Steve Benen reports at the Maddow Blog:
Over the weekend, Donald Trump claimed that conservatives in California are so upset about so-called “sanctuary cities” that the right has launched “riots.” During a brief Q&A with reporters at the White House yesterday, a reporter asked where, exactly, these riots are taking place. “Take a look,” he replied, adding, “It is rioting in some cases.”
It was odd to see a sitting president point to American riots that apparently exist only in his imagination, but that wasn’t the strangest exchange with reporters.
The Republican also said over the weekend that he and congressional Republicans are working “around the clock” on a new tax cut, which he suggested we’d see no later than Nov. 1, despite the fact that Congress is effectively out of session.
CNN reports:
Trump has repeatedly said that he expects answers about the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi — but he also insists that he has no plan to tear up an arms sales deal his administration spearheaded last year because it would cost the United States jobs.
Initially, he said it would create 450,000 jobs. Then, four days later, he said in an interview with Fox Business that the deal would create 500,000 jobs. Trump’s claim grew to 600,000 on Friday and by Saturday he said 1 million American jobs rely on all Saudi investments, which total $450 billion.
The entire defense industry employs 320,000.
Every time Trump talks about jobs from Saudi arms deals, he lies:
March 20: It’s 40,000 jobs
Oct 13: 450,000 jobs
Oct 17: 500,000 jobs
Oct 19: 600,000 jobs
Oct 19 (Minutes later): Over a million jobs pic.twitter.com/apC0ENPq9G— NowThis (@nowthisnews) October 22, 2018
Among the things Trump has made up over the last several days:
– a tax cut
– domestic “riots”
– a Central American conspiracy theory
– a vow to protect those with pre-existing conditions
– voter fraud
– an arms deal worth 1 million jobs
They’re all fake. https://t.co/olcfa3ZYAD— Steve Benen (@stevebenen) October 23, 2018
Trump defends his preposterous lie about anti-immigrant riots taking place in California (there have been no such riots).
"Take a look, they want to get out of sanctuary cities… it is rioting in some cases." (He doesn't specify where.) pic.twitter.com/PWBkLxtM8A
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 22, 2018