Category: Unpresidential

Donald Trump Received a Tax Break For People Who Make Less Than $500,000 a Year

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Trump waves off questions from car

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has never been shy about claiming a flair for moneymaking.

But his tax returns, which he has refused to release, may tell a different story.

Crain’s New York reports that the New York real estate developer and self-described deca-billionaire claimed a a New York state property-tax benefit reserved for individuals and couples earning $500,000 a year or less. The New York State School Tax Relief program, otherwise known as STAR, was first instituted in 1997, and offers a mere $300 annual tax break to those who qualify.

According to Crain’s, records filed with New York City’s Department of Finance indicate that Trump received a $302 STAR benefit on his latest property-tax bill for his penthouse unit at Trump Tower. “That means whatever his annual income is, it’s less than $500,000,” Crain’s reported. “And Trump would have to have declared his New York apartment as his primary residence and sent the state a copy of his federal income-tax return in order to quality for the $302 tax break.”

Trump’s campaign claims the benefit was “an error on the party of the city of New York,” and that the candidate has been receiving the benefit since 2012, even though he hadn’t filed for it since 2009. The Department of Finance denies this, saying it confirms recipients’ income with New York state tax authorities every year to ensure STAR applicants continue to qualify.

Links

http://qz.com/634479/donald-trump-received-a-tax-break-for-people-who-make-less-than-500000-a-year/

Donald Trump and the “Nazi” Voter Pledge

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Donald Trump led a mass rally in taking a pledge affirming their commitment to voting for him, and vowed to broaden existing laws regarding the interrogation of captured terrorist suspects.

The scene unfolded during a raucous rally at a University of Central Florida arena in Orlando, Florida, that featured frequent interruptions by protesters over Trump’s hour-long address.

“Let’s do a pledge. Who likes me in this room?” Trump asked the crowd. “I’ve never done this before. Can I have a pledge? A swearing? Raise your right hand.”

The Republican front-runner then had the audience repeat after him.

“I do solemnly swear that I, no matter how I feel, no matter what the conditions, if there are hurricanes or whatever, will vote on or before the 12th for Donald J. Trump for President.”

The crowd ended the pledge with cheers.

“Now I know. Don’t forget you all raised your hands. You swore. Bad things happen if you don’t live up to what you just did,” Trump said before continuing with his speech.

Reality

Some media sites sold this event as a Nazi salute, but quite frankly I don’t buy that. I think if anything it was bad optics on Trump’s part. If I were voting against Trump I would focus my energy at his comments about broadening illegal torture instead.

See look. Nazis…

Not Nazis…

Links

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/03/05/trump_supporters_raise_right_hands_to_pledge_support_to_donald_trump.html

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/03/08/3757605/donald-trump-nazi-salute-ignorant/

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/05/politics/donald-trump-florida-pledge-torture/

Trump Promises to Defend Supporters Who Beat Up Protesters in Court

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Trump promotes violence

Donald Trump says a violent episode involving a protester at one of his rallies “was amazing to watch.”

The Republican presidential front-runner told a Warren, Michigan audience on Friday that he’s tired of political correctness when it comes to handling protesters. He was interrupted several times during his remarks by yelling protesters, as he often is at his events.

During one interruption, Trump said:

“Get him out. Try not to hurt him. If you do I’ll defend you in court. Are Trump rallies the most fun?” He then asked the crowd. “We’re having a good time.”

He then recalled an incident at a New Hampshire rally where a protester started “swinging and punching.” Trump said some people in the audience “took him out.”

It was really amazing to watch.

Reality

Comments like these add to the growing evidence that Donald Trump supports and condones violence against people with different ideas.

Media

Links

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/03/04/trump-rally-fight/

Donald Trump Defends Size of His Penis

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Trump shows the crowd his AAA battery sized fingers

Donald Trump assured American voters Thursday night that despite what Marco Rubio had suggested, there was “no problem” with the size of his hands — or anything else.

 “Look at those hands, are they small hands?” the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination said, raising them for viewers to see. “And, he referred to my hands — ‘if they’re small, something else must be small.’ I guarantee you there’s no problem. I guarantee.”

Reality

Commenting about the size and prowess of ones own genitals during a live presidential debate is the farthest possible thing from acting presidential. It’s a disgrace to the office and a disgrace to the political process.

Media

Links

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/03/politics/donald-trump-small-hands-marco-rubio/

Protesters Ejected from New Orleans Trump Rally

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Black Lives Matter protesters were ejected from Donald J Trump Rally in New Orleans LA.

Media

Links

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/03/protesters_crash_donald_trumps.html

Trump Incited Crowd Violence in Kentucky

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Trump at rally in Louisville, Kentucky

Three people were assaulted at a Donald Trump rally in Louisville, Kentucky, and have since filed a lawsuit against the Republican presidential candidate, saying he “incited a riot.”

Molly Shah, Kashiya Nwanguma and Henry Brousseau filed the lawsuit on Thursday in Jefferson Circuit Court in Louisville, claiming that Trump’s repeated calls of “get them out” at a rally at the Kentucky International Convention Center on March 1 was intended to direct his supporters to “use unwanted, harmful physical force to remove protesters, including the plaintiffs.”

The lawsuit also names as defendants the Trump campaign and three individuals who the plaintiffs claim assaulted them at the rally.

Reality

This was not the only incident at the event.

Protests at Trump rallies do not occur in a vacuum. Since he first announced his candidacy, Trump continues to make racist, sexist, and authoritarian remarks that marginalizes anyone who do not meet his view of white and conservative enough. A full list of protests can be found here.

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Full speech

 

Woman Assaulted at Trump Rally

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Protester Shiya Nwanguma being forcibly removed.

It wasn’t long before protester, Shiya Nwanguma, was being pushed, shoved, and forcibly removed from a rally by white supremacists after Donald Trump noticed a sign she was holding and yelled, “Get her out of here.”

“I was called a nigger and a cunt and got kicked out,” said Shiya Nwanguma, a University of Louisville student. “They were pushing and shoving at me, cursing at me, yelling at me, called me every name in the book. They’re disgusting and dangerous.”

(h/t Washington Times, Insider Louisville)

Reality

This was not the only incident at the Louisville rally. Donald Trump promised to pay the legal fees if anyone roughs up a protester, what the hell did you think would start to happen?

Thankfully there has been repercussions for at least one of the assailants. Future Marine Joseph Pryor will no longer have the chance to be a future Marine.

Media

 

Trump Fails To Condemn KKK On Television

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After former head of the KKK David Duke had detailed his support for Trump in a Facebook post, Trump was asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper whether he would disavow Duke and other white supremacist groups that are supporting his campaign.

Just so you understand, I don’t know anything about David Duke, OK?

Trump was pressed three times on whether he’d distance himself from the Ku Klux Klan — but never mentioned the group in his answers.

I don’t know anything about what you’re even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists,” he said. “So I don’t know. I don’t know — did he endorse me, or what’s going on? Because I know nothing about David Duke; I know nothing about white supremacists.

Trump eventually did disavow David Duke and clarified his comments on NBC’s Today show later in the day blaming a bad earpiece:

I was sitting in a house in Florida, with a bad earpiece. I could hardly hear what he’s saying. I hear various groups. I don’t mind disavowing anyone. I disavowed Duke the day before at a major conference.

Reality

Isn’t it funny that Trump “could hardly hear what [Tapper] was saying” but in the interview with Tapper heard that Duke endorsed him and enough to claim he knew nothing about David Duke and white supremacists?

Also despite what he said, Trump apparently did know Duke in 2000 — citing him, as well as Pat Buchanan and Lenora Fulani — in a statement that year explaining why he had decided to end his brief flirtation with a Reform Party presidential campaign.

“The Reform Party now includes a Klansman, Mr. Duke, a neo-Nazi, Mr. Buchanan, and a communist, Ms. Fulani. This is not company I wish to keep,” Trump said in a statement reported then by The New York Times.

Liar, liar pants on fire.

Links

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/28/politics/donald-trump-white-supremacists/

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/28/468455028/trump-wont-condemn-kkk-says-he-knows-nothing-about-white-supremacists

Trump Removes Black Students From Rally For Being Black

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Trump at Valdosta State rally

A large group of black students attending a Donald Trump rally at Valdosta State University Monday were escorted out by law enforcement before the event started.

The young people said they had planned to sit in silent protest, but were escorted out by security officials before the presidential candidate began speaking. The incident was recorded on video by several attendees. (Some of the footage can be found here, here and here.)

“We didn’t plan to do anything,” Tahjila Davis, a 19-year-old mass media major, told The Des Moines Register. “They said, ‘This is Trump’s property; it’s a private event.’ But I paid my tuition to be here.”

Brooke Gladney, a 22-year-old marketing and business management major, said: “The only reason we were given was that Mr. Trump did not want us there.”

News reports placed the number of students escorted out at about 30.

Kicking out anticipated protestors isn’t an uncommon practice for Trump events, but this was one of the largest groups so far in his campaign. It occurred hours after a Secret Service agent choke-slammed a Time magazine photographer attempted to capture images of #BlackLivesMatter protesters at an event in Virginia.

Though at least one outlet reported the students were kicked out based on a request by the Trump campaign, the campaign denies that was the case.

“There is absolutely zero truth to that,” says campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks.

Reality

MSNBC‘s Chris Hayes did some digging and no only were the kids there not to protest:

THIS IS NOT A CALL TO PROTEST. We honor Trump’s First Amendment right and do not wish to disrupt the rally.

But Capt. Stryde Jones from the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Dept. went on record and told MSNBC:

“A member of the [Trump] event staff approached a member of our agency and requested that the group be asked to leave.”

Furthermore, the Valdosta Police Chief Brian Childress’ went on record and made a statement backing up Captain Jones’ account:

“I spoke to a Trump staffer, whose name I do not have, she told us that they needed to leave. Not only did I talk to a Trump staffer, so did the University police, and we were told over the radio by the Sheriff’s office that Trump staff wanted them out.”

Now a Trump supporter could easily dismiss this out of hand, call the students “thugs” or “potential thugs”, but think about this: Trump and his supporters constantly paint the African-Americans and the Black Lives Matter movement with disdain and contempt and usually counter with a call to support law enforcement and “police lives matter.” So how can they logically reconcile this belief when law enforcement publicly backs up African-Americans over their Trump??

Media

Links

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/01/politics/valdosta-state-university-students-escorted-out-of-trump-rally/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/02/29/donald-trump-georgia-rally-valdosta/81129964/

http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/police-trump-staffer-told-us-to-remove-students-636706371914

Trump Suggests That Obama Doesn’t Want to Get Rid of Terrorism

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Michael Savage

Trump told radio host Michael Savage that Obama refuses to say the magic words “radical Islamic terrorism” because maybe he doesn’t want to stop the terrorists.

We have a president that won’t even use the words and if you don’t use the words, you’re never going to get rid of the problem. We have a — maybe he doesn’t want to get rid of the problem. I don’t know exactly what’s going on.

Savage seemed to know exactly what Trump meant.

“Ah ha. Now you’re going as close to the board as a hockey player can go without hitting the puck into the stands. I get it,” he said.

(h/t Right Wing Watch)

Reality

Sending a dog whistle to the GOP’s anti-Obama base, Donald Trump has taken to saying that “there’s something we don’t know about” the president when it comes to issues like terrorism and the resettlement of Syrian refugees.

While Trump has never come out and said what that he thinks that “something” is, the GOP presidential frontrunner told conservative radio host Michael Savage that he believes Obama may actually be a terrorist sympathizer.

Donald Trump continues to propagate an old baseless conservative political smear from 2007 that Obama is a covert Muslim extremist hellbent on destroying democracy.

For those who may be too young or have forgotten, Fox News was famous for their political smears against the then-Senator Obama saying things like:

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