Donald Trump offered alternative facts about the end of his tenure on Wednesday, prompting critics to pile on with some actual truths.
The former president spoke in Asheville, North Carolina, in what was supposed to be an economic address but ended up including many of his usual tangents and attacks on enemies.
At one point, he spoke at length about the “surging economy” he claims he handed over to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, asserting that “we had some of the greatest periods of economic growth and health that any country has ever seen, I think, probably more than any country has ever seen.”
“You never had it so good. Now you’re not doing so well,” he said.
In January 2021, when Trump left office, the U.S. was experiencing its deadliest month of the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 95,000 lives lost over the course of the month.
Just six days into 2021, a violent mob of Trump’s supporters had laid siege to the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election that he lost.
The unemployment rate was 6.3%, as the nation struggled to recover from the massive job losses of March and April 2020, when Trump was still downplaying COVID-19, casting doubt on government medical advice and suggesting the virus would just “go away.” (The unemployment rate was 4.3% last month).
Journalist Aaron Rupar shared a clip of Trump’s quote. Critics who can remember what life was like at the time shared some memories in return.
In January of 2021, my husband, who worked as an ICU doctor with COVID patients and their families for months, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia
He nearly died several times in the 3 weeks it took for him to come home.
I was never allowed to visit him in the hospital. https://t.co/fpwiG6seL3
— Holly Figueroa O’Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) August 14, 2024
Remember how awesome it was back in 2021 when we were stuck inside our houses during month TEN of a completely bungled response to a pandemic and got to watch Trump’s sycophants try to end democracy on TV?
Truly our golden age. https://t.co/NfjqtPuJsd
— Jay Black (@jayblackisfunny) August 14, 2024
The Harris campaign doesn’t even have to do much with thus one but do an ad with split screens with news reporting from January 2021. https://t.co/emr3f1Yhxq
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) August 14, 2024
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