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Op-Ed

Trump or Not Trump?

November 27, 2017

Like him or hate him, you have to admit that Donald Trump says a lot of things. What we sometimes forget, though, is that other people have said a lot of things too. And they’ve been saying them for a long time. So, for those of you who think things are weirder than ever these days, I present to you a quiz that may change your mind.

Milt Policzer

By Milt Policzer

Courthouse News columnist; racehorse owner and breeder; one of those guys who always got picked last.

Like him or hate him, you have to admit that Donald Trump says a lot of things. What we sometimes forget, though, is that other people have said a lot of things too. And they’ve been saying them for a long time. So, for those of you who think things are weirder than ever these days, I present to you a quiz that may change your mind.

Read the following quotes and see if you can guess whether they were uttered by Donald Trump or a 20th century politician (when perhaps things were great). The answers appear below – don’t cheat and peek before answering.

  1. “For NASA, space is still a high priority.”
  2. “When the president does it, that means it is not illegal.”
  3. “The most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”
  4. “I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don’t always agree with them.”
  5. “Tell the truth, work hard, and come to dinner on time.”
  6. “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”
  7. “A mere forty years ago, beach volleyball was just beginning. No bureaucrat would have invented it, and that’s what freedom is all about.”
  8. “Never kick a man when he’s up.”
  9. “We’ve uncovered some embarrassing ancestors in the not-too-distant past. Some horse thieves, and some people killed on Saturday nights. One of my relatives, unfortunately, was even in the newspaper business.”
  10. “If we don’t succeed, we run the risk of failure.”
  11. “I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself.”
  12. “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.”
  13. “People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook. I’ve earned everything I’ve got.”
  14. “The business of America is business.”
  15. “Covfefe.”

You have my permission to use the above for your next party game.

 

Favorite press release headline of the week: “Free Pancake Breakfast to be followed by Health & Wellness Clinic.”

That clinic really should have come before the breakfast.

Favorite news headline of the week: “Woman injured man’s genitals during fight in the shower: police.”

Always wear protection if you’re not alone in the shower.

The Answers:

  1. Dan Quayle
  2. Richard Nixon
  3. Ronald Reagan
  4. George H.W. Bush
  5. Gerald Ford
  6. Bill Clinton
  7. Newt Gingrich
  8. Tip O’Neill
  9. Jimmy Carter
  10. Dan Quayle
  11. Ronald Reagan
  12. Bill Clinton
  13. Richard Nixon
  14. Calvin Coolidge
  15. Donald Trump (some things have no precedent)
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