The Central Park Five Ads
Took out full-page ads in four major NYC newspapers calling for the return of the death penalty for five Black and Latino teenagers who were later fully exonerated by DNA evidence.
Survived It+48 more scandals hiding between the highlights
Trump Taj Mahal Bankruptcy
Opened what was then the world's largest casino and drove it into bankruptcy within a year — his fourth corporate bankruptcy overall.
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Dodged ItMarla Maples Affair Goes Public
The affair with Marla Maples became tabloid front-page news while he was still married to Ivana Trump. The divorce settlement and publicity barely dented his brand.
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No ConsequencesLost Nearly $1 Billion in One Year
Leaked tax records later showed he reported losses of $915.7 million in 1995 — more than nearly any other American taxpayer that year. He still sold himself as a business genius.
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ForgottenAccess Hollywood Tape Recorded
Bragged about sexual assault on a hot mic years before it would leak during the 2016 campaign. The tape sat dormant for over a decade.
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BuriedTrump University Launches
Started a real-estate seminar operation that would later face lawsuits from students alleging fraud and a $25 million settlement — years after the damage was done.
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Dodged It"John Baron" Calls to Press
Repeatedly posed as his own publicist "John Baron" (and "John Barron") in calls to journalists, bragging about himself in the third person. The tapes eventually surfaced. Nobody cared enough to stop him.
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ForgottenThe Birther Conspiracy
Became the loudest mainstream voice pushing the racist conspiracy theory that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States, forcing the White House to release the long-form birth certificate.
Gained TractionObama Roasts Him at Correspondents' Dinner
President Obama and Seth Meyers humiliated him on stage for ten minutes straight while he sat stone-faced in the audience. Widely reported as the moment he decided to run for president out of spite.
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Backfired GloballyElection Night Meltdown
Tweeted that the election was a "total sham and a travesty" and called for a revolution when Obama won re-election. Deleted the tweets. Moved on.
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Dodged It$5 Million Birther Stunt
Offered $5 million to charity if Obama released college and passport records. Obama ignored it. The stunt kept him in the news instead.
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No ConsequencesScottish Wind Farm Feud
Lost a years-long legal battle against an offshore wind farm near his Aberdeen golf course, then claimed victory anyway. The course opened regardless.
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ForgottenThe Escalator Announcement
Descended a golden escalator and announced his candidacy by broadly characterizing Mexican immigrants as criminals and "rapists."
Won the PrimaryFeud with Fox News & Megyn Kelly
Boycotted a Fox News debate after Kelly confronted him about misogynistic comments. His poll numbers rose. Fox eventually capitulated.
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Polls Went Up"Blood Coming Out of Her Wherever"
Said of Megyn Kelly after the debate: "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever." Denied it meant what everyone heard.
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Dodged ItFailed to Correct "Obama Is Muslim" Questioner
At a town hall in New Hampshire, a supporter said "We have a problem in this country: it's called Muslims." He replied: "We're going to be looking at that."
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No ConsequencesJohn McCain Comments
Dismissed the service of Senator John McCain, a former POW who spent years being tortured in Vietnam, saying: "He's not a war hero... I like people who weren't captured."
Polls Went UpRetweeted False Black-on-White Crime Stats
Shared a graphic with fabricated crime statistics from a neo-Nazi account. When called out, said "Am I gonna check every statistic?" and kept campaigning.
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Dodged ItMuslim Ban Proposal
Called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." Condemned worldwide. Primary voters loved it.
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Polls Went UpAttacked Gold Star Parents Khizr and Ghazala Khan
After the Khans spoke at the DNC about their son killed in Iraq, he mocked them and implied Ghazala Khan wasn't "allowed" to speak. Veterans groups condemned him.
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Still SurvivedMocking a Disabled Reporter
Floundered his arms and altered his voice during a rally in South Carolina to mock the physical disability of New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski.
Still SurvivedRefused to Disavow David Duke / KKK
Claimed he didn't know who David Duke was and couldn't disavow the Klan without knowing more. Later blamed a "bad earpiece."
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Dodged It"Russia, If You're Listening"
Publicly asked Russia to hack Hillary Clinton's emails during a press conference. Later claimed he was joking.
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ForgottenThree Accusers Press Conference
Hours before the second debate, held a press conference with women accusing Bill Clinton of misconduct — deflecting from his own Access Hollywood tape.
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Still SurvivedThe Access Hollywood Tape
A 2005 hot-mic recording leaked showing him bragging to Billy Bush about being able to sexually assault women with impunity because "when you're a star, they let you do it."
Won The Presidency"Nasty Woman"
Called Hillary Clinton "such a nasty woman" during the final presidential debate. Became a feminist rallying cry — and a meme that helped normalize the insult.
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No ConsequencesRefused to Commit to Accepting Election Results
When asked if he would accept the outcome, said: "I will look at it at the time." He won anyway.
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ForgottenInauguration Crowd Size Lies
Sent Sean Spicer to lie about inauguration crowd sizes on day one, then displayed doctored photos. Set the tone for the entire administration.
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Dodged ItCharlottesville
Following a deadly white supremacist rally in Virginia, stated in a press conference that there was "blame on both sides" and that there were "very fine people, on both sides."
Moved OnPuerto Rico Paper Towel Toss
After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, tossed paper towels into a crowd like prizes and said the death toll wasn't "a real catastrophe like Katrina."
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Moved OnCalled NFL Players "Son of a Bitch"
Demanded NFL owners fire players who kneeled during the anthem. The feud dominated headlines for weeks. Ratings debate continues.
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ForgottenTillerson "Moron" Reports
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reportedly called him a "moron" after a national security meeting. Tillerson never fully denied it. Both stayed in their jobs for months.
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No ConsequencesThe Helsinki Summit
Stood next to Vladimir Putin on the world stage and publicly sided with the Russian President over his own US intelligence agencies regarding 2016 election interference.
Ignored BacklashCohen Implicates Him in Court
Michael Cohen pleaded guilty and testified under oath that Trump directed him to commit campaign finance violations. Trump called Cohen a "rat."
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Dodged ItSharpie Hurricane Map
Altered a NOAA hurricane forecast map with a Sharpie to falsely show Alabama in Dorian's path, then doubled down for days rather than admit a mistake.
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ForgottenMueller Report Released
The Mueller report documented multiple instances of potential obstruction of justice. He declared "total exoneration" and the phrase stuck in his base.
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No ConsequencesThe First Impeachment
Impeached for abuse of power after attempting to extort Ukrainian President Zelenskyy by withholding military aid in exchange for a manufactured investigation into a political rival.
AcquittedUkraine Transcript Released
Released a summary of his call with Zelenskyy that showed him asking for a "favor" investigating the Bidens. He called it "perfect."
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Dodged ItMarie Yovanovitch Intimidation
Tweeted attacks on Ambassador Yovanovitch while she testified live during impeachment hearings. Witness intimidation in plain sight.
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No ConsequencesRoger Stone Commutation
Commuted the sentence of his longtime ally convicted of lying to Congress and witness tampering. Stone had refused to implicate him.
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ForgottenThe Bleach Comments
During a televised live COVID-19 task force briefing, suggested that scientists should look into injecting household disinfectant or UV light inside the body to cure the virus.
Survived ItHydroxychloroquine Promotion
Pushed an unproven malaria drug as a COVID cure despite FDA warnings. Said he was taking it himself. Studies later showed it didn't work and could be harmful.
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Dodged It"When the Looting Starts, the Shooting Starts"
Tweeted the phrase coined by a racist Miami police chief during 1967 riots. Twitter hid the tweet for glorifying violence.
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No ConsequencesBunker Photo
Reports that Secret Service rushed him to the White House bunker during protests. He later claimed he was "inspecting" it. Became a meme. Didn't matter.
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ForgottenLafayette Square
Had federal law enforcement use tear gas and rubber bullets to violently clear peaceful civil rights protestors so he could walk across the street and hold a bible upside down in front of a church.
Moved On"Stand Back and Stand By" to Proud Boys
Told the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by" during a debate. The group treated it as a recruitment slogan.
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Still SurvivedFired Chris Krebs for Saying Election Was Secure
Fired the CISA director via tweet for calling the 2020 election "the most secure in American history." Krebs became a hero; Trump kept lying.
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Dodged ItFour Seasons Total Landscaping Presser
Rudy Giuliani held a press conference at a landscaping company between a sex shop and a crematorium, not the Four Seasons hotel. Became instant comedy. The coup attempt continued.
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ForgottenThe Capitol Riot
Summoned a mob to Washington, told them to "fight like hell," and watched on TV for hours as they violently breached the US Capitol to stop the certification of the election.
Acquitted AgainSecond Impeachment
Impeached a second time — the only president impeached twice — for inciting the Capitol riot. Acquitted again after leaving office.
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AcquittedClassified Docs at Mar-a-Lago Reports
Reports emerged that he took boxes of classified material to Mar-a-Lago. The National Archives would spend over a year trying to get them back.
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BuriedSued by Letitia James (Initially)
NY Attorney General announced a civil investigation into his business practices that would eventually seek $450 million in penalties. He kept running.
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Kept RunningMar-a-Lago Raid
The FBI executed a search warrant at his golf club, recovering dozens of highly classified national security documents he had taken and refused to return, leading to federal indictment.
Kept RunningE. Jean Carroll Verdict
Found liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Ordered to pay $5 million. Called it a "disgrace" and kept campaigning.
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Dodged ItFulton County Indictment
Indicted along with 18 co-conspirators for attempting to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results. Mugshot became merchandise.
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Still HereGag Order Violations
Repeatedly violated gag orders in the hush-money case, triggering fines. Kept posting attacks on witnesses and the judge from Truth Social.
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No Consequences$454 Million Civil Fraud Judgment
NY judge ordered him to pay $454 million for inflating his net worth for decades. Posted a reduced bond and appealed. Still the GOP nominee.
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Still Here34 Felony Convictions
Found guilty by a jury of his peers on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush-money payments to a porn star right before the 2016 election.
Still Here"Gulf of America" Executive Order
Renamed the Gulf of Mexico by executive order on day one. Mexico and the entire geography of the planet declined to comply.
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Dodged ItPanama Canal Grabbing Talk
Threatened to retake the Panama Canal. Panama said no. The story lasted a news cycle.
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Forgotten"51st State" Rhetoric
Repeatedly referred to Canada as a candidate for statehood and Trudeau as a "governor." Canadians responded with memes, maple syrup, and a moose.
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No ConsequencesRetaliatory Canadian Tariffs
Canada hit back with targeted tariffs on American whiskey, orange juice, and other symbolic goods. He called it an act of aggression.
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Still HerePicking a Fight with Canada
Slapped 25% tariffs on Canadian imports, mused about making Canada the 51st state, and turned the world's longest undefended border into a trade war — against America's closest ally.
Still HereAnd Yet...
