he repeated the line nearly word for word in a Barbara Walters interview for ABC on November 20, 2015. Univision dropped the Miss USA pageant, and on June 29, 2015 NBC said it was ending its business relationship with Trump and would not air the Miss USA or Miss Universe pageants, citing his remarks about Mexican immigrants. Mexican broadcaster Televisa said Mexico would not send a contestant to Miss Universe. He repeated the line on ABC on November 20, 2015, and in 2024 and 2025 said other countries were 'not sending their best.'
“Our great African American president hasn't exactly had a positive impact on the thugs who are happily and openly destroying Baltimore.”
· Twitter
Trump posted the tweet in the early hours of April 28, 2015, after rioting broke out in Baltimore following the funeral of Freddie Gray, who died of a spinal injury suffered in police custody. CBS Baltimore reported the tweet as a criticism of President Obama. Outlets quote the wording with small variations (some include 'so happily'). On May 1, 2015 he tweeted that billions of dollars had been spent on Baltimore and it was 'still a total mess.'
“If Hillary Clinton can't satisfy her husband what makes her think she can satisfy America #MakeAmericaGreatAgain”
· Twitter (retweet, deleted)
The post went out from Trump's account two months before he announced his campaign. It retweeted another user's comment and was deleted soon after, but screenshots were captured first. A Trump spokesman told Raw Story it was retweeted by 'one of 10 staff members' who handle his social media and that Trump deleted it 'as soon as Mr Trump saw the tweet.' IBTimes reported that Trump did not apologize.
“I'm having a real hard time watching the Academy Awards (so far). The last song was terrible! Kim should sue her plastic surgeon! #Oscars”
· Twitter
Trump tweeted during the March 2, 2014 broadcast, soon after Novak appeared on stage. In an April 2014 Facebook letter she said she knew what Trump and others had said, that the mockery had sent her into a tailspin, and that she would speak out against bullies. On April 18, 2014 Trump tweeted: 'I was always a big fan of Kim Novak and still am—a wonderful actress.'
“It must be a pretty picture, you dropping to your knees.”
· NBC's 'All-Star Celebrity Apprentice'
Trump said it on air in 2013 to contestant Brande Roderick, a former Playboy Playmate. Roderick later supported his campaign and called his remarks 'completely innocent.' Asked about it by CNN's Wolf Blitzer on March 21, 2016, Trump said: 'The dropping to the knees, that was in "The Apprentice."' and argued that politicians 'say far worse' behind closed doors.
“.@cher--I don't wear a "rug"—it's mine. And I promise not to talk about your massive plastic surgeries that didn't work.”
· Twitter
The exchange started after Cher criticized Mitt Romney during the 2012 campaign. On May 11, 2012 Trump had tweeted that '@Cher should stop with the bad plastic surgery and nasty statements about good people running for office.' On Fox News on May 14, 2012 he called her 'lonely,' 'unhappy' and 'somewhat of a loser.'
“While @BetteMidler is an extremely unattractive woman, I refuse to say that because I always insist on being politically correct.”
· Twitter
The tweet followed Midler's jokes about Trump's hair. Two minutes earlier he had tweeted: '.@BetteMidler talks about my hair but I'm not allowed to talk about her ugly face or body --- so I won't. Is this a double standard?' Mic later included the tweets in a list of his attacks on women.
“Robert Pattinson should not take back Kristen Stewart. She cheated on him like a dog & will do it again--just watch. He can do much better!”
· Twitter
Trump kept tweeting about the actress's relationship for weeks. On October 18 he wrote, 'She will cheat again--100 certain.' On October 22: 'Everyone knows I am right that Robert Pattinson should dump Kristen Stewart.' On November 9 he said Pattinson 'took my advice on Kristen Stewart...I hope!' Mic counted eight Trump tweets about Stewart in 2012-2013.
“.@ariannahuff is unattractive both inside and out. I fully understand why her former husband left her for a man- he made a good decision.”
· Twitter
The Daily Beast reported that Trump was upset about a Huffington Post story about him. About an hour later he tweeted: 'Don't think my statement on @ariannahuff was harsh, if you knew her and the phony Huffington Post you would understand--- more to follow.' On August 13, 2013 he called her 'dopey @ariannahuff.'
Attorney Elizabeth Beck told the New York Times and CNN in July 2015 that when she asked for a break in a 2011 deposition to pump breast milk, Trump stood up, went red in the face and called her disgusting before leaving the room. His lawyer, Alan Garten, did not dispute that Trump used the word but said it referred to her pumping in the room. On CNN on July 29, 2015, Trump said: 'She wanted to breast pump in front of me and I may have said that's disgusting, I may have said something else.' He also called her a 'vicious, horrible person.' Beck said she had always planned to pump in private.
“I don't think she's good-looking. ... I think her lips are too big, to be honest with you, they look like too big.”
· The Howard Stern Show
In the same October 2007 appearance, Trump brought up that Jolie had been 'frenching her brother at the Academy Awards' a few years earlier. BuzzFeed News reported that in 2006 he had rated her a five and said she had 'bad skin.' In May 2013 he tweeted that she had 'shown such great bravery' after her preventive mastectomy.
“I mean, just take a look at her, and take a look at that face. I mean, can you imagine her girlfriend having to kiss that every night?”
· The O'Reilly Factor, Fox News
The feud started after O'Donnell criticized Trump on 'The View' over his decision to let Miss USA Tara Conner keep her crown, and said he had gone bankrupt. Trump kept up the attacks for months. He told Imus on January 12, 2007 that 'Rosie is scum. She's garbage.' He told Howard Stern on February 12, 2007, 'You look at that slob.' On Larry King Live on October 15, 2007, he said she 'ate like a pig' at his wedding. On May 10, 2014 he tweeted that she 'just said she felt "shame" at being fat.' In a 2014 People interview, O'Donnell called his attacks 'the most bullying I ever experienced in my life.'
“I've said if Ivanka weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her.”
· ABC's 'The View'
Trump and Ivanka were on The View to promote her stint as a boardroom adviser on 'The Apprentice.' In the same exchange he said, 'she does have a very nice figure.' The audience laughed, and co-host Joy Behar replied, 'Who are you, Woody Allen?' A Trump spokesman said he 'was making fun of himself for his tendency to date younger women.'
“No, she went from being very flat chested. I feel like a person who's flat chested is very hard to be a 10.”
· The Howard Stern Show
Asked by Stern to score the 'Desperate Housewives' actresses from 1 to 10, Trump said Nicollette Sheridan had gone 'from an eight to a solid four.' He called Marcia Cross a 'solid four to five' and asked Stern whether he would go out with her 'or would you turn gay.' The AP put the flat-chested line in its October 2016 list of his remarks about women.
“I just start kissing them. ... And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. ... Grab 'em by the pussy. You can do anything.”
· Access Hollywood bus, NBC Studios lot (hot-mic recording with Billy Bush)
Trump made the remarks to Access Hollywood host Billy Bush on September 16, 2005, before a guest appearance on 'Days of Our Lives.' On the same tape he described a pass at a married woman: 'I moved on her like a bitch.' The Washington Post published the recording on October 7, 2016, a month before the election. That day Trump called it 'locker room banter' and said Bill Clinton had 'said far worse' to him. In an October 8 video he said, 'I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize,' and he apologized again at the October 9 debate. In a late-2022 deposition in E. Jean Carroll's lawsuit, asked whether the statements were true, he said, 'historically, that's true with stars.'
“I'm inspecting because I want to make sure that everything is good.”
· The Howard Stern Show
In an April 2005 interview promoting his pageants, Trump told Stern that as the owner he could go backstage before a show while contestants were getting dressed. CNN's KFile republished the audio in October 2016. Around the same time, former contestants told BuzzFeed News and other outlets that he had walked into dressing rooms, and campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks called those accounts 'totally false.' In the same 2005 interview, asked whether he had slept with contestants, he said: 'It could be a conflict of interest.'
“The fact is it is an inconvenience for a person that is running a business.”
· Dateline NBC
Trump made the remark in a 2004 Dateline segment about Carolyn Kepcher, an Apprentice co-star and Trump Organization executive, who said she waited until she was six months pregnant to tell him. He also called pregnancy 'a wonderful thing for the woman.' NBC News noted in 2016 that the reporter may have used the word 'inconvenience' first, in a question viewers don't hear. When Hillary Clinton cited the quote in June 2016, PolitiFact rated her claim True.
In a September 2004 Stern interview, Stern asked whether he could call Trump's daughter Ivanka 'a piece of ass,' and Trump said 'Yeah.' In October 2006, asked on the show whether she had breast implants, he said: 'She's actually always been very voluptuous.' NBC News reported that in 2006 he also told Stern 'She's got the best body.' CNN's KFile published the audio on October 8, 2016.
“All of the women on 'The Apprentice' flirted with me - consciously or unconsciously. That's to be expected.”
· Book, 'How to Get Rich'
Trump's 2004 book also said it was 'certainly not groundbreaking news' that the women on The Apprentice owed their early wins on the show 'to a very large extent' to their sex appeal. The Associated Press included both passages in its October 9, 2016 list of his remarks about women.
CNN's KFile found the exchange in its 2016 review of about 17 years of Trump's appearances on Stern's radio show. In a 2006 appearance he said he would have 'no problem' dating 24-year-olds. CNN published the clips on October 8, 2016, the day after the Access Hollywood tape came out.
Months after Diana died in August 1997, Stern asked Trump whether he could have 'nailed' her, and Trump answered 'I think I could have,' praising her 'supermodel beauty.' BuzzFeed News reported that in May 2000 he told Stern he would have slept with her 'without even hesitation,' adding that 'she was crazy, but these are minor details.' In 2006 he told Stern that 'other than she was wacky, I think she was close to a 10.'
· Entertainment Tonight Christmas feature, Trump Tower
In 1992 footage filmed for an Entertainment Tonight Christmas feature, Trump, then 46, made the remark about a group of girls BuzzFeed News described as about 10 years old, riding an escalator in Trump Tower. CBS News published the footage in October 2016. BuzzFeed also pointed to a December 1992 Tribune item in which Trump told two girls who said they were 14, 'Just think — in a couple of years, I'll be dating you.'
“It doesn't really matter what (the media) write as long as you've got a young and beautiful piece of ass.”
· Esquire magazine interview
The line comes from a 1991 Esquire interview. The Associated Press put it in an October 9, 2016 list of Trump's remarks about women, published two days after the Access Hollywood tape came out. The original Esquire article was not reviewed for this entry; the wording here is AP's.
“a world ruled by the law of the streets as roving bands of wild criminals roam our neighborhoods, dispensing their own vicious brand of twisted hatred on whomever they encounter”
· Full-page advertisements in New York newspapers
Weeks after the April 1989 assault of a jogger in Central Park, Trump paid for full-page ads in New York newspapers headlined 'Bring Back the Death Penalty. Bring Back Our Police!' The ad also said 'These muggers and murderers' should be 'forced to suffer and, when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes.' The five teenagers later convicted in the case had their convictions vacated years later. In October 2016 Trump told CNN 'They admitted they were guilty,' and on June 18, 2019 he told reporters 'They admitted their guilt,' according to PolitiFact, which found he never apologized.