2016 GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump has been hurling insult after insult on the campaign trail.
Trump has let loose on both Democrats and Republicans, rival candidates, lawmakers, journalists and even pop culture icons.
He blasted Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), questioning the Vietnam veteran’s service and saying he was “not a war hero,” brought him wide criticism.
Trump held 24 percent support among likely Republican voters according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll earlier this week. But the poll also suggested his support dropped following the remarks about McCain.
Trump, though, is showing no sign he’ll tone down his attacks.
Cataloguing all of Trump’s insults over the years would be a herculean task. The real estate mogul and reality TV star has never pulled his punches, with many long and high-profile feuds, including with talk show host Rosie O’Donnell, NBA owner Mark Cuban and comedian Bill Maher.
Here are Trump’s most notable insults so far in the 2016 campaign:
Former President George W. Bush: — “You mean George Bush sends our soldiers into combat, they are severely wounded, and then he wants $120,000 to make a boring speech to them?” asked Trump on July 9, after reports the former president charged a vets group for a speech. “Bush didn’t have the IQ [to be president],” he added on June 16.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-Fla.) — “I’m not a big fan. The last thing we need is another Bush,” Trump said on June 16. Trump’s account also retweeted an insult to Bush’s wife on July 4th: “@RObHeilbron: @realDonaldTrump #JebBush has to like the Mexican Illegals because of his wife.” It was later deleted.
Hillary Clinton — “Hillary Clinton was the worst secretary of State in the history of the United States,” Trump told Business Insider.
His account on April 16 also retweeted an attack on Clinton: “@mplefty67: If Hillary Clinton can’t satisfy her husband what makes her think she can satisfy America?” Trump said a campaign staffer was responsible and deleted the tweet.
Anderson Cooper — “What a waste of time being interviewed by@andersoncooper when he puts on really stupid talking heads like Tim O’Brien-dumb guy with no clue!” Trump tweeted on July 22 after his interview with the CNN anchor.
During his interview, Trump told Cooper: “The people don’t trust you and the people don’t trust the media.”
Bill Cosby — Trump said he believed the sexual assault allegations against the comedian, calling him “guilty as hell.” “I’ve known him, and I’ve never liked him,” Trump said in a July radio interview. “I think he is a highly overrated guy, both in talent and in many other ways,”
Des Moines Register — After the paper called on Trump to drop out, he dismissed it as a “sophomoric editorial” and called their coverage “uneven and inconsistent, but far more importantly, very dishonest.”
Forbes Magazine — “Why does a failed magazine like @Forbes constantly seek out trivial nonsense? Their circulation way down. @Clare_OC,” Trump tweeted on July 9.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) —”What a stiff, what a stiff, Lindsey Graham. By the way he has registered zero in the polls,” Trump said, at a campaign speech in Bluffton, S.C. on July 21. “A total lightweight. In the private sector, he couldn’t get a job. Believe me. Couldn’t get a job. He couldn’t do what you people did. You’re retired as hell and rich. He wouldn’t be rich; he’d be poor.”
Trump also shared Graham’s personal cellphone number and said he had begged him to help get on Fox News’s “Fox and Friends.”
“What’s this guy, a beggar? He’s like begging me to help him with [the show] ‘Fox and Friends.’” Trump said of Graham on “CBS This Morning,” on July 21.
Jonah Goldberg — “Jonah Goldberg @JonahNRO of the once great @NRO#National Review is truly dumb as a rock. Why does @BretBaier put this dummy on his show?” Trump tweeted, criticizing the conservative columnist on April 20.
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman — Trump said the Mexican drug lord would be no match for him. “Can you envision Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton negotiating with ‘El Chapo’, the Mexican drug lord who escaped from prison? …Trump, however, would kick his ass!” he tweeted on July 12. Trump later called in the FBI after a death threat from a Twitter account associated with Guzman.
Arianna Huffington — “The liberal clown @ariannahuff told her minions at the money losing @HuffingtonPost to cover me as entertainment. I am #1 in Huff Post Poll,” Trump tweeted on July 18.
Penn Jillette — After the magician and comedian criticized Trump, he responded on July 16, tweeting: “I hear @pennjillette show on Broadway is terrible. Not surprised, boring guy (Penn). Without The Apprentice, show would have died long ago.” He then followed up with, “I loved firing goofball atheist Penn @pennjillette on The Apprentice. He never had a chance. Wrote letter to me begging for forgiveness.”
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) — “What people don’t know about Kasich- he was a managing partner of the horrendous Lehman Brothers when it totally destroyed the economy!” Trump tweeted on May 20.
Charles Krauthammer — “One of the worst and most boring political pundits on television is @krauthammer. A totally overrated clown who speaks without knowing facts,” Trump tweeted about the conservative writer and Fox News contributor on June 4. A tweet a day later called him a “dumpy political pundit” and took issue with Krauthammer’s support for the Iraq war. Krauthammer brought on Trump’s ire by mocking his then-low standing in the polls.
Bill Kristol — When the Weekly Standard editor belittled Trump’s chances against Hillary, Trump responded on July 23, tweeting, “Bill, your small and slightly failing magazine will be a giant success when you finally back Trump. Country will soar!”
Mitt Romney — “Why would anybody listen to @MittRomney? He lost an election that should have easily been won against Obama. By the way,so did John McCain!” Trump tweeted of the 2012 Republican nominee on July 18.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) — “He’s not a war hero,” Trump said at a rally on July 18. “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” This followed a July 16 tweet saying, “@SenJohnMcCain should be defeated in the primaries. Graduated last in his class at Annapolis–dummy!” The insults came after McCain said Trump had “fired up the crazies” on immigration.
Macy’s — Trump called for a boycott after the department store dropped his men’s clothing line. “I hope the boycott of @Macys continues forever. So many people are cutting up their cards. Macy’s stores suck and they are bad for U.S.A.,” he tweeted on July 16. “Boycott @Macys, no guts, no glory. Besides, there are far better stores!” he tweeted later.
Mexico — Trump lambasted the southern neighbor. “The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems,” he said on May 30 at his campaign launch. “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” The remarks led a number of businesses to cut their ties with him.
He doubled down after the escape of a top drug kingpin. “It’s a corrupt place,” Trump said on July 17. “It’s a terrible court system.” “Let’s put it this way,” he added, “I’m not going to Mexico.”
President Obama — Trump has long said he is not sure Obama was born in the U.S. and slammed his policies, calling him the “worst ever president.” Obama hit back at the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner, mocking Trump who was in attendance.
But Trump hasn’t let up. During the Baltimore riots in April this year he tweeted: “Our great African American President hasn’t exactly had a positive impact on the thugs who are so happily and openly destroying Baltimore!”
He also Obama to leave office early and golf on one of his many courses. “If he’d like to play, that’s fine. In fact, I’d love for him to leave early and play. That’d be a very good thing,” he said at his campaign launch in June.
After the Chattanooga shooting, Trump pressed Obama to lower the flag for the victims. “We have a president who just can’t say a few words: ‘Put the flags at half-mast for the five Marines that were just killed.’ Why? Why? Why?” Trump said at a South Carolina rally on July 21. “It’s almost like, does he read the papers? Does he watch television?”
Lawrence O’Donnell — “Dopey @Lawrence O’Donnell, whose unwatchable show is dying in the ratings, said that my Apprentice $ numbers were wrong. He is a fool!” Trump tweeted on July 16 of the MSNBC host.
Former Gov. Rick Perry (R-Texas) — Perry has been a tough critic of Trump’s rhetoric on immigration. “Rick Perry failed at the border. Now he is critical of me. He needs a new pair of glasses to see the crimes committed by illegal immigrants,” Trump tweeted on July 5th.
On July 16, he added, “@GovernorPerry failed on the border. He should be forced to take an IQ test before being allowed to enter the GOP debate.”
“He’s doing very poorly in the polls. He put on glasses so people will think he’s smart. And it just doesn’t work! You know people can see through the glasses,” Trump said at a rally on July 21.
Former Gov. George Pataki (R-N.Y.) — Trump tweeted that Pataki “couldn’t be elected dog catcher if he ran again—so he didn’t!” Trump tweeted July 1. He followed up with: “.@GovernorPataki was a terrible governor of NY, one of the worst — would’ve been swamped if he ran again!”
Karl Rove — Trump went off on the Republican strategist’s record in 2012 record. “@KarlRove wasted $400 million + and didn’t win one race—a total loser.@FoxNews,” he tweeted on July 16, followed by “Irrelevant clown @KarlRove sweats and shakes nervously on @FoxNews as he talks ‘bull’ about me. Has zero cred. Made fool of himself in ’12.” Trump even called out the network: “@FoxNewsYou shouldn’t have @KarlRove on the air—he’s a clown with zero credibility—a Bushy!”
Kristen Stewart — “Robert [Pattinson] I’m getting a lot of heat for saying you should dump Kristen- but I’m right. If you saw the Miss Universe girls you would reconsider.” Trump tweeted of the stars of the “Twilight” series on July 16.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — “[Sanders] knows the country is ripped off. And I know the country is being ripped off,” Trump told The Hill on July 23. “The difference is that I can do something about it and he can’t. He’ll never be able to negotiate with China.”
Republican National Committee — “The RNC has not been supportive. They were always supportive when I was a contributor. I was their fair-haired boy,” Trump toldThe Hill on July 23. “The RNC has been, I think, very foolish.”
Chuck Todd —“I hear that sleepy eyes @chucktodd will be fired like a dog from ratings starved Meet The Press? I can’t imagine what is taking so long!” Trump tweeted on July 12 about the “Meet the Press” host.
Univision — “@Univision cares far more about Mexico than it does about the U.S. Are they controlled by the Mexican government?” Trump tweeted on June 26 after the network cut ties with him over his immigration remarks. “Has anyone seen the financials of @Univision. They are doing really badly. Too much debt and not enough viewers. Need money fast. Funny!” he followed up on July 11.
The Wall Street Journal — Trump has had a long feud with owner Rupert Murdoch. After the paper questioned his candidacy, Trump tweeted on July 20: “The ever dwindling @WSJ which is worth about 1/10 of what it was purchased for, is always hitting me politically. Who cares!”
George Will — “Shouldn’t George Will have to give a disclaimer every time he is on Fox that his wife works for Scott Walker?” Trump tweeted, taking on the Washington Post columnist on July 22.
Juan Williams — “@TheJuanWilliams you never speak well of me & yet when I saw you at Fox you ran over like a child and wanted a picture,” tweeted Trump on July 3 of the Fox personality.
Source: The Hill
