It often feels like all of the worst prophecies about Donald Trump are coming true. Everything we ever said about him, from how he treats immigrants, to his hatred of women, to his blatant treason, all of it has been proven true, over and over again. Trump was doing another one of his Nazi rallies last night in Tampa, Florida, where he said something that is being taken as a sign that he’s “out of touch” or simply wrong. But here’s the thing: I think he was just saying something that will come true if he’s in office for much longer, and something that is true in a larger sense in America these days. What did he say? He was making an unhinged case for Voter ID laws – which suppress the vote – and he said: “…if you go out and you want to buy groceries, you need a picture on a card. You need an ID.”
Trump says you need a photo ID to buy groceries. pic.twitter.com/B4Nd0S645M
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) August 1, 2018
Of course he sounds idiotic. Of course you don’t need an ID to purchase bread and milk and chicken salad and potato chips. Donald Trump hasn’t purchased his own groceries in decades. Theoretically, the only time you would pull out your ID in a grocery store is when you’re trying to buy beer or wine and you get carded. That’s it.
But here’s the thing: I truly think that Trump was just saying something he wants to implement. He wants a fascist state where every brown and black person has to provide their “papers” whenever they leave the house. He wants to make it so that undocumented immigrants wouldn’t be able to purchase food without proof of citizenship. Don’t roll your eyes and call me crazy. Imagine the absolute worst policies and laws, and that’s exactly what Trump wants for this country.
Also, he said: “I believe that only American citizens should vote in American elections…” Putin says hi.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
What a meatball.
Needs ID to get a meatball
Too funny. His ID probably says he’s 6’8.
Where are the Trump fans here to agree that YES you have to show ID to buy groceries? Cmon, we know you’re out there.
Explain what he’s trying to say.
@charo. There were still a few of those mentally challenged people here a year or so ago, but they seem to have slunk away..
Jeez. You don’t even need picture ID to use a credit card to buy groceries.
He really has never shopped for groceries in his entire life. Even the diehards know this isn’t true.
Have you seen 45’s latest tweets? He’s paving the way to pardon Manafort. Just watch.
Yes, he’s off the rails today.
All dog whistle behavior. He himself doesn’t care what he says, but crazy hate groups and his paranoid followers will believe this should now be policy.
You are exactly right. And it’s depressing af.
Speaking of crazy hate groups, did you see the video of a snarling mob of the “economically anxious” screaming abuse at CNN’s Jim Acosta at the rally?
Which Eric Trump took precious time out of his wetting-his-beak-in-the-salty-tears-of-desperately-ill-children-with-cancer schedule to repost.
I saw it, so gross. And sigh about Eric Trump. I was just thinking how it seems like he keeps a lower profile than petty, nasty Junior. Guess not.
That crowd is frightening. I’ve started to think there’s lead in the water.
And the Dotard retweeted
I will never understand why these people are so damn angry all the time. They have the racist dictator of their dreams–who is allowed to govern with complete impunity, they have control of government, they have the destruction of our environment, wealthy people getting wealthier, and the eradication of regulations meant to protect consumers.
This is a dream world for these people and yet, they are still so effin angry. They should be dancing in the streets FFS…
Another reporter shared that when the cameras are off, thosw same banchees arw asking to take photos with Jim and asking him all sorts of questions. Losers.
I said in a comment below that these kind of people get a real thrill out of “being on Tee Vee.” If the media weren’t there, they’d just be milling about in a throng hoping to get an autograph from Trump or one of his toadies. For them, it’s like a a wresting or hockey game, where they get to scream “you suck” at the other team. That said, their vicious behavior could turn terribly violent with no warning. That’s what Trump wants.
@Kitten, they’re angry all the time because their politics is the politics of anger and perpetual discontent. Fascism and most other right-wing authoritarian politics will perpetually convince you that nothing in your life is good enough. Everything is the fault of the other. If it’s not one thing, it’s something else. Their leaders have to constantly convince them that they’re not happy, and that they will only be happy if they put people in power who will do X, no matter how egregious that action is.
If these people got their wish, and they did deport every non-white citizen of this country (barring Native Americans) or something like that, it wouldn’t satisfy them. They wouldn’t know what to do with themselves. They would have to turn their ire on something or someone else. And after that, someone else. Their politics sustains itself purely on their own misery.
Or believe it actually is policy and see it as more proof of the ~vast conspiracy.~
I just want to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head. I won’t, because I am a grown adult and I recognize that this requires active fighting, every day, even if it’s small. But the impulse to hide from all of this is there today.
F*ck him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-LTRwZb35A
Maybe this will help. It doesn’t make it go away but it helps get me through.
Wildflower- thank you! I love Randy but somehow missed this one even though I’m also a Gilbert & Sullivan fan almost from birth.
Definitely worth subscribing to him.
U Bum really doesn’t understand how capitalism works, does he?
U BUM doesn’t understand how ANYTHING works. He epitomizes the concept of white male privilege. Less than mediocre, spent a lifetime failing up and is sure he did it all himself.
What a TOOL!
Can that man just keep his dumb mouth shut stay off the Net for even 24 hours?
Trump is such an attention seeking ass. All day, everyday.
Maybe someone could teach him to knit or something? Then he could spend his time posting about how great and bigly his knitting skills are.
Serious question – does he want to ban all tourists from the US then too? If you can only buy groceries with your US ID, how are tourists expected to buy food? Or do they need to carry their passports to show the latest visa stamps too? This is almost hilarious it’s so stupid.
Does anyone really want to come here these days? 🙁 Only people I see in DC lately have their MAGAt hats on and I dry heave.
I don’t think he’s seriously proposing this. He just said sh^t, as he tends to do, especially at his insane rallies.
Well, his mission seems to be to destroy the economy and security of the U.S., so I think he’s probably fine with the drop in tourist numbers. And he’s definitely fine with tourists not coming because they fear someone will “ask for their papers.” Every action he takes is in service to the Russian mob–they need the rule of law to be destroyed so they can operate with impunity.
But the economy is doing!! so!! well!! Not like all of these costly tax cuts and tariffs will have long term ramifications or anything.
IMO that entity has never purchased his own groceries, and only he would make such a stupid comment like this. I simply loathe him.
What a shithead. I’m willing to bet he’s never even been to a grocery store. Unless someone’s buying alcohol, cigarettes or lottery tickets, there’s absolutely no reason to show a photo ID while buying groceries. I do get asked for my ID when I vote, so I don’t know what he’s talking about.
do you have voter ID laws in your state? if not, the poll workers are not allowed to ask for ID, and you can tell them so.
Man so glad I live in Maryland. I’ve been voting since I was 18 and never once asked for ID.
This is interesting to me. I live in Ontario and I have to bring either photo ID (or two pieces of mail/bills with my address maybe? Dunno – always have had a DL) which I have to show to the people running it. They find me on their list and cross me off. I think it’s to prevent voter fraud. I’ve never been upset by this request. Is this not the same everywhere (in Canada at least)?
I’d rather voters need some kind of ID so there’s no way people can say there’s millions of illegal voters. I can’t drive, so I don’t have my license, but I’ve been bringing my state photo ID since I was 18, and like @Anners, I’ve never been upset about the request
In Canada, we have to show ID to vote or have someone verify our identity, but we dont’ need to register to vote or be on a list, we just have to show proof of address (IE: electricity bill or phone bill).
In my country, Mexico, we have to bring our special ID for voting, or we won’t be able to vote and they have lists at the particular area where we are registered, and can vote elsewhere only for federal elections, not local ones. It is on paper, and never by electronic devices. Mexicans who live in other countries or people with double nationality can vote by mail , provided they have their information updated at Embassy/consulate and have their ID updated, too. You can use that government issued ID for cashing checks or dispose of money at cashiers or banks,but if you lose it, the passport, an ID that is issued when you graduate (bachelor degree certification) or even your driver’s license can be used. It is getting more and more common not to ask for ID at any store, just at some department stores when the amount is way big, they’d ask for ID.
these voting processes have been put up due to former frauds or fraud attempts. Every political party gets a copy of the number of votes they got at a certain booth, so they can do their own math and has to match, so fraud is getting more difficult to be donate the booths. Some people have resort to “buy” the votes convincing people to vote, but that is the minority, I’d say is going increasingly difficult every time. It baffles me that in the US a person’s vote does not mean the same , that your vote can be counted differently, that, to me, is discrimination.
I’ve visited the US and the free of trust people had years ago awed me, but naughty people can take advantage of that. I’d say that if fraud can be committed, it is time to move on to voting IDs. And of course you should be able to function without them, buying food, going to movies, etc. having an ID on is good if you have an accident or something, but should not be for persecution situations.
Ennie – our problem is that in an effort to discourage people from voting, some states have instituted extremely difficult multi step procedures to get a voter ID card. Here in Indiana (where Pence was governor), the last time I looked it seemed to be a four-step process (each step had several sub-steps) that started with having to have your birth certificate. This can cost $50 to a $100 to get a certified copy by mail, which is what many people would have to do (such as me) because they don’t have the original. The average American moves quite a few times in their life and often does not live in the state of their birth.
The rest of the steps involved collecting a big pile of other documents that at least wouldn’t cost anything but are confusing. Really unnecessary and designed to keep low income people from voting. We did fine all the decades before without such nonsense. It’s been proven again and again that we do not have a voter fraud problem today, we have bipartisan procedures at the polls that always worked fine.
So far I’m not affected because I vote absentee, but if I ever need that voter ID then I’m in trouble because I could no longer walk several miles to the place where they issue them and at the same time I still can’t sit without triggering pain from a nerve injury a few years ago, so traveling by car is not a good idea either. Just the difficulty traveling to such places is an impediment for many other people elsewhere, also, along with the birth certificate problem.
I have never been asked for an ID. If I ever am at my current location, it will result in the worker being removed. Voter fraud is extremely rare.
In Virginia we have to show ID to vote. I don’t have a problem with having a “voter ID” that’s free to everyone and can only be used for voting purposes, but needing state issued ID is problematic because people have to pay for it, making it a poll tax, which is illegal.
oh don’t forget buying sudafed, you need to show your ID for that
In Alabama you can show DL or another form of lega id, they find your name on their list and you vote. Of course, being Alabama, other roadblocks are thrown up, such as closing a great number of license offices, most of them located in majority Black areas of the state. For “economic” reasons, of course.
JFC. Can’t anyone shut that asshat up?
Utterly terrifying. I wish the video was a little longer because I want to hear if they all cheered after that comment (I assume so which is idiotic, but look who we are dealing with here).
Yes, they did..but the signs and screams at the press by the florida crowd were so vile, the reporters weren’t allowed to show/air them.
I agree with you Kaiser that underneath the laughable dumbf**kery lies a more sinister motive. It stimulates racists to further challenge non-white people to ‘show their papers.’ It’s already happening, with store clerks calling the cops over … store coupons. This’ll make it worse. It’ll make undocumented people even more afraid to carry out even the most basic tasks of life, like getting food to feed themselves and their families.
THIS. It’s encouraging and validating that kind of behavior.
And his crowd of followers, including Princess Nagini, didn’t blink. Instead, they attacked CNN and Eric and the Dotard tweeted the videos of the attack.
In 2016, my great aunt turned 87. Her driver’s license expired on that birthday. She had planned to renew it (she wasn’t actually driving any more but it was her ID and she was proud to still have a driver’s license, many elders still want it even though they’ve given up their cars) but became ill a few weeks prior and ended up in a hospital followed by a three week stint in rehab, during which time the birthday came and went, as did the license. When she was released, our focus was on getting her healthy, getting her stable, making sure she was safe, and setting up services. In the 4 months that followed, I had to take 21 days off from work to meet with nurses, social workers, tour adult day health facilities, take her to doctors. A new ID was not as important as getting her services in place. During that time, the 2016 primary happened. It wasn’t until 4 months after the primary that someone had time to take her to the registry to get her a new ID. Fortunately, MA doesn’t require you present an ID at the polls so she was able to vote. Trump would deny her and many other elders that right.
My grandma let her VA license expire before getting a MD license (she moved and needed a handicap tag in MD). She was no longer driving but in order to get the tag for us to park closer for her benefit, she needed an ID along with proof of her new address. Man I didn’t realize how hard it is for the elderly to keep track of papers, birth certificate, passports etc. Everything had expired except her birth certificate which she couldn’t locate (she has dementia so she probably misplaced it). So we had to go through numerous steps in order to finally get it issued through AZ just so she could get a handicap passenger tag. I really wish citizens could use expired IDs and Passports. All the systems in place really feel like its not safety so much as trying to screw people who don’t have money and connections.
Yes. This is an extremely important point.
I’ve driven voters to the polls. People who need rides are often poor (can’t afford a car), have limited vision or another form of disability, including the problems of old age. New voter ID requirements catch them by surprise and make a serious barrier to voting that people without these problems underestimate or overlook (or like).
I took people back home once, sometimes twice, telling them we wouldn’t quit until they got it right and were able to vote. If I hadn’t been there, they would have given up – been denied their fundamental right to vote, all because some pissy conservative wanted to shut them out of the democratic process. To disenfranchise them without seeming like they were disenfranchising them. It’s sneaky and wrong.
Taking people to the polls, and checking ID requirements in advance to ensure voters have them and take them to the polls, is one of the many essential things you can volunteer to do on Election Day and in early in-person voting.
“It’s sneaky and wrong.”
and it’s the only way they can win these day. F*cking cheaters.
****Thank you SO MUCH for helping voters get to the polls!****
If anyone is feeling frustrated with the state of things, and you feel like you want to do more than just vote, get involved like this! Helping people confirm their polling locations, confirm that their registration is still current, getting them to the polls, etc. It all helps so much.
Sits by phone and waits for story about racist grocer who refuses to sell food to certain people because they won’t show ID.
Pretty much. 🙁
Exactly right.
Next it’ll be restaurants. Fast food. Anytime and anywhere money is exchanged. He wants to starve humans. Smoke em out. He’s the Antichrist.
Absofu*kinlutely
Every single day I wake up and want to apologize to the entire world for this jack@ss in our White House. I am afraid that other countries think everyone in the U.S. supports this moron and his fascist ways. Please know that is not the case, and the majority of us did not vote for him (screw you, Electoral College).
What strikes me here is what I think he isn’t saying. I’m not sure he isn’t referring to people who receive public benefits, without saying it. The Republican party has been trying to force legislation requiring people who receive EBT benefits show their ID when purchasing groceries. Their ‘story’ is that this will help reduce the amount of fraud, which is BS and we all know it. It’s another way to humiliate people who need help. It also does not accommodate the fact that some people who receive EBT benefits are unable to leave their homes so others have to shop for them.
I seriously hate this guy.
He has probably heard “something” (possibly the EBT card/ID idea), and it was part of the word vomit spewed last night.
It’s like trying to decipher a toddler’s babbling. “Toy! Pee-pee! Go bye-bye!”
Actually, toddlers are more coherent…
Every toddler I know makes more sense and has more self-control than Trump. He really does babble and it’s terrifying to think of his proximity to nuclear codes. Doesn’t anyone in the GOP take that seriously? This is the creature that wanted to know “If we have nuclear weapons, why don’t we use them?”
How long until we “25th Amendment” this sick twist?
agree w/ Christin – the only way this makes sense is that he’s actually referring to those who receive benefits, aid, EBT card, food assistance, etc. I’m no Trump apologist – I despise him – but if that’s the context of his comment, is it really such an unreasonable proposal?
It’s a variation on wearing a yellow star.
This is scary, but I think I know what Trump meant. He was thinking about needing to show your license or state ID card when you write a check. He probably hasn’t bought groceries since before credit cards were a thing. And I’m sure he has no idea that many low-income families don’t have bank accounts and can’t write checks anyway.
Right. Or before the credit card terminals were a thing and the clerk had to swipe your card for you and would ask for ID to compare signatures or whatever that was meant to accomplish. Still means he’s completely out of touch.
Stores still take checks lol?
Most of the stores I have used checks at only need to see an ID the first time a check is written and then you’re in the system and they don’t ask for the ID.
You’re giving him too much credit. He literally thinks you need a photo ID to buy food at a grocery store. Period. He really is that out of touch and ignorant.
Oh, man, I lost my photo ID and now I’m hungry….what to do?
Where’s my ID? I can’t buy fuel for the car…
If you have a Twitter account, make sure you report Eric Trump and EZ (for retweeting) Acosta getting harassed in Tampa.
done
I really admire people like Acosta who can somehow keep their cool while being treated like that. I probably would’ve snapped and screamed back at those asswipes
I think Jim Acosta and April Ryan are heroes. It’s very impressive that neither one has choked Trump or Sarah Suckabee by now.
Did that first thing this morning
I really hate this man and what he is doing to the country I became a citizen of 30 years ago.
And somewhere, someone in his base is telling someone else “yeah, he’s right! I remember this one time at the grocery store they made me show my ID before I could buy groceries and Obama created that rule so the government could track people”.
Michelle Obama created that rule because she wants to force us all to eat yucky food
@Minx, you’ll just have to starve. Sorry!
Did anyone see Seth Meyers show last night? He did another segment of “The tiny voice in the back of Donald Trump’s head”, mocking all his clapping, pointing and “shake weights” at one of the rally’s. Worth watching, very funny!
I don’t know about other states, but in mine you need some type of picture id, driver’s license, state id (that you can get at a license place) or passport along with a bill, paycheck, bank statement that shows your address. I read this yesterday and I bet there are many of the 1% that believe you need a picture id to buy groceries. What a total idiot.
He said you need an ID to buy groceries? What are YOU talking about?
Voting.
Someone, as expected, is in meltdown mode on twitter.
Boy this is gonna be good!
–Flounder from Animal House
He really is flipping out on Twitter this morning. Again.
It’s almost like he’s freaking out about something coming down the road…
I know, right? He so worried about the double duo of Manafort and Cohen doing a one-two punch right to his jowly, orange chops!
He is definitely the most moronic person to ever be president!!!
Who knew that Putin could take down America simply by putting in office the dumbest human being on the planet earth and surrounding him with complicit republicans who have extensive ties to Russia through their businesses? When will the press open their eyes? The Dotard is being controlled by Stephen Miller and Putin right now. They give him orders and then he faithfully walks out on a stage and repeats the orders because he is stupid. What the press should be asking is if the Dotard talked to Putin before his rally because making people have an ID to buy groceries seems like something that Putin would do. The press aren’t asking the right questions and are focusing on the wrong things.
If the Dotard thinks that only American citizens should vote in American elections, why did he get help in the 2016 election from the Russians and their bot army? Why is he making it so easy for the Russians and bot army to vote in the midterms and 2020 election?
There are some things that the press keeps getting wrong. The Dotard is a con artist, he talked about how he created a fake construction site(he would have a lot of trucks and workers at a site) to make buyers think that his business was booming. So the first question the press should be asking themselves is what percentage of the people in the crowd are actors or workers from his businesses? It surprises me that the press keeps falling for the Dotard’s cons. Didn’t he hire a cheer team when he gave a talk to the CIA? Someone also found that the Trump campaign made requests for actors to attend his rallies. The best way to stop the Dotard is to stop falling for his cons.
The reason they don’t ask the right questions is because of. . .ratings and money. It’s more money in their pocket if they keep publishing these “OMG Guess what Trump did today!!!!!!!” stories. Follow the money. It’s always about money, only about money. Tapping into people’s fears is what pays the bills and all those high high salaries on air personalities make. It’s not any deeper than that.
At this point if you are within earshot of this fat POS and you don’t take that moment to scream Resign Traitor then you are not doing your job as a human. Everyone do it. Do it at the White House, do it at his Nazi rallies, do it when he calls, tweet it at him all day every day. Make it a international week of service by restricting all proper communication with him by only saying Resign Traitor. I want him to feel like John Malkovich in Being John Malkovich when John goes inside his own heads portal to end up in a universe where all they say is John Malkovich over and over. Only in his world it’s RESIGN TRAITOR. Lol just do it trust me
Media orgs need to stop covering his rallies! Immediately! It’s how he got so much power in the first place–credible, huge media outlets followed him around like a puppy during the campaign, giving him far more coverage than any other candidate. His followers will stop going to these dangerous rallies the minute they don’t have a chance to get on Tee Vee!
A question here from a non-American: I don’t understand why Voter ID laws suppress the vote? Isn’t it standard you need to show ID in order to be able to vote? Here in the Netherlands you always have to show ID even though here you don’t even need to register to vote. You just automatically get a personalized voting card in the mail if you’re a citizen.
@Medusa, initially registering to vote does require various forms of ID to be produced. The problem is that each state can set its own voting rules. Some make the process simple and efficient, others put many obstacles in place – ostensibly to cut down on fraud, but in reality to discourage those that would have difficulty producing the necessary identification (naturalized citizens, elderly, poor and/or disabled) from successfully voting. I don’t know of any state that automatically registers people to vote, they have to do it themselves. There is no single voting system, even during presidential election cycles.
I am a natural-born U.S. citizen, but if I had to prove that fact in order to vote I might have difficulty doing so. My driver’s license confirms who I am, but not that I’m a citizen. A utility bill proves I live where I say I do, but it doesn’t have my photo. I have a passport – which proves my citizenship, but I keep it locked away unless I’m traveling, and many people don’t go to the trouble or expense of getting a passport.
Thank you for explaining it to me, Dara. I think the main reason I didn’t understand was that over here almost everyone has an ID-card (which can be used for traveling within the EU) or a passport, both of which prove citizenship. It’s basically required by law because if a police officer asks you for ID and you don’t have one you can get fined. Most people here carry around an ID-card because it’s smaller and cheaper. I have a passport because I don’t want to pay for an ID-card and then a passport if I want to travel to outside the EU. I almost always have my passport in my handbag so I thought “What’s the big deal about producing ID?!” but I guess it’s much more complicated than that.
I think there are so many factors, but they don’t apply to all people:
1. Not everyone drives, and yet a driver’s license is one of the few IDs that has a photo on it. If you live in a urban area with public transportation, you might never have the need for a gov’t issued photo ID.
2. The birth records of older people of color can be VERY hard to come by. During discriminatory periods of our history, some black Americans didn’t get birth certificates. So trying to find the documents you need to provide to get a photo ID can be challenging.
3. It can be very hard to get to a place that issues gov’t approved photo IDs. In states like Texas, which is incredibly vast, you may have to drive hundreds of miles (seriously) to get to a photo ID. In Texas, there are no driver’s license offices in 81 of the state’s 254 counties!
In South Africa everyone has to have an ID (literally Identity Document) in order to vote and we also have to register. So on the face off it you would think that we are being very restrictive.
But the government bends over backwards to facilitate voter registration. Your first ID is free and you do not have to renew it so you can use it for your entire life (as it is the standard form of identification in SA everyone tends to have it anyway). IDs take the department of Home Affairs about 4 weeks to process and 3 months out from an election they start running on extended office hours and they open on weekends to accommodate people who need to get a new ID. Voter stations will also open on weekends to allow people to come register if they have changed address. And both the Department of Home Affairs and the Independent Electoral Commission will run adds for months reminding people of all of this. In addition the actual day of the election is always a National Holiday to allow people to vote without undue economic impact.
My point is that you can have very thorough voter verification without making it difficult for people to vote. If that is what you want to do.