President Donald Trump attempted to honor fallen veterans and prisoners of war.
For most Presidents, expressing gratitude for veterans and reverence for the loss of those who died serving the United States is one of the most somber aspects of the job.
For Trump—as he demonstrated—it was yet another chance to rail against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other so-called enemies who dared critique him.
Watch below.
"These people are sick. Anyway ... " -- Trump's Memorial Day speech has now devolved into lies about Nancy Pelosi pic.twitter.com/K0ET6wBfQx
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 22, 2020
The President said:
"She's dancing in the streets of Chinatown trying to say, 'It's okay to come to the United States, it's fine, it's wonderful, come on in. Bring your infection with you.' Then she said, 'He should've done it earlier' about me. These people are sick."
This was a lie. The House Speaker didn't "dance in the streets" when she visited San Francisco's Chinatown, but went there to tell tourists that there was no reason to fear Chinese people due to the virus. This was only necessary because of rhetoric like Donald Trump's insistence on calling it "Chinese Virus," which led to a documented rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this wasn't Trump's only lie—as CNN fact checker Daniel Dale noted:
Trump once again took credit for the Veterans Choice Act, signed by Obama, which expanded healthcare options for United States veterans. He attempted to blame Obama for the ventilator shortage he insisted didn't actually exist.
Lies, lies, and more lies.
His false anecdote about Pelosi received particular backlash.
If you're tired of the lies, you must vote in November. Are you registered?
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