Trump Lies Again Claiming He Won 2016 Popular Vote

Donald Trump

Citing a conservative group known for spreading false conspiracy theories, Donald Trump again claimed his 2016 electoral was "even bigger than thought" as he accused Google of "manipulating" votes in the last presidential election.

"Wow, Report Just Out! Google manipulated from 2.6 million to 16 million votes for Hillary Clinton in 2016 Election!" Trump tweeted. "This was put out by a Clinton supporter, not a Trump Supporter! Google should be sued. My victory was even bigger than thought!"

Trump tagged Judicial Watch, which has a long history of targeting Democrats via unsubstantiated lawsuits.

However, study after study, investigation after investigation, show that no tangible voter fraud has ever been found, let alone millions and millions of manipulated votes.

As has been well-documented, Hillary Clinton lost the electoral college to Trump 304 to 227. But, due to high population blue states like California and New York, he garnered nearly 3 million more votes than Trump.

My question is: if the election was rigged in Hillary's favor by such powerful interests like Google and Russia (as Trump claims), why isn't she president?

Wow, Report Just Out! Google manipulated from 2.6 million to 16 million votes for Hillary Clinton in 2016 Election! This was put out by a Clinton supporter, not a Trump Supporter! Google should be sued. My victory was even bigger than thought! @JudicialWatch

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2019

Even Hillary Clinton clapped back at the nonsense:

The debunked study you’re referring to was based on 21 undecided voters. For context that’s about half the number of people associated with your campaign who have been indicted. https://t.co/0zHnWvGjSv

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 19, 2019

When I was in my polling station I saw Google walking around pressing buttons on the voting machines. Wondered what he was doing there. 16M you say? So this Google dude manipulated over 1M votes an hour on election day. If he's that fast you should hire him to count your lies.

— "CRAZY" Facts Do Matter (@WilDonnelly) August 19, 2019

This comes in a long string of allegations of election fraud by Trump.

Last week, at a New Hampshire rally, the Donald told his followers that voter fraud was to blame for his losing the Granite State’s four electoral votes in 2016. He told the crowd in Manchester, "It was taken away from us."

And over the weekend, he insinuated to reporters in New Jersey that undocumented immigrants were to blame saying “many, many people voted that shouldn't have been voted,” coming back repeatedly to “some people voted many times.”

But Ellen Weintraub, the chairwoman of the Federal Election Commission, quickly dispatched a letter to Trump calling for him “to provide any evidence” that could back up those statements.

“To put it in terms a former casino operator should understand: There comes a time when you need to lay your cards on the table or fold,” wrote Weintraub.

"Facts matter. And people of America need to be able to believe what their leaders tell them,” Weintraub said Monday.

He'll never get over losing by 3 million votes, even with Russia's help.

— Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) August 19, 2019

Arizona Official Claims Average Life Expectancy Of Gay Men Is 42

Ron Gould (image via YouTube/RonGould)

An elected official in Arizona is getting backlash for telling a local newspaper gay men have a life expectancy of 42 and pointed to sexual orientation as the reason.

Ron Gould, a former Arizona state senator and currently the Mohave County Supervisor, told the Kingman Daily Miner (subscription) that gay men have an average life expectancy of 42. When asked if he believes sexual orientation was the reason for that statement, he said, “That’s why they die.”

He went on to draw a false equivalence between being homosexual and drinking alcohol.

“We all have our sins, but we should try to suppress them,” said Gould, according to the Phoenix New Times. “Alcohol is harmful, too, but we don’t see groups promoting alcoholism.”

Gould also took a swipe at marriage equality in the interview. “It used to be ‘tolerate us,’” he told the newspaper. “Now, it’s ‘accept us.’”

Gould, who served in the Arizona state Senate from 2005 to 2013, was elected to the Mohave County Board of Supervisors in 2018.

#Mohave County #Official Says Being Gay #Kills. Another Blasts 'Signs in #Mexican' https://t.co/IxUa9XftR3 #Arizona #LGBT

— Stonewall Dems AZ (@StonewallDemsAZ) August 12, 2019

Gould didn’t indicate where he got such erroneous information about ‘gay life expectancy,’ but many believe it has to do with a debunked study by anti-LGBTQ activist and pseudo-researcher, Paul Cameron.

In his 1994 study, “The longevity of homosexuals,” Cameron scanned through local newspapers that served the LGBTQ communities for obituaries. At the height of the AIDS epidemic, he added up the ages of the deceased gay men and found an average age of 43.

Cameron was booted out of the American Psychological Association for his vastly flawed research. 

Trump (Again) Claims He Helped At 9/11 Attack Site

At a signing ceremony to permanently authorize the 9/11 victims compensation fund, Donald Trump once again claimed he somehow 'helped' at the World Trade Center site in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

"I was down there also. I don't consider myself a first responder, but I was down there. I spent a lot of time down there with you."

The Washington Post has already debunked this myth: "While Trump did visit the site a couple of days after the attack and did some interviews, there is no evidence that he got down to help clear rubble, which people would certainly have remembered."

Trump suggests that he was a 9/11 First Responder pic.twitter.com/cFnVkV3wru

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 29, 2019

Trump was not "down there" during 9/11 with first responders, and the only role he played was bragging on TV that he now had the biggest building in NY once the towers fell. Oh and lying about how American Muslims reacted to 9/11. https://t.co/5ZMyudJG4l

— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) July 29, 2019

This has long been proven false. What's more, everything we know about Trump is that his cowardliness would prevent him going toward danger to help anyone. Trump DID, however, take money from the 9/11 business fund and claimed he saw Muslims celebrating the attacks.

— Victoria Brownworth 🏳️‍🌈 (@VABVOX) July 29, 2019

"I was down there also, but I'm not considering myself a first responder," Trump told 9/11 responders at WH today.

Fact check: Trump was near Ground Zero in days after 9/11, claiming he had "100s of men" working to clear rubble, a claim 9/11 responders called dubious

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) July 29, 2019

I was in NYC on 9/11. He was calling in to TV shows, bragging that now he had the tallest building in downtown Manhattan. I’ll never forget it. https://t.co/AEwQyftRYW

— kristen johnston (@thekjohnston) July 29, 2019

Liar: After Followers Chant "Send Her Back" Trump Says He Disagreed With It & Tried To Stop It

Donald Trump

At last night's campaign rally, Donald Trump whipped up the crowd to such a frenzy, they began chanting "Send her back," referring to Rep. Ilhan Omar.

Trump claims he "disagreed it," and tried to stop the chant saying he began speaking "very quickly."

But if you watch the video, 13 long seconds of chanting goes by before he continues speaking. And when he does, it isn't to admonish the racist chant.

We do have video recordings, you know...

President Trump said he tried to stop his supporters' chants of "send her back" after he railed against the congresswoman Ilhan Omar. But video from last night's rally contradicts him. Read more: https://t.co/sBEQr2Sa5O pic.twitter.com/pDGpfd75P5

— New York Times Video (@nytvideo) July 18, 2019

Rep. Omar responded to the news of the chant by tweeting a quote from author Maya Angelou:

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

-Maya Angelou https://t.co/46jcXSXF0B

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 18, 2019

👋🏽 I am where I belong, at the people’s house and you’re just gonna have to deal! pic.twitter.com/W0OvDXGxQX

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 18, 2019

I asked the President why he didn't stop the "send her back" chants from his supporters last night.

"I think i did," he answered. "I started speaking quickly. I disagree with it by the way."

Fact: the chant went on for 13 seconds before he started speaking again.

— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) July 18, 2019

A chant like “Send her back!” is ugly and dangerous, and it is the inevitable consequence of President Trump’s demagoguery. This is how history’s worst episodes begin. We must not allow this man to take us to such a place.

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) July 18, 2019

HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED:

- Trump begins diatribe against Omar

- Crowd starts chanting, "Send her back!"

- Trump nods, pauses so chant can continue

- Someone tells Trump leading a white nationalist rally is a bridge to far

- Trump lies, says he tried to stop the chant pic.twitter.com/MlMDyjvtOM

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) July 18, 2019

Trump On Airport Gaffe: "The Teleprompter Went Kaput"

Donald Trump during his July 4th speech

Earlier today, I reported on Donald Trump's embarrassing gaffe during his July 4th speech where he referenced the Continental Army taking over "the airports" during the Revolutionary War.

Here's the quote from his speech:

"The Continental Army suffered a bitter winner at Valley Forge, found glory across the waters of the Delaware and seized victory from Cornwallis of Yorktown. Our Army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do."

President Trump: "The Continental Army suffered a bitter winner at Valley Forge, found glory across the waters of the Delaware and seized victory from Cornwallis of Yorktown. Our Army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do." pic.twitter.com/KQIGDUWDG3

— The Hill (@thehill) July 5, 2019

This afternoon, Trump explained the mistake saying the teleprompter "went kaput" so he kept going on his own explaining he "knew the speech very well."

"I guess the rain knocked out the teleprompter," he added. "It was actually hard to look at anyway, 'cause it was rain all over."

So, the Donald is basically explaining that, without a teleprompter, he can't help but say stupid things?

He says he knew the speech very well - so, does that mean the 'airport' comment was in the original text of the speech?

"It went kaput," President Trump said, blaming a faulty teleprompter for his erroneous statement about airports in his #July4th address. https://t.co/ynvnEUO3c5

— Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) July 5, 2019

Remember when the Donald chided President Obama and Hillary Clinton for using teleprompters?

As we've learned over the past few years,... there's always a tweet:

Why does @BarackObama always have to rely on teleprompters?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 19, 2012

Bad performance by Crooked Hillary Clinton! Reading poorly from the telepromter! She doesn't even look presidential!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 2, 2016

Swampity Swamp Swamp: 'Donated' Fireworks From Company That Lobbied White House On Tariffs

Donald Trump

When someone does you a favor, it is appropriate to send a gift, I guess.

From ABC News:

President Donald Trump's Fourth of July celebration will feature $750,000 of donated fireworks from an Ohio retailer who has lobbied the White House against expanded tariffs on Chinese imports.

And last week, the same day the donation was announced, the company -- Phantom Fireworks of Youngstown, Ohio -- got what it wanted: Trump decided to hold off on his threatened $300 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods, which include fireworks.

"This is another example of how private companies attempt use their money to influence the government by stroking the president's ego," said Jordan Libowitz with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonpartisan watchdog group.

The cost of our great Salute to America tomorrow will be very little compared to what it is worth. We own the planes, we have the pilots, the airport is right next door (Andrews), all we need is the fuel. We own the tanks and all. Fireworks are donated by two of the greats. Nice!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 3, 2019

Newsweek reports the owners of Phantom Fireworks, the largest consumer fireworks retailer in the country, are registered Democrats but voted in the 2016 Ohio Republican primary.

That said, they got their reprieve from tariffs, and are now donating to Trump's ego rally.

You do the math.

Trump Endorsement Ads Use Stock Video Footage Of Actors

This is not a Trump supporter (screen capture via iStockPhoto)

In an effort to boost Donald Trump's standing with certain demographics (like women, Hispanics and younger voters), the Trump campaign has produced video endorsements now running on Facebook and Google.

One, for example, gives us "Tracey," a young blond woman, walking down the beach, while a voiceover (which a viewer would assume is Tracey) says, "President Trump is doing a great job. I could not ask for a better president of the United States of American."

But here's the thing: "Tracey" is actually a stock video clip anyone can buy at iStockPhoto.com.

(click image to enlarge)

Anyone watching the campaign ad would assume "Tracey" is a real Trump supporter.

This is literally "fake news."

There is a disclaimer on the campaign ad - "Actor portrayal. Actual testimonial" - but the disclaimer only shows for a brief period and is in a tiny font size.

There are additional videos featuring a young, bearded hipster and a Hispanic man.

The Trump campaign wants you to believe these stock footage models are MAGA supporters pic.twitter.com/SM916mGW3b

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 3, 2019

Trump: White House Counsel Don McGahn Lied To Mueller

Donald Trump

In a newly-released segment from ABC News, Donald Trump says he was never going to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller during the two-year investigation.

When George Stephanopolous notes Trump's own White House counsel Don McGahn testified under oath that Trump said in private that he wanted Mueller gone, Trump shuts George down saying McGahn lied.

Via Politico:

President Donald Trump is challenging his former White House counsel’s testimony to Robert Mueller, asserting that he never even so much as suggested firing the special counsel. In an interview with ABC News, the president suggested that Don McGahn told Mueller of Trump’s supposed directive that he be fired in order to save face.

“The story on that very simply, No. 1, I was never going to fire Mueller. I never suggested firing Mueller,” Trump said. Pressed on why McGahn would have told Mueller’s team during his more than 30 hours of voluntary interviews of the multiple times the president sought to have the special counsel removed, Trump pushed back.

“I don’t care what he says, it doesn’t matter,” he argued. “That was to show everyone what a good counsel he was.”

Note how Trump cuts George off - "...Excuse me..."

EXCLUSIVE: Pres. Trump tells @GStephanopoulos he never suggested firing special counsel Robert Mueller—and what ex-White House counsel Don McGahn told Mueller “doesn’t matter." https://t.co/KcBTRmDQHH pic.twitter.com/wG3z1TqJIw

— ABC News (@ABC) June 14, 2019

Trump claims his former White House counsel Don McGhan lied under oath - will McGhan allow his reputation to be destroyed by this or will he stand up? https://t.co/HFPBhbMsRU

— (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) June 14, 2019

Trump continues to bash McGahn - even suggesting he lied under oath to Mueller - even as McGahn is defying a congressional subpoena to testify and provide records at the direction of the White House https://t.co/oWf2vmIMSs

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 14, 2019

This exchange demonstrates why Trump’s lawyers didn’t let him testify under oath. Trump contradicts former White House Counsel Don McGahn, who is corroborated by other evidence, and claims McGahn made it up because he wanted to look like a good lawyer. pic.twitter.com/s9OQ8MaRjc

— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) June 14, 2019

Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead - Sarah Huckabee Sanders Announces White House Departure

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Donald Trump tweeted today that White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will depart the White House at the end of June and return to her home state of Arkansas.

After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2019

....She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2019

Sanders has defended Trump's obvious lies since 2016. Out of frustration, she basically ended the practice of holding White House press briefings.

The reaction from the Twitterverse was exactly what you'd expect:

Sarah Sanders once told the press she hopes people remember her as “transparent and honest.”

Sadly, I don’t think that one’s gonna happen. 👋

— Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) June 13, 2019

Possible replacements for Sarah Sanders...

- Tomi Lahren
- Scott Baio
- A bedazzled Swastika
- A Gallon Ziplock bag full of dog shit
- The curly hair gun girl in the beige leotard
- A MAGA hat full of dildos
- Kid Rock
- Diamond
- Silk
- A Bible signed by Trump

— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) June 13, 2019

Before Sarah Sanders leaves...

Let me tell her one thing...

Go fuck yourself, you lying horrible human being.

Ok I feel better.

— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) June 13, 2019

Donald Trump is looking for a new Press Secretary.

Job Description: Professional Liar https://t.co/2SiQiAHN5b

— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) June 13, 2019

But now who's going to not hold press briefings?

— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) June 13, 2019

Sarah Huckabee Sanders handled her job like a drunk person at a traffic stop denying she's in a car at all.

— Louis Virtel (@louisvirtel) June 13, 2019

Sarah Sanders is ending her tenure as chief gaslighter.

Throughout her time as Press Secretary, she has blatantly lied to the people on behalf of a President who has shown an unprecedented disregard for America's laws, norms, and basic sense of decency.

History won't be kind.

— Rantt Media (@RanttMedia) June 13, 2019

Trump Tells Aides To Deny His Own Polling Showing Him Trailing 6 Democrats

Donald Trump

No surprise, but when Donald Trump gets bad news - even from inside his own campaign - he just jumps over to Earth 2 and lives in his own reality.

From the New York Times:

After being briefed on a devastating 17-state poll conducted by his campaign pollster, Tony Fabrizio, Mr. Trump told aides to deny that his internal polling showed him trailing Mr. Biden in many of the states he needs to win, even though he is also trailing in public polls from key states like Texas, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

And when top-line details of the polling leaked, including numbers showing the president lagging in a cluster of critical Rust Belt states, Mr. Trump instructed aides to say publicly that other data showed him doing well.

Trump then took to Twitter to lie saying his internal polling shows "the best numbers WE have ever had."

.....The Fake (Corrupt) News Media said they had a leak into polling done by my campaign which, by the way and despite the phony and never ending Witch Hunt, are the best numbers WE have ever had. They reported Fake numbers that they made up & don’t even exist. WE WILL WIN AGAIN!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2019

In reality, a new Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday showed Trump trailing six Democratic White House hopefuls nationally:

In hypothetical head-to-head matchups, former Vice President Joe Biden trumped Trump by 13 points, 53 percent to 40 percent.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) beat Trump 51 percent to Trump's 42 percent.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) ahead of Trump 49 percent to 41 percent.

Sen. Elizabeth Warrant (D-MA) up 49 percent to Trump's 42 percent.

Both Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Cory Booker (N-NJ) topped Trump by 5 points, 47 percent to 42 percent.

Donald Trump Averages 12 Lies A Day

Donald Trump

After fact-checking and crunching the numbers, the Washington Post reports that Donald Trump has averaged 12 lies a day since taking office.

Whether you want to call them outright lies, exaggerations or unfounded boasts, the current occupant of the Oval Office has some serious issues with the truth.

As of June 7, his 869th day in office, the president has made 10,796 false or misleading claims, according to the Fact Checker’s database that analyzes, categorizes and tracks every suspect statement the president has uttered.

The president crossed the 10,000 threshold on April 26, and he has been averaging about 16 fishy claims a day since then. From the start of his presidency, he has averaged about 12 such claims a day.

About one-fifth of these claims are about immigration, his signature issue — a percentage that has grown since the government shut down over funding for his promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. In fact, his most repeated claim — 172 times — is that his border wall is being built. Congress balked at funding the concrete barrier he envisioned, so he has tried to pitch bollard fencing and repairs of existing barriers as “a wall.”

.@realDonaldTrump has made 10,796 false or misleading claims over 869 days - and the pace is picking up.

Since crossing the 10,000-lie mark, Trump is now averaging 16 lies per day. #FightForTruth https://t.co/M9AsUbkuAA

— PEN America (@PENamerican) June 11, 2019

Trump lies about EVERYTHING (from polls to firing Mueller) -- and the dupes at Fox, in rightwing media and R's take him at face value. https://t.co/wPKuEmxSyM

— Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) June 11, 2019

Trump Claims Trans Soldiers 'Take Massive Amounts Of Drugs'

Donald Trump, currently on a three-day state visit to the UK, defended his ban on transgender soldiers in the U.S. military by lying about the ‘massive’ cost of hormone treatment.

Trump sat down with his old pal and former winner of Celebrity Apprentice, Piers Morgan, on iTV’s Good Morning Britainto chat for an hour on a range of subjects.

While mentioning the president's recent tweet acknowledging Pride Month, Morgan wondered how the same Donald Trump could also support the new military policy that went into effect April 12 that bans anyone who is openly transgender or has transitioned from joining the military.

Only service members who were already enlisted, and diagnosed with gender dysphoria prior to the new policy, may serve in the military openly as their gender identity.

“They take massive amounts of drugs, they have to, and you’re not allowed to take drugs, you’re in the military, you take an aspirin,” defended Trump. “And they have to after the operation, they have to, they have no choice.”

The president, who famously avoided serving in the military himself, went on to claim that taking hormone treatment would “break rules and regulations.”

'You have to have a standard and you have to stick by that standard.'

The POTUS defends his decision to ban transgender people from serving in the military.@piersmorgan | #GMBTrump pic.twitter.com/heBUjhwiUH

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) June 5, 2019

He also complained about “massive amounts of people” enlisting and then transitioning during their service in order to get free surgical procedures.

“Massive amounts of people going in and then asking for the operation, and the operation is $200,000, $250,000, and they have to take large amounts of drugs for that for whatever reason, large amounts, and you can’t do that,” explained the president.

However, Trump’s statement about the costs for transgender medical care is patently false.

According to MilitaryTimes, the Pentagon spent $8 million on transgender health care since 2016. That figure represents a tiny fraction of the military’s $50 billion health care budget.

And while Trump finds $8 million for trans soldiers' healthcare to be untenable, he doesn’t seem to mind the $84.2 million the defense department spent in one year on erectile dysfunction medications.

When Morgan mentioned this fact, the Trumpster claimed he didn’t know that.

“It is what it is,” Trump replied.

Morgan tried to point out that many trans military members have been honored with medals for valor and achievement, but Trump didn't care.

“I’m proud of them, I think that’s great,” said Trump, brushing the comment aside. “But you have to have a standard, and you have to stick by that standard, and we have a great military and I want to keep it that way.”

Trump Pretends UK Protesters Showed Up To Support Him

You can barely see any protesters, huh?

Donald Trump, once again living in his own private reality, told his followers he "kept hearing" about "massive" rallies protesting his visit to London, but claims everyone was there to support him.

#liar

Check out his tweet followed by video footage of the protests:

I kept hearing that there would be “massive” rallies against me in the UK, but it was quite the opposite. The big crowds, which the Corrupt Media hates to show, were those that gathered in support of the USA and me. They were big & enthusiastic as opposed to the organized flops!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2019

“Say it loud, say it clear, Donald Trump’s not welcome here”pic.twitter.com/wdokaa1rXD

— Ryan Hill (@RyanHillMI) June 5, 2019

Wow such a tiny crowd of anti-Trump protestors!

How embarrassing!

You can barely see them!pic.twitter.com/PXfKSx7IDW

— Ryan Hill (@RyanHillMI) June 5, 2019

We lined the streets across the country to tell you to fuck off not welcome you#TrumpNotWelcome #TrumpUKVisit pic.twitter.com/vnUaG8UiVI

— Heather Paterson 🏳️‍🌈 🧜‍♀️ (@heatherpaterson) June 5, 2019

Trump's Golf Habit Has Now Cost US Taxpayers Over $102 Million

Donald Trump

We all remember Donald Trump's campaign promise to never play golf if he were to be elected president.

Back in 2016, he repeatedly said he wouldn't have time to play golf. In fact, he told voters he would probably never leave the White House because he'd be so busy working for the American people.

“I love golf, but if I were in the White House, I don’t think I’d ever see Turnberry again. I don’t think I’d ever see Doral again,” he told supporters at a rally in February 2016. “I don’t ever think I’d see anything. I just want to stay in the White House and work my ass off.”

And yet,... it didn't really turn out that way.

Wednesday is the 853rd day of the Trump presidency, and the Donald has spent 174 of them at one of his own golf courses, according to Huffpost.

By Obama’s 853rd day in office, he had spent 70 days at a golf course. Huffpost reports of those golf days were at courses on military bases: Joint Base Andrews or Fort Belvoir, both in suburban Washington a short motorcade ride from the White House.

Can you believe that,with all of the problems and difficulties facing the U.S., President Obama spent the day playing golf.Worse than Carter

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 14, 2014

Huffpost crunched the numbers and the Donald's golf habit has cost U.S. taxpayers over $102 million in extra travel and security expenses.

And next month, his hobby will pass a new milestone: a seven-figure presidential visit to another country so he can play at his own course.

U.S. taxpayers have spent $81 million for the president’s two dozen trips to Florida, according to a HuffPost analysis. They spent $17 million for his 15 trips to New Jersey, another $1 million so he could visit his resort in Los Angeles and at least $3 million for his two days in Scotland last summer ― $1.3 million of which went just for rental cars for the massive entourage that accompanies a president abroad.

While Trump criticized President Obama for playing golf during his administration, Trump's time on the links is more than double Obama's when compared to this point in each presidency.

According to Huffpost, that $102 million spent on Trump’s presidential golfing so far is:

• 255 times the annual presidential salary he volunteered not to take

• More than three times the cost of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation that Trump complains about

• Would fund six years of the Special Olympics program that Trump’s recently proposed budget had originally cut to save money

Federal Judge Upholds Congressional Subpoena For Trump Financial Records

Donald Trump 

A federal judge ruled today that Congress has the right to subpoena Donald Trump's financial records from accounting firm Mazars USA.

Via Politico:

U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta’s ruling delivers a striking blow to the president’s efforts to resist Democratic investigations, and is certain to give Democrats further legal basis to investigate Trump, his finances, and his presidential campaign.

In addition to upholding the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s subpoena to accounting firm Mazars USA for eight years of Trump’s financial records, Mehta took the extra step of denying the president’s request for a stay pending appeal.

Jay Sekulow, one of the president’s personal attorneys, said: “We will be filing a timely notice of appeal to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.”

Speaking with reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump called Mehta’s ruling “ridiculous” and “totally wrong.”

The subpoena is part of an investigation into whether Trump committed crimes related to his finances before becoming president.

The House Oversight Committee is looking to corroborate statements made by Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, regarding Trump artificially inflating and deflating the values of his assets to suit his personal financial benefit.

Meme Of The Day: "How Sad It Must Be..."

(via Twitter/Christophurious)

Meme Of The Day

(image via Facebook)

White House Asked Former Trump Lawyer Twice To Say He Didn't Obstruct Justice

Donald Trump

The New York Times is reporting that Don McGahn, Donald Trump's first White House counsel, was asked by Trump administration officials on two separate occasions to publicly say he didn't believe Trump obstructed the Mueller investigation.

Mr. Trump asked White House officials to make the request to Mr. McGahn, who was the president’s first White House counsel, one of the people said. Mr. McGahn declined. His reluctance angered the president, who believed that Mr. McGahn showed disloyalty by telling investigators for the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, about Mr. Trump’s attempts to maintain control over the Russia investigation.

The White House made one of the requests to Mr. McGahn’s lawyer, William A. Burck, before the Mueller report was released publicly but after the Justice Department gave a copy to Mr. Trump’s lawyers in the preceding days. Reading the report, the president’s lawyers saw that Mr. Mueller left out that Mr. McGahn had told investigators that he believed the president never obstructed justice. Mr. Burck had told them months earlier about his client’s belief on the matter and that he had shared it with investigators.

Mr. McGahn initially entertained the White House request. “We did not perceive it as any kind of threat or something sinister,” Mr. Burck said in a statement. “It was a request, professionally and cordially made.”

A White House spokeswoman did not respond to a message seeking comment.

White House officials made a second request a few days after the release of the Mueller report. McGahn demurred again.

More from Trump World:

• Rudy Giuliani has called off his previously announced trip to Ukraine where he planned to encourage an investigation regarding former Vice President Joe Biden's son. The move was seen as another attempt by the Trump campaign to seek help from a foreign country.

• The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Richard E. Neal, subpoenaed the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service for six years of Mr. Trump’s personal and business tax returns.

• Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are pursuing testimony from Special Counsel Robert Mueller, but an official date has not been agreed to.

NY Times Obtains 10 Years Of Trump Taxes

Donald Trump

The New York Times has reportedly obtained printouts from Donald Trump’s "official Internal Revenue Service tax transcripts, with the figures from his federal tax form, the 1040, for the years 1985 to 1994."

It may come as no surprise that the Donald was not nearly as successful as he has touted for years.

In fact, in the years leading up to his 1987 book, The Art of the Deal, which purported Trump to be a self-made billionaire, he was hemorrhaging millions and millions of dollars.

From the New York Times:

The numbers show that in 1985, Mr. Trump reported losses of $46.1 million from his core businesses — largely casinos, hotels and retail space in apartment buildings. They continued to lose money every year, totaling $1.17 billion in losses for the decade.

In fact, year after year, Mr. Trump appears to have lost more money than nearly any other individual American taxpayer, The Times found when it compared his results with detailed information the I.R.S. compiles on an annual sampling of high-income earners. His core business losses in 1990 and 1991 — more than $250 million each year — were more than double those of the nearest taxpayers in the I.R.S. information for those years.

Over all, Mr. Trump lost so much money that he was able to avoid paying income taxes for eight of the 10 years. It is not known whether the I.R.S. later required changes after audits.

The Times goes on to note that one maneuver Trump would use to stay afloat was to acquire company shares with borrowed money, then publicly announce he was considering a takeover. Once the stock price would bump up, he would quietly sell his shares. The Times reports Trump reported $67.3 million in such stock gains from 1986 through 1989. However, savvy stock watchers eventually stopped taking his takeover announcements seriously.

Trump’s lawyer, Charles Harder, said in a statement that the tax information was false but didn't point out any specific errors, according to the Times. He reportedly told the newspaper that IRS transcripts “are notoriously inaccurate.”

Of course, the good news is Trump's people can clear up any inaccuracies by providing the actual tax returns which would show the Trumpster to be all that he's claimed to be all these years, right?

By the way - yes, there's a Trump tweet for everything. This one from 2012 didn't age too well, did it?

HALF of Americans don't pay income tax despite crippling govt debt...http://t.co/gDAUj0Kt

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 23, 2012

This scolding is doubly delicious now that everyone knows:

(1) Trump doesn't pay income tax; and

(2) He just slapped $22,000,000,000,000+ of crippling govt debt on America's Chinese VISA card. #TrumpTaxes https://t.co/Cofmckh9D0

— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) May 8, 2019

You know how a #BillionDollarLoser proves news that he's a #BillionDollarLoser is "highly inaccurate"?

He releases his tax returns.

You know why a #BillionDollarLoser won't do that? It would prove that he not only was a #BillionDollarLoser but still is a #BillionDollarLoser. https://t.co/fEL3ts0skK

— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) May 8, 2019

#BillionDollarLoser no surprise. Donald Trump May Be One of the Biggest Losers in America https://t.co/HGDkkCabz2

— GapTheGen (@GapTheGen) May 8, 2019

I can’t lie...

I’m not surprised that Donald Trump, a man who cannot spell chief or Kentucky, lost over a billion dollars owning casinos.

Owning...fucking...casinos.#BillionDollarLoser

— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) May 8, 2019

Trump claims to be totally exonerated by Mueller…but blocks full release of the report & any subsequent testimony.

Kinda like how Trump claims to be a brilliant businessman…but blocked release of his tax returns.#BillionDollarLoser #BiggestLoserTrump https://t.co/rHfSgkNpG4

— Eric Wolfson (@EricWolfson) May 8, 2019

Pelosi On Barr: "He Lied To Congress - If Anybody Else Did That It Would Be Considered A Crime"

During testimony to Congress last month, Attorney General William Barr was directly asked by Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) if he was aware of any concerns/frustrations Special Counsel Robert Mueller or his team had regarding Barr's now-infamous four page 'summary' of Mueller's two year investigation.

At the time, Barr told Crist, "No, I don't."

But this week, news of a letter from Mueller to Barr expressing frustrations that Barr's summary mischaracterized the investigation's context and substance now puts Barr's denial in a new perspective.

He had received the letter from Mueller and had a phone call with the Special Counsel about the summary. So, he lied to Congress when he said he didn't know of any concerns on Mueller's part.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was asked today how she felt about the statements by Barr.

Pelosi didn't hold back. "He lied to Congress - if anyone else did that it would be considered a crime."

Nancy Pelosi: "[Barr] lied to Congress. If anybody else did that, it would be considered a crime. Nobody is above the law. Not the President of the United States and not the attorney general."
Via CBS pic.twitter.com/uJN6hUgpwY

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 2, 2019

Yesterday, Rep. Adam Schiff echoed the same sentiments.

Q: Did the Attorney General lie to Congress?

"I think his statement is deliberately false and misleading." -- @RepAdamSchiff pic.twitter.com/TmTOqW45hT

— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) May 1, 2019