Sep 29, 2020:

The first of three presidential debates took place at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Chris Wallace of Fox News was the moderator.

Watch the entire debate and read a transcript on C-Span here.

Read highlights from the debate in an NPR article here.

Read highlights from the debate in a Los Angeles Times article here.

Read analysis from factcheck.org here.

Read more here:

From Debate Stage, Trump Declines To Denounce White Supremacy | NPR

Baseless Online Claims Target Biden Ahead of First Debate | factcheck.org

The 10 biggest whoppers you can expect to hear at the first debate | Politico

Sep 28, 2020:

Trump tweeted the following regarding his taxes:

The Fake News Media, just like Election time 2016, is bringing up my Taxes & all sorts of other nonsense with illegally obtained information & only bad intent. I paid many millions of dollars in taxes but was entitled, like everyone else, to depreciation & tax credits.....

.....Also, if you look at the extraordinary assets owned by me, which the Fake News hasn't, I am extremely under leveraged - I have very little debt compared to the value of assets. Much of this information is already on file, but I have long said that I may release....

.....Financial Statements, from the time I announced I was going to run for President, showing all properties, assets and debts. It is a very IMPRESSIVE Statement, and also shows that I am the only President on record to give up my yearly $400,000 plus Presidential Salary!

Source:

Samuels, Brett. (September 28, 2020). "Trump defends tax practices while bashing New York Times report". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-28.

Sep 27, 2020:

At a press briefing, Trump dismissed today's New York Times article entitled "LONG-CONCEALED RECORDS SHOW TRUMP'S CHRONIC LOSSES AND YEARS OF TAX AVOIDANCE" as "totally fake news."

Source:

Chalfant, Morgan. (September 28, 2020). "Trump dismisses New York Times report on taxes as 'fake news'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-28.

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Trump tweeted the following regarding Obamacare and the Supreme Court:

Obamacare will be replaced with a MUCH better, and FAR cheaper, alternative if it is terminated in the Supreme Court. Would be a big WIN for the USA!

Source:

Mahbubani Rhea. (September 27, 2020). "Democrats condemn Trump for gloating about an end to Obamacare less than a day after announcing his Supreme Court nominee". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-09-27.

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Trump tweeted the following about Joe Biden:

I will be strongly demanding a Drug Test of Sleepy Joe Biden prior to, or after, the Debate on Tuesday night. Naturally, I will agree to take one also. His Debate performances have been record setting UNEVEN, to put it mildly. Only drugs could have caused this discrepancy???

Source:

Klar, Rebecca. (September 27, 2020). "Trump renews call for pre-debate 'drug test'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-27.

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Trump tweeted the following about Michael Bloomberg:

Wow, nobody realized how far Mini Mike Bloomberg went in bribing ex-prisoners to go out and vote for Sleepy Joe. He is desperate to get back into the good graces of the people who not only badly beat him, but made him look like a total fool. Now he's committed a serious crime!

Source:

Manchester, Julia; Fleshler, David. (September 30, 2020). "Battle over voting rights of felons intensifies in Florida". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-10-02.

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Brad Parscale, Trump's former campaign manager, was escorted from his Fort Lauderdale home by police and involuntarily hospitalized under Florida's Baker Act, following a call from Parscale's wife saying he was armed and threatening suicide.

Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign communications director, issued a statement:

Brad Parscale is a member of our family and we all love him. We are ready to support him and his family in any way possible. The disgusting, personal attacks from Democrats and disgruntled RINOs have gone too far, and they should be ashamed of themselves for what they've done to this man and his family.

Source:

Erblat, Austen; Lyons, David; Wallman, Brittany; Fleshler, David. (September 27, 2020). "Former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale hospitalized after he was armed and threatening to harm himself, Fort Lauderdale police say". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 2020-09-27.

Sep 25, 2020:

Trump hosted a "Latinos for Trump" round table discussion in south Florida.

Read a transcript of the event here.

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In Atlanta, Georgia, Trump announced his Black Economic Empowerment "Platinum Plan."

Watch a video and read a transcript of the event on C-Span here.

Sep 23, 2020:

At a White House press briefing, when asked about the upcoming election Trump said the following regarding his commitment to ensuring a peaceful transition of power:

We're going to have to see what happens, you know, but I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots. The ballots are a disaster...Get rid of the ballots and you'll have a very peaceful — there won't be a transfer, frankly. There will be a continuation. The ballots are out of control. You know it, and you know who knows it better than anyone else? The Democrats know it better than anyone else.

Source:

Chalfant, Morgan. (September 23, 2020). "Trump refuses to commit to peaceful transition of power". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-23.

Sep 22, 2020:

Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, Trump said the following about the immediate need to confirm a ninth Supreme Court justice:

We need nine justices. You need that with the unsolicited millions of ballots that they're sending. It's a scam. It's a hoax. Everybody knows that, and the Democrats know it better than anybody else. So you're going to need nine justices up there. I think it's going to be very important because what they're doing is a hoax with the ballots. Doing it before the election would be a very good thing because you're going to probably see it because what they're trying to do is sow confusion and everything else.

Source:

Chalfant, Morgan. (September 22, 2020). "Trump argues full Supreme Court needed to settle potential election disputes". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-22.

In case you're not aware of it, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments regarding a Trump administration lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) on November 10, the week after the upcoming general election.

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Last night, at a campaign rally in Swanton, Ohio Trump said the following about the coronavirus and how it affect young people:

Now we know it affects elderly people. Elderly people with heart problems and other problems. If they have other problems, that's what it really affects. That's it. You know, in some states thousands of people — nobody young — below the age of 18, like nobody — they have a strong immune system — who knows? Take your hat off to the young, because they have a hell of an immune system. But it affects virtually nobody. It's an amazing thing.

Today, speaking with Sanjay Gupta from CNN, Dr. Anthony Fauci responded saying:

Quantitatively, for sure, it's much much much less serious as a group in young individuals, but the thing we need to remember...is that there are a number of people in our society of substantial proportion who have underlying conditions. And if you look at the two groups that are at risk for serious conditions, it's the elderly and people at any age with underlying conditions. Underlining any age...There are plenty of younger people who have underlying conditions that put them at risk.

Source:

Guzman, Joseph. (September 22, 2020). "Fauci contradicts Trump's claim coronavirus affects 'virtually nobody' young". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-22.

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Trump delivered a virtual speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

I suggest you read the entire speech (Source link below), but here are some noteworthy quotes:

As we pursue this bright future, we must hold accountable the nation which unleashed this plague onto the world: China. In the earliest days of the virus, China locked down travel domestically while allowing flights to leave China — and infect the world.

In addition, every year China dumps millions and millions of tonnes of plastic and trash into the oceans, overfishes other countries' waters, destroys vast swaths of coral reef, and emits more toxic mercury into the atmosphere than any country anywhere in the world. China's carbon emissions are nearly twice what the US has, and it's rising fast.

By contrast, after I withdrew from the one-sided Paris climate accord, last year America reduced its carbon emissions by more than any country in the agreement. Those who attack America's exceptional environmental record while ignoring China's rampant pollution are not interested in the environment. They only want to punish America, and I will not stand for it.

We withdrew from the terrible Iran nuclear deal and imposed crippling sanctions on the world's leading state sponsor of terror.

For decades, the same tired voices propose the same failed solutions, pursuing global ambitions at the expense of their own people. But only when you take care of your own citizens will you find a true basis for cooperation. As president, I have rejected the failed approaches of the past, and I am proudly putting America first, just as you should be putting your countries first. That's okay. That's what you should be doing.

Source:

Ward, Alex. (September 22, 2020). "Trump at the UN: America is good, China is bad". Vox. Retrieved 2020-09-23.

Read what other world leaders said in their speeches to the United Nations General Assembly here.

Sep 21, 2020:

Trump tweeted the following in response to reports that Iran may be planning to assassinate a U.S. ambassador in retaliation for the killing of Qassam Soleimani:

According to press reports, Iran may be planning an assassination, or other attack, against the United States in retaliation for the killing of terrorist leader Soleimani, which was carried out for his planning a future attack, murdering U.S. Troops, and the death & suffering...

...caused over so many years. Any attack by Iran, in any form, against the United States will be met with an attack on Iran that will be 1,000 times greater in magnitude!

Source:

Pitofsky, Marina. (September 21, 2020). "Trump warns Iran after reported assassination plot". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-22.

Sep 20, 2020:

Yesterday, Trump tweeted the following regarding a replacement for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg:

We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices. We have this obligation, without delay!

Source:

Samuels, Brett. (September 19, 2020). "Trump signals he will move to replace Ginsburg 'without delay'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-20.

Two Republican senators, Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) and Tom Cotton (Arkansas), have publicly stated support for replacing the vacant Supreme Court seat immediately, directly contradicting what they said in 2016 when Merrick Garland was nominated by former President Obama. Read more here:

Video of Lindsey Graham arguing against nominating a Supreme Court justice in an election year goes viral | The Hill

Chris Wallace presses Cotton on 'any hypocrisy' between comments on Supreme Court vacancy in 2016 and today | The Hill

Two other Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) said a replacement should wait until after the results of the election are known. Read more here:

Murkowski: Supreme Court nominee should not be taken up before election | The Hill

Collins: President elected Nov. 3 should fill Supreme Court vacancy | The Hill

Read what several other Republican senators have said here:

What Senate Republicans have said about election-year Supreme Court vacancies | The Hill

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted yesterday and today, 62% of American adults said a replacement justice should be determined by the winner of the upcoming presidential election (8 out of 10 Democrats - and 5 out of 10 Republicans), 23% disagreed, and the rest said they were not sure.

Sep 19, 2020:

Speaking at a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Trump said the following:

..and they make up a lot of false stories -- they will make up a lie, like what I said about military [referring to the September 3, 2020 news article about "suckers" and "losers"]. Can you imagine? No animal would say that. They make it up... Once they did that, the only good thing is, I can say is I said, now I can say anything. He is the worst candidate -- the dumbest of all candidates. But he was dumb in prime time, as told to me by a senator from long ago. Who's the dumbest in the Senate and who is the smartest? The smartest is -- I won't tell you. But the dumbest is Joe. That was 25 years ago. That was in prime time. He is the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics.

Source:

(September 19, 2020). "SEPTEMBER 19, 2020 President Trump Campaign Rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina". C-Span. Retrieved 2020-09-21.

Sep 17, 2020:

Trump tweeted more misleading information about mail-in voting, to which Twitter attached the warning "Learn how voting by mail is safe and secure". Twitter also added the following to Trump's tweet:

We've added a label to this Tweet for making a potentially misleading statement regarding the process of mail-in voting, and to offer more context for anyone who may see the Tweet. This action is in line with our recently-updated Civic Integrity Policy.

Here's what Trump tweeted:

Because of the new and unprecedented massive amount of unsolicited ballots which will be sent to "voters", or wherever, this year, the Nov 3rd Election result may NEVER BE ACCURATELY DETERMINED, which is what some want. Another election disaster yesterday. Stop Ballot Madness!

Source:

Klar, Rebecca. (September 16, 2020). "Warning label added to Trump tweet over potential mail-in voting disinformation". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-19.

Sep 16, 2020:

Speaking at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield said the following:

We have clear scientific evidence they [masks] work, I might even go so far as to say that this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against COVID than when I take a COVID vaccine, because the immunogenicity may be 70 percent and if I don't get an immune response, the vaccine's not going to protect me, this face mask will.

These face masks are the most important, powerful public health tool we have, and I will continue to appeal for all Americans to embrace these face coverings, if we did it for six, eight, 10, 12 weeks we'd bring this pandemic under control.

I think there will be vaccine that will initially be available some time between November and December, but very limited supply, and it will have to be prioritized. If you're asking me when is it going to be generally available to the American public so we can begin to take advantage of vaccine to get back to our regular life, I think we're probably looking at late second quarter, third quarter 2021.

At a press conference, Trump responded to Redfield's statement about when a vaccine would be ready:

I think he made a mistake when he said that. It's just incorrect information. That is incorrect information.

Trump also said:

It's [a mask] not more effective by any means than a vaccine and I called him about that, those were the two things I discussed with him. I believe if you asked him he would probably say that he didn't understand the question.

Redfield later clarified his earlier remarks with the following via Twitter:

I 100% believe in the importance of vaccines and the importance in particular of a #COVID19 vaccine. A COVID-19 vaccine is the thing that will get Americans back to normal everyday life.

The best defense we currently have against this virus are the important mitigation efforts of wearing a mask, washing your hands, social distancing and being careful about crowds.

Source:

(September 16, 2020). "CDC Director Dr. Redfield & Others Testify on Coronavirus Response". C-Span. Retrieved 2020-09-16.

Chalfant, Morgan. (September 16, 2020). "Trump disputes CDC director on vaccine timing, says 'he made a mistake'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-16.

Sullivan, peter. (September 16, 2020). "CDC director seeks to clarify mask comments after Trump rebuke". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-16.

Read more here:

CDC director says masks more guaranteed to work than a vaccine | The Hill

CDC director says COVID vaccine won't be widely available until mid-2021 | CBS News

Trump also said the following at the press conference regarding mail-in ballots:

The biggest problem we have right now are the ballots. Millions of ballots going out; that's the biggest problem. When you talk about other countries, whether it's China, Russia, or many others that get mentioned, they're in a much better position with these paper ballots to do something than they would ever be under the old system. And that's our biggest problem.

Our biggest threat to this election is governors from opposing parties controlling ballots, millions of ballots. To me, that's a much bigger threat than foreign countries, because much of the stuff coming out about foreign countries turned out to be untrue. What is - what is true is that many elections have taken place over the last year and a half, using this ballot system. They've been off by 5 percent, 10 percent, 15 percent; I think I read one at 40 percent - 40 percent. And these are small, easy-to-control elections.

This whole ballot system where you can send it in, and it's not even requested - we're not talking about it solicited; they're unsolicited ballots, and they're sent in - is very dangerous for our country. And you know who knows that better than anybody? The Democrats.

The ballots will be stolen. Who knows where they're going. Who knows where they're coming from. It's not just the counting of the ballots, which - by the way, which will take forever. It'll take forever. You think November 3rd? You might not have - I guess, at a certain point, it goes to Congress. You know, at a certain point, it goes to Congress. You know that.

This is a disgrace. This is being done on purpose. They know it's no good. They know it's - it's going to be fraudulent. It's going to be fraud all over the place. Who's getting the ballots? Who's sending the ballots? They have people saying you don't need a verified signature. This is a serious threat to our democracy, and the Democrats know that.

Source:

(September 16, 2020). "SEPTEMBER 16, 2020 President Trump News Conference". C-Span. Retrieved 2020-09-17.

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Regarding the ongoing gridlock in Congress on additional coroanvirus relief, Trump tweeted:

Democrats are "heartless". They don't want to give STIMULUS PAYMENTS to people who desperately need the money, and whose fault it was NOT that the plague came in from China. Go for the much higher numbers, Republicans, it all comes back to the USA anyway (one way or another!).

Source:

Wong, Scott; Lillis, Mike. (September 16, 2020). "Trump undercuts GOP, calls for bigger COVID-19 relief package". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-16.

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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that Michael Caputo, assistant secretary of public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services, will be taking a medical "leave of absence."

Caputo's "leave" is part of the aftermath of a The New York Times article published two days ago on September 14. The article states that three days ago, on September 13, during a live 26-minute Facebook event Caputo said that career government scientists at the CDC are working to undermine Trump, even if that means a higher COVID-19 death toll. Caputo also said that left-wing groups are preparing for violence and insurrection if Trump wins reelection.

Specifically, Caputo said:

If you carry guns, buy ammunition, ladies and gentlemen, because it's going to be hard to get.

There are scientists who work for this government who do not want America to get well, not until after Joe Biden is president.

And when Donald Trump refuses to stand down at the inauguration, the shooting will begin. The drills that you've seen are nothing.

Caputo also said that his physical health was in question, and that his "mental health has definitely failed."

HHS also said that Caputo's top adviser, Paul Alexander, will be leaving HHS entirely.

During a Senate hearing today, CDC Director Robert Redfield said that Caputo's allegations about the scientists at the CDC are "false."

Source:

Weixel, Nathaniel. (September 16, 2020). "Trump HHS official to take 'leave of absence' amid uproar". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-16.

Sullivan, Peter. (September 16, 2020). "CDC director pushes back on Caputo claim of 'resistance unit' at agency". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-16.

LaFraniere, Sharon. (September 16, 2020). "Trump Health Aide Pushes Bizarre Conspiracies and Warns of Armed Revolt". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-09-16.

Read more here:

Senior Trump Aide Goes On Deranged Rant, Says Scientists Are Working for 'Deep State' | Vanity Fair

Trump health officials grilled over reports of politics in COVID-19 response | The Hill

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Trump retweeted a video flagged by Twitter as "manipulated media."

In the video Joe Biden is at a podium using his phone to play the song "Despacito" after being introduced by Puerto Rican artist Luis Fonsi, but instead of that song playing, the manipulated video has the song "F--- tha Police" by NWA playing.

The manipulated video was originally tweeted by a pro-Trump parody account called "The United Spot."

Source:

Bowden, John. (September 16, 2020). "Trump shares fake video of Biden playing 'F--- tha Police'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-16.

Sep 15, 2020:

Trump participated in an ABC News town hall in Pennsylvania, attended by uncommitted voters and hosted by George Stephanopoulos.

When asked why he downplayed the threat of the pandemic, Trump responded:

I didn't downplay it. I, actually, in many ways, I up-played it, in terms of action. My action was very strong.

When asked by a woman if Trump believes racial injustices are occurring in this nation, Trump responded:

Well I think they were tragic events, and I do feel that we have to also take into consideration that if you look at our police they do a phenomenal job. You'll have people choke, make mistakes and they happen, it happens, where they have to make a fast decision and some bad things happen," Trump said, adding there are "bad apples" but "99%" are "great people.

And I will say this, if you're going to stop crime, we have to give the respect back to the police that they deserve," he added. "I agree with you, those events are terrible, but we have to allow the police to do their job. Otherwise crime is going to soar.

A black pastor in attendance asked the following:

Because you say again, we need to see when was that 'great'? Because that pushes us back to a time in which we cannot identify with such 'greatness,'" he asked. "You've said everything else about choking and everything else, but you have yet to address and acknowledge that there has been a race problem in America.

Trump responded:

I hope there's not a race problem," Trump replied. "I can tell you there's none with me because I have great respect for all races -- for everybody. This country is great because of it.

Regarding healthcare:

We're going to be doing a health care plan very strongly and protect people with preexisting conditions.

Trump also said he has "other alternatives to Obamacare that are 50% less expensive and that are actually better."

When asked about his "unpresidential" behavior, Trump responded:

So, I'm fighting a battle. It's a big battlefield and I have a lot of forces against me. Sometimes you don't have time to be totally, as you would say presidential -- you have to get things done...And honestly, we move very fast. And I have to get rid of people fast because they're not doing their job... And when I do that to get somebody else that is good and if they don't do it we get rid of that person.

I always used to sort of kid on the campaign trail that I could be more presidential -- be very easy -- more presidential than any other candidate except for possibly Abraham Lincoln when he's wearing the hat, right? But the fact is being presidential is easier than what I have to do, but I get things done.

When asked about the economic recovery from the coronavirus, Trump said:

George, stocks are owned by everybody...I've set records on the stock market, even during the pandemic. And that doesn't happen by accident....If Joe Biden ever got in I think you'd have a depression, the likes of which we've never seen in this country.

When asked by Stephanopoulos if he could have done more to stop what's happened because of the coronavirus, Trump responded:

I don't think so. I think what I did like closing up the country I think I saved two maybe two and a half, maybe more than that, lives. I really don't think so. I think we did a very good job. I don't know if that's been recognized.

When asked what he thought was the most difficult part of his presidency, Trump said:

Without question I would say, because things were going so well, I think I'd have to say the whole COVID, the 'China virus' as I call it -- because it comes from China, I think it's a much more accurate term...It [deaths due to the coronavirus] was the fault of a country that could have stopped it.

Source:

Cathey, Libby. (September 14, 2020). "Trump's ABC town hall: President faces tough questions on coronavirus response, health care, racial injustice". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-09-15.

Sep 14, 2020:

Trump hosted a "Latinos for Trump" event in Phoenix, Arizona.

Read a transcript of the event here.

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Trump participated in a round table wildfire briefing at McLellan airport in Sacramento, California along with California environmental officials and California Governor Gavin Newsom.

In an exchange with Wade Crowfoot, California secretary for natural resources, Trump reiterated his disbelief in climate science.

Crowfoot:

We want to work with you to really recognize the changing climate and what it means to our forest, and actually work together with that science — that science is going to be key.

Trump:

It will start getting cooler. You just watch.

Crowfoot:

I wish science agreed with you.

Trump:

I don't think science knows actually.

Trump also said that forest management is essential to containing and controlling California's wildfires. Crowfoot responded:

If we ignore that science and sort of put our head in the sand, and think it's all about vegetation management, we're not going to succeed together protecting Californians.

Source:

McNamara, Audrey. (September 16, 2020). "Biden and Trump responses to wildfires highlight divide on climate change". CBS News. Retrieved 2020-09-16.

In November of 2018 Trump pooh-poohed his own administration's National Climate Assessment which acknowledged the threat of climate change. In an interview with The Washington Post, published on November 27, 2018, Trump said the following:

One of the problems that a lot of people like myself, we have very high levels of intelligence but we're not necessarily such believers.

As to whether or not it's [global warming] man-made and whether or not the effects that you're talking about are there, I don't see it — not nearly like it is.

Source:

Dawsey, Josh; Rucker, Phillip; Mooney, Chris. (November 27, 2018). "Trump on climate change: 'People like myself, we have very high levels of intelligence but we're not necessarily believers.". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-09-16.

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Yesterday, Trump held his first indoor campaign rally in Henderson, Nevada. The event was held inside a facility of Xtreme Manufacturing. This was the first indoor Trump rally since an indoor rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma back in June of this year.

Thousands attended the rally and it violated a Nevada state restriction on gatherings of 50 people or more. The city of Henderson warned Xtreme Manufacturing prior to the rally that it would be in violation if over 50 people attended. Today, the city of Henderson assessed a $3,000 penalty/fine to Xtreme Manufacturing.

Source:

LeBlanc, Paul; Judd, Donald; Hoffman, Jason. (September 14, 2020). "Trump holds first entirely indoor rally in nearly three months". CNN. Retrieved 2020-09-14.

Kelly, Caroline; Fiegel, Eric; Rose, Andy. (September 14, 2020). "Trump indoor rally site fined $3,000 for violating state coronavirus guideline". CNN. Retrieved 2020-09-14.

Read more about the rally here:

Trump campaign defends first all-indoor rally in months | The Hill

Trump says he's not worried about contracting coronavirus at rallies | The Hill

Sep 12, 2020:

Trump sat for an interview with Fox News host Jeanine Pirro.

Regarding the possibility of riots on the night of the upcoming presidential election:

Pirro:

What are you going to do -- let's say there are threats? They say that they're going to threaten riots if they lose on election night, assuming we get a winner on election night. What are you going to do?

Trump:

We'll put them down very quickly.

Pirro:

How are you going to do that?

Trump:

We can do that. We have the right to do that. We have the power to do that if we want. Look, it is called insurrection. We just send in and we do it very easy. I mean, it's very easy. I'd rather than do that because there's no reason for it. But if we had to do, we'd do that and put it down within minutes, within minutes.

Regarding Joe Biden and Woodward's new book on how Trump downplayed the threat of the pandemic:

Pirro:

Joe Biden has indicated after the Woodward information came out that your handling of the coronavirus in that situation was not only despicable, but it's almost criminal. What do you say to Joe Biden?

Trump:

I think a statement like that is criminal because we did a much better job than he could ever have done.

And what I said to Woodward was actually good. I said, calm, we need calm. We don't need panic. They want me to jump up and down, and start screaming, "Is everyone going to die? Is everyone going to die?" That's not what leadership is about. I'm a cheerleader for the country.

Well go out and look at the great leaders of the world. Winston Churchill stood on the rooftops in London, very calm making speeches, Winston Churchill. You want calmness, you know when somebody that's going to be jumping up and down. I could do that, too. I could jump up and down say, oh, this is terrible. This is terrible.

Regarding a coronavirus vaccine:

Pirro:

What about the vaccine itself?...The Democrats don't want to accept it because they don't trust it, because it's coming out of your administration.

Trump:

They don't want it because they think it's going to make me look good and it wins the election for me.

Regarding mail-in ballots:

Trump:

In the country, they're going to send out 80 million unsolicited. In other words, people that don't even know what a ballot is, all of a sudden, here comes a ballot. Now, we don't even know if the people are going to get it. That's my problem. Supposedly, they're not sending them to Republican neighborhoods. Supposedly, they're not sending them to wherever or supposing the people aren't giving them back, or they go out and they harvest them. Somebody could be -- either way. But the Democrats seem to do that. I mean, they played that game for a long time.

How about signatures? They don't even want to have signatures...They don't want to have signatures verified. Where are they sending them? Who are they sending them to? Who's sending them back? Who's sending them back? It's a very -- it's so unconstitutional. It's so dishonest.

Source:

(September 12, 2020). "President Trump on COVID response, Bob Woodward's book, push for coronavirus vaccine, mail-in voting concerns". Fox News. Retrieved 2020-09-13.

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At a campaign rally in Minden, Nevada, Trump made more false claims regarding a "rigged" upcoming election because of mail-in voting fraud, he complained that Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak tried to prevent him from holding the rally, and he made false statements about the requirement for signatures on Nevada ballots.

Trump also said the following about Joe Biden:

Let's face it: Joe is shot. He doesn't know what's happening. He'll be locked up in a room someplace and the radical left will be running everything.

The rally was a violation of state public health guidelines limiting gatherings to no more than 50 people.

Source:

Moreno, J. Edward. (September 13, 2020). "Trump slams Nevada governor at rally, takes aim at mail-in voting". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-14.

Read more about the rally here:

No social distancing and few masks as crowd waits for Trump rally in Nevada | CNN

Sep 10, 2020:

Woodward defends decision to withhold Trump's virus comments | Associated Press

Trump says he didn't share classified information following Woodward book | The Hill

Trump slams Woodward: If remarks were bad, why didn't he 'immediately report them' | The Hill

Sep 9, 2020:

The Washington Post published an article entitled "Woodward Book: Trump says he knew coronavirus was 'deadly' and worse than the flu while while intentionally misleading Americans" which talks about a new book by Bob Woodward book entitled "Rage." In addition to the book, Woodward conducted recorded interviews with Trump earlier this year.

Today, the PBS NewsHour reported on The Washington Post article and Woodward's book, and played an audio clip of Trump from the recorded interview dated February 7, 2020 provided by The Washington Post:

You just breathe the air. That's how it's passed. And so that's a very tricky one. And that's a very delicate one. It's also more deadly than your, you know, your even your strenuous flus...This is more deadly. This is five per, you know, this is five percent versus one percent, and less than one percent. You know, so this is deadly stuff.

The PBS NewsHour also played a video clip of Trump three days later on February 10 at a campaign rally showing him conveying a much less deadly message about the coronavirus:

It looks like by April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away. Hope that's true.

On March 19, 2020, Woodward recorded Trump saying the following:

I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down. Because I don't want to create a panic.

Speaking today at the White House, Trump defended his downplaying of the coronavirus threat:

Well, I think if you said in order to reduce panic, perhaps that's so. The fact is I'm a cheerleader for this country. I love our country. And I don'w want people to be frightened. I don't want to create panic, as you say. And, uh, certainly I'm not going to drive, uh, this country or the world into a frenzy. We want to show confidence, we want to show strength, we want to show strength as a nation.

Source:

(September 9, 2020). "September 9, 2020 PBS NewsHour full episode (03:07)". PBS. Retrieved 2020-09-11.

Samuels, Brett. (September 9, 2020). "Trump says 'perhaps' he misled public on coronavirus to 'reduce panic'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-11.

Samuels, Brett. (September 9, 2020). "Trump acknowledged downplaying COVID-19 threat, says Woodward book". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-11.

Read more about this here:

Pence denies Trump's downplaying hampered COVID-19 response | The Hill

Fauci says Trump did not 'distort' impact of the pandemic | The Hill

Woodward defends sitting on Trump interview | The Hill

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Also in Woodward's new book, in an interview on June 19, 2020 Woodward asks Trump:

Do you have any sense that that privilege has isolated and put you in a cave to a certain extent as it put me and I think lots of white privileged people in a cave and that we have to work our way out of it to understand the anger and the pain particularly Black people feel in this country. Do you,

After cutting Woodward off as he was speaking, Trump responded:

No. You really drank the Kool-Aid, didn't you? Just listen to you. Wow. No, I don't feel that at all.

Source:

Folley, Aris. (September 9, 2020). "Trump said he didn't have responsibility to understand pain of Black Americans: 'No, I don't feel that at all'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-11.

Sep 8, 2020:

Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Trump said the following about Kamala Harris:

People don't like her. Nobody likes her. She could never be the first woman president. She could never be. That would be an insult to our country.

Source:

Samuels, Brett. (September 8, 2020). "Trump: Harris would be an 'insult' as first female president". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-09.

On August 28, 2020 at a campaign rally in New Hampshire, Trump had this to say about Kamala Harris:

And this would be your president, possibly? I don't think so. I don't think so. You know, I want to see the first woman president also, but I don't want to see a woman president get into that position the way she'd do it, and she's not competent.

Source:

Samuels, Brett. (August 28, 2020). "Trump: I want to see first woman president, but not Harris". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-09.

Sep 7, 2020:

Speaking about Biden and Harris at a press conference, Trump said:

...[they] should immediately apologize for the reckless anti-vaccine rhetoric that they are talking right now, talking about endangering lives. It undermines science, and what happens is all of the sudden you'll have this incredible vaccine and because of that fake rhetoric, it's a political rhetoric ... that's all that is.

Source:

Bowden, John. (September 7, 2020). "Trump blasts Biden, Harris for 'anti-vaccine rhetoric'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-09.

Regarding what prompted Trump's remarks, read what Biden and Harris said here.

Sep 6, 2020:

Trump tweeted the following:

Steve Jobs would not be happy that his wife is wasting money he left her on a failing Radical Left Magazine that is run by a con man (Goldberg) and spews FAKE NEWS & HATE. Call her, write her, let her know how you feel!!!

Source:

Budryk, Zack. (September 6, 2020). "Trump targets Laurene Powell Jobs in latest attack on Atlantic report". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-09.

Sep 5, 2020:

Continuing his push back against the recent article by Jeffrey Goldberg Trump tweeted the following:

You work so hard for the military, from completely rebuilding a depleted mess that was left by OBiden, to fixing a broken V.A. and fighting for large scale military pay raises, and then a slimeball reporter, maybe working with disgruntled people, makes up such a horrible charge..

....This reminds me of the Dirty Dossier, which was pushed hard by John McCain, & then with a thud turned out to be a total fraud. So many other scams also. The Radical Far Left is VICIOUS, they will do or say anything to win. But they won't, we will WIN, & have four great years!

Yesterday, Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin backed up Goldberg's story tweeting the following:

Two former sr Trump admin officials confirm .@JeffreyGoldberg reporting that President Trump disparaged veterans and did not want to drive to honor American war dead at Aisne-Marne Cemetery outside Paris.

Today, Trump responded via Twitter to Griffin with the following:

Jennifer Griffin of Fox News Did Not Confirm ‘Most Salacious‘ Part of Atlantic Story https://breitbart.com/2020-election/2020/09/04/jennifer-griffin-of-fox-news-did-not-confirm-most-salacious-part-of-atlantic-story/ via @BreitbartNews All refuted by many witnesses. Jennifer Griffin should be fired for this kind of reporting. Never even called us for comment. @FoxNews is gone!

Source:

Axelrod, Tal. (September 5, 2020). "Trump lashes out at 'slimeball reporter' amid furor over alleged war dead remarks". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-05.

Axelrod, Tal. (September 5, 2020). "Trump attacks Fox News reporter after she backs up key details of Atlantic story". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-05.

Here are links to two other articles that shed more light on this:

Atlantic article on Donald Trump leaves us with sad tale over trust | The Hill

Fox News Denies Own Reporter Confirmed Trump Used 'Suckers and Losers' After Airing Interview of Her Confirming It | Rolling Stone

Sep 4, 2020:

At a press briefing, Trump made the following comments regarding a press interview earlier in the day with Joe Biden:

I watched the interview with sleepy Joe Biden and … you [the press] didn't ask questions like that. They were like, meant for a child. Those questions were meant for a child. Smiles on faces of reporters — not like you and you [looking at reporters in the briefing room]. They were smiles on the reporters. What do you think? Take a look at those questions that they asked him. They were not meant for a grown up, they were meant for a child.

Source:

Chalfant, Morgan. (September 4, 2020). "Trump rips media for soft treatment of Biden: Questions 'meant for a child'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-04.

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Speaking on the Fox News program "Fox & Friends", U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the following when asked about mail-in voting:

It's a little out of my lane as secretary of State, but it's a matter of logic. If states change the rules and try on the fly in this election ... just mail ballots to people that are on the mailing list on the voter rolls, there's real risk and the American people deserve to have an election that they can have confidence in.

Source:

Kelly, Laura. (September 4, 2020). "Pompeo says mail voting poses a 'real risk'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-04.

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Two days ago, during an interview on CNN with host Wolf Blitzer, Attorney General William Barr gave an inaccurate and misleading account of a mail-in fraud case dating back to the 2017 Dallas, Texas city council election.

Barr told Blitzer that elections held with mail have resulted in "substantial fraud and coercion." He went on to say:

For example, we indicted someone in Texas, 1,700 ballots collected, he -- from people who could vote, he made them out and voted for the person he wanted to. OK?

In a statement issued to The Washington Post, Kerri Kupec, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice responded with the following:

Prior to his interview, the Attorney General was provided a memo prepared within the Department that contained an inaccurate summary about the case which he relied upon when using the case as an example.

Here are two other media sources which delve into this:

Barr claims a man collected 1,700 ballots and filled them out as he please. Prosecutors say that's not what happened. | The Washington Post

AG Barr's claim of 1,700 fraudulent ballots in 2017 Dallas City Council race not true, prosecutor says | The Dallas Morning News

Source:

Mallin, Alexander. (September 4, 2020). "Barr gives false recounting of Texas voter fraud case in effort to cast doubt on mail-in voting". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-09-04.

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Georgia Republican congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene posted the following on Facebook:

Greene is on the left holding the gun, and Democratic U.S. House of Representative reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), Rashida Tlaid (Michigan), and Ilhan Omar (Minnesota), who are known as "the Squad" are on the right.

In the post, Greene said she was "tired of seeing weak, Establishment Republicans play defense." She also said:

We need strong conservative Christians to go on offense against these socialists who want to rip our country apart.

The post was removed by Facebook because it violates their guidelines.

Just a few weeks ago on August 12, Trump congratulated Greene for her primary win saying the following on Twitter:

Congratulations to future Republican Star Marjorie Taylor Greene on a big Congressional primary win in Georgia against a very tough and smart opponent. Marjorie is strong on everything and never gives up - a real WINNER!

Source:

Moreno, J. Edward. (September 4, 2020). "GOP candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene posts image of herself with gun next to members of 'Squad'". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-04.

Domonoske, Camila. (September 4, 2020). "QAnon Supporter Who Made Bigoted Videos Wins Ga. Primary, Likely Heading To Congress". NPR. Retrieved 2020-08-12.

Sep 3, 2020:

Trump, responding to the fallout from an article published today in The Atlantic written by its editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg entitled "Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are 'Losers' and 'Suckers'" tweeted the following:

I was never a big fan of John McCain, disagreed with him on many things including ridiculous endless wars and the lack of success he had in dealing with the VA and our great Vets, but the lowering of our Nations American Flags, and the first class funeral he was given by our....

..Country, had to be approved by me, as President, & I did so without hesitation or complaint. Quite the contrary, I felt it was well deserved. I even sent Air Force One to bring his body, in casket, from Arizona to Washington. It was my honor to do so. Also, I never called..

....John a loser and swear on whatever, or whoever, I was asked to swear on, that I never called our great fallen soldiers anything other than HEROES. This is more made up Fake News given by disgusting & jealous failures in a disgraceful attempt to influence the 2020 Election!

Trump, Donald. (September 3, 2020). "Twitter | Donald Trump". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-09-05.

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Speaking at a campaign event in Pennsylvania, Trump said the following:

I am truly an environmentalist...

They want to ban straws. Has anybody ever tried those paper straws? They're not working too good.

Source:

Budryk, Zack. (September 3, 2020). "Trump says, he's 'truly an environmentalist', slams bans on plastic products". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-03.

Sep 2, 2020:

Trump tweeted the following:

My Administration will do everything in its power to prevent weak mayors and lawless cities from taking Federal dollars while they let anarchists harm people, burn buildings, and ruin lives and businesses. We're putting them on notice today. @RussVought45

This tweet is regarding Trump's request to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for a detailed list of all federal funds provided to Seattle, Portland, New York City and Washington, D.C. within 14 days.

The mayors of all four cities issued a joint statement in response to Trump's request and threat:

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan issued a joint statement in response to President Donald Trump threatening to revoke federal funding from cities.

Our cities, and the millions of Americans who we represent, are not President Trump's political pawns. We are confronting unprecedented challenges—fighting back a pandemic and economic devastation without another stimulus. Now, instead of leadership from the White House, we are faced with new attacks that are unlawful, unconstitutional and will be undoubtedly defeated in court. President Trump needs to wake up to the reality facing our cities—and our entire country—and realize he is not above the law.

Source:

Klar, Rebecca. (September 3, 2020). "Trump says, he's 'truly an environmentalist', slams bans on plastic products". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-03.

(September 3, 2020). "Cities Targeted by President Trump Unite in Response". Government of the District of Columbia. Retrieved 2020-09-03.

Sep 1, 2020:

Dr. Anthony Fauci cleared up any confusion about the 6% COVID-19 false information retweet by Trump yesterday, saying that the current U.S. death toll from COVID-19 is in fact 180,000, not 9,000 as stated in the tweet.

Source:

Guzman, Joseph. (September 1, 2020). "Fauci pushes back against minimizing of coronavirus death toll". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-01.

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Trump held a roundtable discussion in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Reporter:

A question to the pastors [James and Sharon Ward, pastors for Julia Jackson, the mother of Jacob Blake]? The problem of police violence has been described as just the problem of a few "bad apples," repeatedly...Some African American community leaders and a lot of others, actually, have said it's systemic. Where do you stand on that?

Trump:

I don't believe that. No, I don't believe that. I think the police do an incredible job, and I think you do have some bad apples.

I think the police do an incredible job, and I think you do have some bad apples...I have the endorsement of, like, so many — maybe everybody. And, frankly, I think they're incredible people. They want to do the right thing. It's a tough job. It's a tough job. It's a dangerous job.

But I have to say this to the police: The people of our country love you. You don't hear that. You don't hear it from them. But the people of our country love you, and they respect you, and they — and you know it; you feel it in your heart, or you wouldn't be doing it — or you wouldn't be doing it. But there's a great love.

It's not entirely clear if Trump heard that the question was directed to the pastors (44:10 in the C-Span video link below) and not him, but the same reporter asked the question again a short while later (48:55 in the C-Span video link below), and again it's unclear if Trump heard the question. The pastors were never given the opportunity to respond.

Another reporter:

Mr. President, to follow on that, we're focusing on violent actions, but there have been countless non-violent protests here in Wisconsin and across the country this summer. People calling for an end to systemic racism. Do you believe systemic racism is a problem in this country?

Trump:

Well, you know, you just keep getting back to the opposite subject. We should talk about the kind of violence that we've seen in Portland, and here, and other places. It's tremendous violence. You always get to the other side: "Well, what do you think about this or that?"

Yeah, I keep hearing about peaceful protests. I hear it about everything, and then I come into an area like this, and I see the town is burned down.

So I just say this: that the kind of violence that I saw, you may have protesters, but you have some really bad people too. You have anarchists, and you have the looters, and you have the rioters. You have all types. You have agitators. And that's what you should be focusing on with your question.

Yeah, I keep hearing about peaceful protests. I hear it about everything, and then I come into an area like this, and I see the town is burned down.

Another reporter:

Do you believe that there is a need for structural change? What is your message to the people who are protesting peacefully?

Trump:

Well, I think people are calling for structural change, and then you could take the people of Kenosha that aren't here and that you won't see and that aren't protesting, but they want change also. They want to see law and order. That's the change they want. They want law and order. They want the police to be police. They want the police to do what they do better than anybody else in the world, and that's what they want too.

Source:

Trump, Donald. (September 1, 2020). "Remarks by President Trump During a Wisconsin Community Safety Roundtable | Kenosha, WI". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved 2020-09-02.

(September 1, 2020). "President Participates in Community Safety Roundtable in Kenosha, Wisconsin". C-Span. Retrieved 2020-09-02.

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Trump tweeted the following:

Had a very productive conversation with Kevin Warren, Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, about immediately starting up Big Ten football. Would be good (great!) for everyone - Players, Fans, Country. On the one yard line!

He also said the following:

I think the biggest headwind we have is that you have Democrats that don't want to see it happen. But I think they want to play and the fans want to see it and the players have a lot at stake, including possibly playing in the NFL.

Source:

Chalfont, Morgan. (September 1, 2020). "Trump says he had 'productive' talk with Big Ten commissioner about starting football season". The Hill. Retrieved 2020-09-01.