«You know, if you go out and you want to buy groceries…»
Leah Millis/REUTERS
A Tuesday rally in Florida featured one of President Donald Trump’s most bizarre claims yet, all in the name of defending voter ID laws.
“We believe that only American citizens should vote in American elections,” Trump told the enthusiastic crowd of supporters. “Which is why the time has come for voter ID.”
That’s a fairly standard point for Trump to make, and it’s inline with the Republican Party stance in favor of laws requiring photo identification when voting. But Trump then appeared to go off script, and he didn’t seem to make much sense:
“You know, if you go out and you want to buy groceries, you need a picture on a card. You need ID. You go out and you want to buy anything, you need ID and you need your picture. In this country, the only time you don’t need it in many cases is when you want to for a president, when you want to vote for a senator, when you want to vote for a governor or congressman. It’s crazy.”
President Trump: “We believe that only American citizens should vote in American elections. Which is why the time has come for voter ID… You know if you go out and you want to buy groceries you need a picture on a card. You need ID.”
Full video here: https://t.co/GWTNUZM2q9 pic.twitter.com/3Wz5qxaZH8
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 1,2018
No, grocery stores don’t require photo identification to purchase groceries. While some items such as alcohol or tobacco are age-restricted and generally require a form of ID upon purchase, Trump is a famous teetotaler, making it unlikely him to associate groceries with alcohol or tobacco.
Of course, the gaffe was easy fodder for Trump’s detractors on Twitter. Many questioned if the billionaire president had ever bought groceries in his life.
The president says you need a photo ID to buy groceries.
.
1. He’s lying.
.
2. I didn’t go to Afghanistan for his right to buy groceries.
.
3. This dude has never in his life bought his own groceries.
— Jason Kander (@JasonKander) August 1,2018
People ask me why I think I can prevail against Mr. Trump. I tell them it’s because (1) I’ve bought groceries before and (2) I know you don’t need an ID to buy groceries. #Basta #FightClub
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) August 1,2018
Trump: “If you go out and you want to buy groceries, you need a picture on a card. You need ID.”
This man has never bought a carton of milk in his life, has he?
— Kaili Joy Gray (@KailiJoy) July 31,2018
Opponents of voter ID laws have long argued that the proposals are a solution to a near-nonexistent problem and disproportionately disenfranchise poor and minority voters.
Trump’s bizarre and inaccurate claims in support of the laws certainly won’t help win much additional support on the issue.
