In a recent Newsmax interview aired on Monday, former President Donald Trump asserted that the country would struggle to function if President Joe Biden were to win reelection.
Trump pointed to issues like supply "change," seemingly intending to reference "supply chains."
He nonetheless suggested that the term was unfamiliar and claimed:
"Things we never even heard about, you never heard that term. Everything worked under me. It all worked."
The Biden-Harris campaign account on X, formerly Twitter, shared video of Trump's remarks, noting that he appeared "confused."
Critics swiftly corrected Trump on his mispronunciation, emphasizing that "supply chains" is a well-known and commonly used term.
Additionally, they highlighted the difficulties faced under his administration at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic when essential items, including medical supplies, food, and toilet paper, became scarce.
There were several weeks at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020 when millions of people couldn't find a single roll of toilet paper anywhere, the result at least in part of panic buying as state and local governments issued stay-at-home orders.
Other items—such as hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, masks, cleaning supplies—were also in short supply, flying off the shelves almost as soon as they were stocked.
The Washington Post even published an article in April 2020 that attempted to trace the origins of the toilet paper shortage in particular, observing that "toilet paper—or rather, the lack of it—turns out to reveal a great deal about who we are and how we behave in a crisis."
Republicans meanwhile have attempted to place the blame for shortages on Biden and his administration amid a global supply-chain crisis, the result of COVID-19 disruptions paired with a boom in demand.
Notably, Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton was harshly criticized in 2021 for claiming to have no recollection of supply chain shortages during Trump's tenure, suggesting supply chain shortages only happened after the balance of power shifted to the Democrats.
