Exactly one year ago today, Donald Trump took that famous escalator ride and launched his hostile takeover of the Republican Party. Over the course of that year, Trump subjected Americans to a series of racist, sexist, xenophobic, misogynist and just downright offensive statements. Despite this, Trump is now the presumptive presidential nominee and effective leader of the Republican Party. Voters will hold House Republican incumbents and candidates accountable for the behavior of their presidential nominee. Here are just some examples from the last year (Turns out, searching for offensive/crazy things Donald Trump has said is more than a little overwhelming, so this is sure to not be the full list):
June 16, 2015 (Day 1): “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. 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.”
June 28, 2015: “I like Mexico. I love the Mexican people. I do business with the Mexican people, but you have people coming through the border that are from all over. And they’re bad. They’re really bad … You have people coming in, and I’m not just saying Mexicans, I’m talking about people that are from all over that are killers and rapists and they’re coming into this country.”
July 2, 2015: “Well if you look at the statistics of people coming, you look at the statistics on rape, on crime, on everything coming in illegally into this country it’s mind-boggling! … If you go to Fusion, you will see a story: About 80% of the women coming in, you know who owns Fusion? Univision! Go to Fusion and pick up the stories on rape. It’s unbelievable when you look at what’s going on. So all I’m doing is telling the truth.”
July 18, 2015: “[McCain’s] a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured, okay? I hate to tell you … He’s a war hero because he was capture, okay? You can have — and I believe — perhaps he’s a war hero, but right now, he said some very bad things about a lot of people.”
August 7, 2015: “I just don’t respect [Megyn Kelly] as a journalist. I don’t think she is very good. I think she is highly overrated … She gets out. Starts asking me all sorts of ridiculous questions you. You can see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever, but she was, in my opinion, she was — off base.”
September 9, 2015 (on fellow GOP candidate Carly Fiorina): “”Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?! … I mean, she’s a woman, and I’m not s’posedta say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?”
October 4, 2015 (on mass shootings): “No matter what you do, you’re gonna have problems … Because you have sick people. They happen to be intelligent. And, you know, they can be sick as hell and they’re geniuses in a certain way. They are going to be able to break the system.”
November 13, 2015 (on Secretary Clinton): “And she’s playing the woman card up. That’s all she has. Honestly, outside of the woman’s card, she’s got nothing going. Believe me. She’s playing the woman’s card bigly, and I know so many women who’ve said I wouldn’t vote for her. If you gave me a million dollars I wouldn’t vote for her.”
November 24, 2015: “At the Tuesday rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Trump ridiculed Kovaleski, telling supporters: ‘Now the poor guy. You ought to see the guy: “Err, I don’t know what I said. I don’t remember.”’ As he spoke, Trump pulled his arms up to his chest and flailed about in what looked like an imitation of the journalist’s disability.”
December 3, 2015 (In front of the Republican Jewish Coalition): “I’m a negotiator, like you folks … Is there anyone who doesn’t renegotiate deals in this room? Perhaps more than any room I’ve spoken to.”
December 7, 2015: “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”
Chris Matthews: Do you believe in punishment for abortion, yes or no as a principle
Donald Trump: The answer is that there has to be some form of punishment.
Matthews: For the woman.
Trump: Yeah, there has to be some form.
May 5, 2016: “Happy #CincoDeMayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics!”
June 2, 2016: “In an interview, Mr. Trump said U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel had ‘an absolute conflict’ in presiding over the litigation given that he was ‘of Mexican heritage’ and a member of a Latino lawyers’ association. Mr. Trump said the background of the judge, who was born in Indiana to Mexican immigrants, was relevant because of his campaign stance against illegal immigration and his pledge to seal the southern U.S. border. ‘I’m building a wall. It’s an inherent conflict of interest,’ Mr. Trump said.”
Donald Trump: He’s proud of his heritage. I respect him.
Jake Tapper: You’re saying he can’t do his job because of it?
Trump: Look, he’s proud of his heritage, OK? I’m building a wall. You know, I think I’m going to do very well with Hispanics.
Tapper: He’s a legal citizen …
Trump: You know why I’m going to do well with Hispanics, because I’m going to bring back jobs and they’re going to get jobs right now. They’re going to get jobs. I think I’m going to do very well with Hispanics, but we’re building a wall. He’s a Mexican. We’re building a wall between here and Mexico.
June 5, 2016: “Later, when asked if he believed a Muslim judge would treat him unfairly because of another controversial proposal to temporarily bar Muslims from entering the U.S., Trump replied: ‘It’s possible, yes. Yeah. That would be possible, absolutely.’”
June 12, 2016: “Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don’t want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance”
June 13, 2016: “Look, we’re led by a man that either is not tough, not smart, or he’s got something else in mind. And the something else in mind — you know, people can’t believe it. People cannot, they cannot believe that President Obama is acting the way he acts and can’t even mention the words ‘radical Islamic terrorism.’ There’s something going on. It’s inconceivable.”
June 14, 2016: President Obama “claims to know our enemy, and yet he continues to prioritize our enemy over our allies, and for that matter, the American people.”