Thread by @RBReich

Some people seem to have forgotten how bad a president Trump was, so I made a list of the 100 Worst Things About the Trump Presidency, in no particular order. Please share and add anything I missed. 🧵

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 22
Trump also shut the government down two other times.

Whew! I've got to stop and take a breath. I'll keep going, but please chime in with anything I miss.

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 23
Trump diverted nearly $14 billion from other federal agencies — including $9.9 billion from the military — to pay for his border wall, which he never finished.

And again, so much for Mexico paying for it.

rollcall.com/2021/05/07/mos…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 24
Under Trump, the national debt increased by about 40% — more than in any other four-year presidential term — largely because of his tax cuts for the rich and big corporations.

washingtonpost.com/business/2021/…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 25
This one still makes my blood boil.

Trump separated more than 5,000 children from their parents at the border, with no plan to ever reunite them, putting babies in cages.

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 26
The Muslim Ban. Yes, Trump really did try to ban Muslims from entering the country.

amnesty.org.uk/licence-discri…

And let's not forget about what Trump got impeached for… the first time.

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 27
Trump broke the law by trying to withhold nearly $400M of U.S. aid for Ukraine in an effort to extort a personal political favor from Ukraine’s Pres. Zelensky.

cnbc.com/2020/01/16/tru…

Trump wanted Zelensky to interfere in the 2020 election by announcing an investigation into the Bidens. Delaying this aid to Ukraine weakened Ukraine and strengthened Russia.

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 28
Trump personally attacked and ruined the careers of everyone who stood in the way of his illegal Ukraine scheme, including Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch and Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman.

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 29
To cover up the scheme, Trump ordered the White House and State Department to defy congressional subpoenas.

cnn.com/interactive/20…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 30
For these actions, on December 18, 2019, Trump became the third U.S. president to be impeached. He was charged with Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress.

nytimes.com/2019/12/18/us/…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 31
Even while he was being investigated for trying to get Ukraine to interfere in the U.S. election, Trump publicly called for China to interfere in the election.

Now let's get into what Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 32
Long before Election Day in 2020, Trump started making false claims that the election would be rigged.

abcnews.go.com/Politics/timel…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 33
He falsely claimed the election was stolen, even as his own inner circle, including his campaign manager, White House lawyers, & his own Justice Dept said it wasn’t.

As his own AG said: “The claims of fraud were bullsh*t.”

latimes.com/politics/story…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 34
Trump kept telling his Big Lie even after more than 60 legal challenges to the election were struck down in court, many by Trump-appointed judges.

politifact.com/factchecks/202…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 35
Trump ordered the Justice Department to falsely claim that the election “was corrupt.”

apnews.com/article/trump-…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 36
Trump and his allies used threats to pressure state leaders in Arizona and Georgia to falsify the election results. He was even caught on tape doing it.

nytimes.com/2021/01/03/us/…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 37
When none of the previous schemes worked, the Trump team produced fake electoral certificates, signed by fake electors in multiple swing states.

theguardian.com/us-news/2023/o…

Trump's former White House chief of staff and disgraced ex-mayor Rudy Giuliani are among his many associates who have been criminally indicted for the fake electors scheme.

politico.com/news/2024/04/2…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 38
Trump tried to bully Vice President Pence into obstructing the certification of the election.

reuters.com/world/us/us-ca…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 39
Trump invited a mob to the Capitol on Jan 6 with his “be there, will be wild” tweet.

npr.org/2022/07/13/111…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 40
Sworn testimony alleges that when Trump was warned that members of the crowd were carrying deadly weapons, he ordered security metal detectors to be taken down.

courthousenews.com/jan-6-committe…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 41
Knowing the crowd had deadly weapons, Trump ordered them to go to the Capitol and “fight like hell.”

npr.org/2021/02/10/966…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 42
Trump betrayed his oath to defend the nation by doing nothing to stop the Jan 6 violence. Instead, according to witness testimony, he sat and watched TV for hours.

reuters.com/world/us/us-ca…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 43
On January 13, 2021, Trump became the only president ever to be impeached twice. This time he was charged with incitement of insurrection. It was a bipartisan vote.

apnews.com/article/trump-…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 44
The majority of senators — 57 out of 100 — voted to convict Trump, including 7 Republican senators.

politico.com/interactives/2…

What should we get into next?

How about Russia and the Mueller probe?

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 45

In a likely obstruction of justice, Trump pressured then FBI Director James Comey to stop the FBI’s investigation into Trump’s National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn. This was documented in the Mueller report.

washingtonpost.com/world/national…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 46
When Comey didn’t bend to Trump’s will, Trump fired him.
nytimes.com/2017/05/09/us/…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 47
Trump tried to shut down the Mueller investigation by ordering White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire Mueller. McGahn refused because that would be criminal obstruction of justice.

apnews.com/article/donald…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 48
When news got out that Trump tried to fire Mueller, Trump repeatedly told McGahn to lie — to Mueller, to the press, to the public — and even create a false document to conceal Trump’s attempt to fire Mueller.

washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/0…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 49
Trump ordered his staff not to turn over emails showing Don Jr. had set up a meeting at Trump Tower before the 2016 election with representatives of the Russian government.

apnews.com/article/donald…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 50
Trump convinced Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about Trump’s plans to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, and Cohen served prison time for lying to Congress.
apnews.com/article/donald…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 51
Trump wasn’t charged for obstruction because it’s the DOJ’s policy not to indict a sitting president, but more than 1,000 former federal prosecutors affirmed that there was more than enough evidence to prosecute Trump.
medium.com/@dojalumni/sta…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 52
Trump publicly sided with Putin over the U.S. Intelligence Community, rejecting the well-documented evidence that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help elect him.

cnn.com/2018/07/16/pol…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 53
Trump said he’d hire only the best people, but his campaign chair was convicted of multiple crimes.
nytimes.com/2018/08/21/us/…

One of Trump's closest associates also became a convict.

cnn.com/2019/11/15/pol…

Trump's deputy campaign chair pleaded guilty to crimes.
abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump…

Trump's National Security Adviser also pleaded guilty to crimes.
cnn.com/2017/12/01/pol…

So did Trump's personal lawyer.
justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/m…

The Chief Financial Officer of the Trump Organization…
nytimes.com/2024/03/04/nyr…

Trump's campaign foreign policy adviser…
reuters.com/article/idUSKB…

And one of Trump's campaign fundraisers…
justice.gov/opa/pr/elliott…

All these members of Trump's inner circle were criminals, and Trump pardoned most of them.

washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 54
Trump said he’d drain the Washington swamp. But he appointed more billionaires, CEOs, and Wall Street moguls to his administration than any administration in history.

pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 55
Trump intervened to get his son-in-law, Jared Kushner top-secret clearance after he was denied over concerns about foreign influence.

nbcnews.com/politics/donal…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 56
Trump tasked his son-in-law, Jared Kushner with drafting a potential Middle East “peace plan” with zero Palestinian input.

theguardian.com/world/2020/jan…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 57
Trump sparked international outrage by moving the American Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, while closing the Palestinian diplomatic office in D.C.

vox.com/2018/5/14/1734…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 58
Trump recognized Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights, which is considered illegal under international law.

nytimes.com/2019/11/18/wor…

How many of these things had you forgotten about?

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 59
Trump hosted a Russian Foreign Minister to the Oval Office, where Trump revealed top-secret intelligence.

washingtonpost.com/world/national…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 60
Trump swore the average American family would see a $4K pay raise because of his tax cuts for the wealthy & big corporations.

Did you get a $4K raise? Didn't think so.

America's billionaires, however, doubled their wealth.

truthout.org/articles/us-bi…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 61
Trump vowed to protect American jobs, but offshoring increased and manufacturing fell.

bloomberg.com/news/newslette…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 62
Trump said he would fix America’s infrastructure, but it never happened. He announced so many failed “infrastructure weeks,” they became a running joke.

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 63
Trump said he would be “the voice” of American workers, but he filled the National Labor Relations Board with anti-union flacks who made it harder for workers to unionize.

cnn.com/2023/09/27/bus…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 64
Trump’s Labor Department made it easier for bosses to get out of paying workers overtime, which cheated 8 million workers of extra pay.

epi.org/press/the-trum…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 65
Trump repeatedly suggested he might serve more than two terms in violation of the Constitution — and continues to do so.

msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 66
Trump even suggested delaying the 2020 election when he started to realize he would lose.

nbcnews.com/politics/2020-…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 67
Trump called Haiti and African nations “sh*thole” countries.

nbcnews.com/politics/white…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 68
Trump tried to terminate DACA, which protects immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. Luckily this was struck down by the courts.

pbs.org/newshour/natio…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 69
Trump called climate change a “hoax.”

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 70
Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement.

2017-2021.state.gov/on-the-u-s-wit…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 71
Trump rolled back more than 100 environmental protections.

nytimes.com/interactive/20…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 72
Every budget Trump proposed included cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

cnn.com/2024/03/11/pol…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 73
Trump tried (and failed) to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would have resulted in 20 million Americans losing insurance.

urban.org/research/publi…

Striking down the ACA’s protections for the roughly 130 million people with pre-existing conditions could have driven up their insurance premiums or led to a loss of coverage.

npr.org/2018/06/08/618…

And Trump's STILL saying he'll repeal the ACA, with only “concepts of a plan” to replace it.

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 74
Trump made it easier for employers to remove birth control coverage from insurance plans.

cnn.com/2018/11/07/hea…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 75
By the end of Trump’s term, the number of people lacking health insurance had risen by 3 million.

.factcheck.org/2021/10/trumps…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 76
He allegedly took hundreds of classified documents on his way out of the White House, reportedly including nuclear secrets, which he then left unsecured in various parts of Mar-a-Lago, including a bathroom.

abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump…

Trump was even caught on tape showing the top-secret documents off to people.

cnn.com/2023/06/26/pol…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 77
Trump seriously discussed the idea of nuking a hurricane.

huffpost.com/entry/donald-t…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 78
Trump seemed to think he could redirect the path of a hurricane with a Sharpie.

reuters.com/article/world/…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 79
Trump suggested withholding federal aid for California wildfire recovery and said the solution was to “clean” the “floors” of the forest.

politico.com/states/califor…

I swear I'll stop at 100. What else should make the list?

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 80
Trump tried to buy the country of Greenland.

theguardian.com/world/2019/aug…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 81
Trump canceled a diplomatic trip to Denmark, reportedly because he wrongly thought Denmark was blocking his plan to buy Greenland.

theguardian.com/us-news/2019/a…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 82
Trump repeatedly denigrated German Chancellor Angela Merkel, seemingly because he resented her for beating him out as Time’s Person of the Year in 2015.

He’s that petty.

newyorker.com/magazine/2018/…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 83
Trump vetoed a bipartisan Congressional resolution to end U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, which has killed tens of thousands of civilians.

apnews.com/article/1b17ce…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 84
Trump referred to fallen U.S. service members as “losers” and “suckers.” This has been confirmed by multiple sources, including Trump’s former chief of staff, retired Gen. John Kelly.

theatlantic.com/politics/archi…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 85
According to Trump’s former chief of staff, retired Gen. John Kelly, Trump praised Hitler, saying he “did some good things.”

pbs.org/newshour/polit…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 86
Trump complained that the military wouldn’t place personal loyalty to him over their oath to the Constitution, saying, “I need the kind of generals that Hitler had.”

theatlantic.com/politics/archi…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 87
Trump proposed having the military shoot Black Lives Matters demonstrators.

rollingstone.com/politics/polit…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 88
Trump tried to cut $460 million for unhoused veterans.
salon.com/2017/12/07/the…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 89
Army widow Myeshia Johnson said Trump reduced her to tears when he dismissed her fallen husband, Sgt. La David Johnson, saying, “He knew what he was getting into” when he joined the army.

cbsnews.com/news/trump-tol…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 90
Instead of apologizing to Myeshia Johnson, Trump then went on to publicly attack her.

theatlantic.com/politics/archi…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 91
In 2020, Trump risked the lives of Gold Star families by visiting them when he reportedly knew he had tested positive for covid. Trump later tried to blame the families for his infection.

military.com/daily-news/202…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 92
Trump demonized the free press, calling any coverage he didn’t like “fake news” and smearing journalists as “the enemy of the people.”

thehill.com/homenews/admin…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 93
Trump lied. Constantly. He made 30,573 false or misleading claims while president — an average of 21 a day, according to Washington Post fact-checkers.

washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 94
Trump’s administration was in constant chaos. He went through four chiefs of staff, four press secretaries, and seven communications directors in just four years.

brookings.edu/articles/track…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 95
Trump even contested the only election he won, falsely claiming that “millions” had voted illegally in 2016, and that was the only reason he lost the popular vote.

npr.org/2016/11/27/503…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 96
Trump’s haphazard use of tariffs drove up prices of all kinds of goods, costing American families thousands of extra dollars.

forbes.com/sites/stuartan…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 97
Trump was literally the laughingstock of the world, prompting guffaws from the UN General Assembly and mockery from world leaders.

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 98
Trump banned transgender service members from the military.

americanoversight.org/investigation/…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 99
He spent $5.4 million of taxpayer money on a dictator-style military parade in DC.

pbs.org/newshour/polit…

TRUMP WAS TERRIBLE, REASON 100
He attempted to remove protections from nearly 35 million acres of public lands – roughly the size of the entire state of Florida.

americanprogress.org/article/anti-n…

Honestly, there's so much more, from exchanging “love letters” with North Korea's brutal dictator to undermining NATO to late-night tweet binges.

Tell me the biggest things you think I may have missed.

I can understand why a lot of people want to block all of this out of their memories. But we cannot afford to forget just how terrible Trump’s time in the White House was for this nation.

And we sure as hell can’t afford to put him back there.