Donald Trump: Difference between revisions

*{{cite news |last1=Stoddard |first1=Ed |last2=Mfula |first2=Chris |date=January 12, 2018 |title=Africa calls Trump racist after 'shithole' remark |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-immigration-reaction/africa-calls-trump-racist-after-shithole-remark-idUSKBN1F11VC |access-date=October 1, 2019 |work=Reuters}}</ref> In national polling, about half of respondents said that he is racist; a greater proportion believed that he emboldened racists.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 3, 2018 |title=Harsh Words For U.S. Family Separation Policy, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Voters Have Dim View Of Trump, Dems On Immigration |url=https://poll.qu.edu/Poll-Release-Legacy?releaseid=2554 |access-date=July 5, 2018 |work=[[Quinnipiac University Polling Institute]]}}</ref> Several studies and surveys found that racist attitudes fueled his political ascent and were more important than economic factors in determining the allegiance of Trump voters.<ref>{{cite web |last=Lopez |first=German |date=December 15, 2017 |title=The past year of research has made it very clear: Trump won because of racial resentment |url=https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/12/15/16781222/trump-racism-economic-anxiety-study |access-date=January 14, 2018 |work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]}}</ref> Racist and [[Islamophobic]] attitudes are a powerful indicator of support for Trump.{{sfn|Lajevardi|Oskooii|2018}}

Trump has a history of belittling women when speaking to the media and on social media.{{sfn|Rothe|Collins|2019}}<ref name="Shear">{{cite news |last1=Shear |first1=Michael D. |author-link1=Michael D. Shear |last2=Sullivan |first2=Eileen |author-link2=Eileen Sullivan |date=October 16, 2018 |title='Horseface,' 'Lowlife,' 'Fat, Ugly': How the President Demeans Women |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/16/us/politics/trump-women-insults.html |access-date=August 5, 2020 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> He made lewd comments, disparaged women's physical appearances, and referred to them using derogatory epithets.<ref name="Shear" /> At least 25 women publicly [[Donald Trump sexual misconduct allegations|accused him of sexual misconduct]], including rape, kissing without consent, groping, looking under women's skirts, and walking in on naked teenage pageant contestants. He has denied the allegations.<ref name="no26">{{cite news |last=Osborne |first=Lucy |date=September 17, 2020 |title='It felt like tentacles': the women who accuse Trump of sexual misconduct |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/17/amy-dorris-donald-trump-women-who-accuse-sexual-misconduct |access-date=June 6, 2024 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

==== Initial response ====

The first confirmed case of [[COVID-19]] in the U.S. was reported on January&nbsp;20, 2020.{{sfn|Holshue|DeBolt|Lindquist|Lofy|2020}} The outbreak was officially declared a public health emergency by [[United States Secretary of Health and Human Services|Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary]] [[Alex Azar]] on January&nbsp;31, 2020.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hein|first=Alexandria|date=January 31, 2020|title=Coronavirus declared public health emergency in US|url=https://www.foxnews.com/health/coronavirus-declared-public-health-emergency-in-us|access-date=October 2, 2020|work=[[Fox News]]}}</ref>

By mid-March, most global financial markets had [[2020 stock market crash|severely contracted]] in response to the pandemic.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Partington|first1=Richard|last2=Wearden|first2=Graeme|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/mar/09/global-stock-markets-post-biggest-falls-since-2008-financial-crisis|title=Global stock markets post biggest falls since 2008 financial crisis|date=March 9, 2020|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=March 15, 2020}}</ref> On March&nbsp;6, Trump signed the [[Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act]], which provided $8.3&nbsp;billion in emergency funding for federal agencies.<ref>{{cite news|title=Trump signs emergency coronavirus package, injecting $8.3 billion into efforts to fight the outbreak|url=https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/trump-signs-billion-emergency-funding-package-fight-coronavirus-legislation-covid19-020-3-1028972206|work=[[Business Insider]]|first=Gina|last=Heeb|date=March 6, 2020|access-date=October 6, 2021}}</ref> On March&nbsp;11, the [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) recognized COVID-19 as a [[pandemic]],<ref name="WHOpandemic2">{{cite news|url=https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020|title=WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 11 March 2020|date=March 11, 2020|work=[[World Health Organization]]|access-date=March 11, 2020}}</ref> and he announced partial travel restrictions for most of Europe, effective March&nbsp;13.<ref>{{cite news|title=Coronavirus: What you need to know about Trump's Europe travel ban|url=https://www.thelocal.dk/20200312/trump-imposes-travel-ban-from-europe-over-coronavirus-outbreak|work=[[The Local]]|date=March 12, 2020|access-date=October 6, 2021}}</ref> That same day, he gave his first serious assessment of the virus in a nationwide Oval Office address, calling the outbreak "horrible" but "a temporary moment" and saying there was no financial crisis.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-address.html|title=In Rare Oval Office Speech, Trump Voices New Concerns and Old Themes|last1=Karni|first1=Annie|author-link1=Annie Karni|last2=Haberman|first2=Maggie|author-link2=Maggie Haberman|date=March 12, 2020|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 18, 2020}}</ref> On March&nbsp;13, he declared a [[national emergency]], freeing up federal resources.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://cnn.com/2020/03/13/politics/donald-trump-emergency/|title=Trump declares national emergency – and denies responsibility for coronavirus testing failures|last=Liptak|first=Kevin|date=March 13, 2020|work=CNN|access-date=March 18, 2020}}</ref> He claimed that "anybody that wants a test can get a test", despite test availability being severely limited.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://khn.org/news/donald-trumps-wrong-claim-that-anybody-can-get-tested-for-coronavirus/|title=Donald Trump's Wrong Claim That 'Anybody' Can Get Tested For Coronavirus|last=Valverde|first=Miriam|date=March 12, 2020|work=[[Kaiser Health News]]|access-date=March 18, 2020}}</ref>

[[Big lie#Donald Trump's false claims of a stolen election|Trump's false claims]] concerning the 2020 election were commonly referred to as the "[[big lie]]" in the press and by his critics. In May 2021, he and his supporters attempted to co-opt the term, using it to refer to the election itself.<ref>{{cite web|last=Solender|first=Andrew|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2021/05/03/trump-says-hell-appropriate-the-big-lie-to-refer-to-his-election-loss/|title=Trump Says He'll Appropriate 'The Big Lie' To Refer To His Election Loss|work=[[Forbes]]|date=May 3, 2021 |access-date=October 10, 2021}}</ref><ref name="key">{{cite web|last=Wolf|first=Zachary B.|url=https://cnn.com/2021/05/19/politics/donald-trump-big-lie-explainer/|title=The 5 key elements of Trump's Big Lie and how it came to be|work=CNN|date=May 19, 2021 |access-date=October 10, 2021}}</ref> The Republican Party used his false election narrative to justify the [[Republican efforts to restrict voting following the 2020 presidential election|imposition of new voting restrictions]] in its favor.<ref name="key"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Balz|first=Dan|author-link=Dan Balz|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-big-lie-elections-impact/2021/05/29/d7992fa2-c07d-11eb-b26e-53663e6be6ff_story.html|title=The GOP push to revisit 2020 has worrisome implications for future elections|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 29, 2021 |access-date=June 18, 2021}}</ref> As late as July 2022, he was still pressuring state legislators to overturn the 2020 election.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/21/us/politics/trump-wisconsin-election-call.html|title=Trump Recently Urged a Powerful Legislator to Overturn His 2020 Defeat in Wisconsin|last1=Bender|first1=Michael C.|author-link1=Michael C. Bender|last2=Epstein|first2=Reid J.|date=July 20, 2022|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 13, 2022}}</ref>

=== Business activities ===

== Political practice and rhetoric ==

{{Further|Trumpism|Political positions of Donald Trump|Rhetoric of Donald Trump}}

He has a strong [[Trumpism#Christian Trumpism|appeal to evangelical Christian voters]]. He appeals to [[Christian nationalism#United States|Christian nationalists]],{{sfn|Perry|Whitehead|Grubbs|2021|p=229}} and his rallies take on the symbols, rhetoric and agenda of Christian nationalism.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Peter|first=Smith|date=May 18, 2024|title=Jesus is their savior, Trump is their candidate. Ex-president's backers say he shares faith, values|url=https://apnews.com/article/trump-christian-evangelicals-conservatives-2024-election-43f25118c133170c77786daf316821c3|access-date=November 23, 2024|newspaper=The Associated Press|language=en|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

[[File:2017- Donald Trump veracity - composite graph.png|thumb|upright=1.5|[[Fact-checkers]] from ''The Washington Post'',<ref name="database">{{cite news |last1=Kessler |first1=Glenn |author-link1=Glenn Kessler (journalist) |last2=Kelly |first2=Meg |last3=Rizzo |first3=Salvador |last4=Lee |first4=Michelle Ye Hee |author-link4=Michelle Ye Hee Lee |date=January 20, 2021 |title=In four years, President Trump made 30,573 false or misleading claims |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/trump-claims-database/ |access-date=October 11, 2021 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> the ''Toronto Star'',<ref>{{cite web |last=Dale |first=Daniel |author-link=Daniel Dale |date=June 5, 2019 |title=Donald Trump has now said more than 5,000 false things as president |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/analysis/2019/06/05/donald-trump-has-now-said-more-than-5000-false-claims-as-president.html |access-date=October 11, 2021 |work=[[Toronto Star]]}}</ref> and CNN<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dale |first1=Daniel |author-link=Daniel Dale |last2=Subramiam |first2=Tara |date=March 9, 2020 |title=Fact check: Donald Trump made 115 false claims in the last two weeks of February |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/09/politics/fact-check-trump-false-claims-february/index.html |access-date=November 1, 2023 |work=CNN}}</ref> compiled data on "false or misleading claims" (orange background), and "false claims" (violet foreground), respectively.|alt=Chart depicting false or misleading claims made by Trump]]  

Some of Trump's falsehoods were inconsequential, such as his repeated claim of the "[[First inauguration of Donald Trump|biggest inaugural crowd ever]]".<ref>{{cite web |last=Qiu |first=Linda |date=January 21, 2017 |title=Donald Trump had biggest inaugural crowd ever? Metrics don't show it |url=https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2017/jan/21/sean-spicer/trump-had-biggest-inaugural-crowd-ever-metrics-don/ |access-date=March 30, 2018 |work=[[PolitiFact]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Rein |first=Lisa |date=March 6, 2017 |title=Here are the photos that show Obama's inauguration crowd was bigger than Trump's |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/03/06/here-are-the-photos-that-show-obamas-inauguration-crowd-was-bigger-than-trumps/ |access-date=March 8, 2017 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> Others had more far-reaching effects, such as his promotion of antimalarial drugs as an unproven treatment for COVID-19,<ref>{{cite web |last=Wong |first=Julia Carrie |author-link=Julia Carrie Wong |date=April 7, 2020 |title=Hydroxychloroquine: how an unproven drug became Trump's coronavirus 'miracle cure' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/06/hydroxychloroquine-trump-coronavirus-drug |access-date=June 25, 2021 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Spring |first=Marianna |date=May 27, 2020 |title=Coronavirus: The human cost of virus misinformation |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-52731624 |access-date=June 13, 2020 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> causing a U.S. shortage of these drugs and [[panic-buying]] in Africa and South Asia.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rowland |first=Christopher |date=March 23, 2020 |title=As Trump touts an unproven coronavirus treatment, supplies evaporate for patients who need those drugs |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/20/hospitals-doctors-are-wiping-out-supplies-an-unproven-coronavirus-treatment/ |access-date=March 24, 2020 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Parkinson |first1=Joe |last2=Gauthier-Villars |first2=David |date=March 23, 2020 |title=Trump Claim That Malaria Drugs Treat Coronavirus Sparks Warnings, Shortages |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-claim-that-malaria-drugs-treat-coronavirus-sparks-warnings-shortages-11584981897 |url-access=subscription |access-date=March 26, 2020 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref> Other misinformation, such as misattributing a rise in crime in [[England and Wales]] to the "spread of radical Islamic terror", served his domestic political purposes.<ref>{{cite web |last=Zurcher |first=Anthony |date=November 29, 2017 |title=Trump's anti-Muslim retweet fits a pattern |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42171550 |access-date=June 13, 2020 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> His attacks on mail-in ballots and other election practices weakened public faith in the integrity of the 2020 presidential election,<ref>{{cite web |last=Siders |first=David |date=May 25, 2020 |title=Trump sees a 'rigged election' ahead. Democrats see a constitutional crisis in the making. |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/25/donald-trump-rigged-election-talk-fears-274477 |access-date=October 9, 2021 |work=[[Politico]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Riccardi |first=Nicholas |date=September 17, 2020 |title=AP Fact Check: Trump's big distortions on mail-in voting |url=https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-election-2020-ap-fact-check-elections-voting-fraud-and-irregularities-8c5db90960815f91f39fe115579570b4 |access-date=October 7, 2020 |work=[[AP News]]}}</ref> while his disinformation about the pandemic delayed and weakened the national response to it.<ref name="NYT 4 11 20"/><ref name="USAT-Disinfo">{{cite web |last=Guynn |first=Jessica |date=October 5, 2020 |title=From COVID-19 to voting: Trump is nation's single largest spreader of disinformation, studies say |url=https://usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/10/05/trump-covid-19-coronavirus-disinformation-facebook-twitter-election/3632194001/ |access-date=October 7, 2020 |work=[[USA Today]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bergengruen |first1=Vera |last2=Hennigan |first2=W.J. |date=October 6, 2020 |title='You're Gonna Beat It.' How Donald Trump's COVID-19 Battle Has Only Fueled Misinformation |url=https://time.com/5896709/trump-covid-campaign/ |access-date=October 7, 2020 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref> Trump habitually does not apologize for his falsehoods.<ref>{{cite web |last=Allen |first=Jonathan |date=December 31, 2018 |title=Does being President Trump still mean never having to say you're sorry? |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/does-being-president-trump-still-mean-never-having-say-you-n952841 |access-date=June 14, 2020 |work=[[NBC News]]}}</ref>