The most outrageous things Trump has ever said

We take a look at some of the most outrageous things the 45th president of the United States has said


News Desk November 09, 2016
Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to supporters at his 2016 South Carolina presidential primary. PHOTO: REUTERS

Impulsive, immoderate and politically untested, Donald Trump did not exactly seem to fit the profile of a candidate for the most powerful job in the world.

But with his boundless energy and outsized ego, the 70-year-old billionaire Republican defied all predictions, defeating the far more experienced Hillary Clinton to win the White House.

Defying all odds, Donald Trump becomes 45th president of the United States

On Wednesday, Trump had promised a "Brexit plus plus plus" and voters gave it to him, denying Clinton her place in history as the first woman president in the Oval Office and sending the country -- and world markets -- into uncertainty.

Delivering corrosive speeches that played to the frustrations and insecurities of Americans in an evolving world, the Manhattan real estate mogul has nevertheless become the voice of change for millions of them. And he has blown up a Republican Party still struggling to understand his supporters -- and still baffled by how, or whether, to dance with Tornado Trump.

Before launching his campaign in June 2015, Trump was known mainly for his immense fortune; for the luxury hotels, golf courses and casinos bearing his name; for the tabloid-worthy details of his divorces; and for being the star host of the reality TV show "The Apprentice." All of this made his a familiar face in American households. But he has also shown himself to be a formidable political animal, and an unlikely populist hero with his promise to "Make America Great Again."

List of things Trump has pledged to do on first day as president

In the final days of the campaign, Trump repeatedly pledged to "drain the swamp" in Washington of its corrupt political elites and put "America first."

Trump is not afraid to say anything -- really anything at all. We take a look at some of the most outrageous things the 45th president of the United States has said.

1) Muslims should not be allowed to enter US

Trump believes a complete ban should be put on all Muslims entering the United States. In his speech after the terrorist attacks in San Bernardino, California, he said: “Donald J Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.”

2) Arab-Americans celebrated 9/11 attacks

The populist property tycoon has repeatedly claimed that on September 11, 2001 there were scores of Arab-Americans who cheered in New Jersey to celebrate the attack on the World Trade Centre. However, there are no media reports to back up the claim.

3) US mosques should be put under surveillance

Tump believes Muslims living in the US should be put under surveillance by the law enforcement agencies as a counter-terrorism initiative.

4) Waterboarding should be used to interrogate militants

The Republican believes the US should use waterboarding and other methods for interrogation in its fight against the Islamic State terror group, arguing that such methods are 'peanuts' compared to beheadings. “Senator Cruz what do you think of waterboarding? Ah! I don’t want to talk about it… Ah! I don’t know what I said… He didn’t want to talk about waterboarding because it is ‘too controversial’ and I’m saying to myself they’re chopping off heads he doesn’t want to talk about waterboarding.”

5) "Take out” the families of terrorists

Donald Trump said he’d like to “take out” the families of terrorists. “I would knock the hell out of ISIS… [and] when you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families,” the Republican presidential candidate said on Fox & Friends.

6) Build a wall between US and Mexico

The republican candidate wants to build a “great, great wall” between the US and Mexico. In some of his earliest campaign comments, Trump suggested that Mexicans coming to the US were largely criminals. “When Mexico sends its people they’re not sending their best. They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists.” He also believes that Mexico should have to pay for the wall. “But nobody builds walls better than me. Believe me. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.”

7) 11 million immigrants should be deported from US

Trump says his deportation plan is as achievable as it will be humane. In addition, his immigration reforms would end "birthright citizenship", the policy that grants the children of illegal immigrants citizenship so long as they are born on American soil.

8) Climate change is just 'weather'

While Trump believes that maintaining "clean air" and "clean water" is important, he dismissed climate change science as a "hoax" and believes environmental restrictions on businesses makes them less competitive in the global marketplace. "I do not believe that we should imperil the companies within our country," he said. "It costs so much and nobody knows exactly if it's going to work."

9) The Black Lives Matter movement is 'trouble'

Trump mocks former Democratic candidates like Martin O'Malley for apologising to members of the protest movement against police brutality and casts himself as a pro-law enforcement candidate. "I think they're looking for trouble," he said of the activist group. He also tweeted a controversial graphic purporting to show that African Americans kill whites and blacks at a far higher rates than whites or police officers. However, the graphic cites a fictitious "Crime Statistics Bureau" for its numbers, and has been widely debunked using real FBI data.

10) Tokyo and Seoul should build up nuclear arsenals

Trump has said Japan and South Korea should not rely on the US so much and would benefit from having their own weapons. Nuclear war between Japan and North Korea may be "terrible" but it would be "pretty quick".

11) United States senator John McCain is not a war hero

Criticising US senator John McCain, who previously served in the United States Navy, he said: “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured.”

12) Obama wasn't born in the US

In April 2011, amid questions raised by Donald Trump, Obama had released a certified long-form birth certificate, showing he was born at Honolulu’s Kapiolani Hospital on August 4, 1961.

This article originally appeared on BBC.

COMMENTS (3)

Bunny Rabbit | 7 years ago | Reply LEts give it to him - he won by fighting elections the hard honest way and didnt rig any votes.
reader | 7 years ago | Reply Outrageous for some, reality for most. People believe what he said, because he spoke from his heart, this is what most Americans think.
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