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Trump’s “war on democracy” fumble sparks backlash

"We've been waging an all-out war on American democracy," Trump declared to an audience on Saturday

Senior Culture Editor

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Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks at a commit to caucus campaign event at the Whiskey River bar on December 02, 2023 in Ankeny, Iowa. ( Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks at a commit to caucus campaign event at the Whiskey River bar on December 02, 2023 in Ankeny, Iowa. ( Scott Olson/Getty Images)

During a signature revved up speech delivered in Iowa on Saturday, Donald Trump said the quiet part out loud — as the expression goes — during a key moment of the campaign event, declaring, "We've been waging an all-out war on American democracy," and the internet is having a field day with it. 

The slip-up took place as he was, per usual, railing against the 2020 election results, singing his own praises as "an outsider" who was elected to "stand up to those liars, looters, losers, crooks," faulting Democrats for not putting America first, which he feels that he did for the four years he was in office. 

"That's why it was one of the great presidencies, they say," he speaks of himself. "Even the opponents sometimes say he did very well, I have to say. 'Take it back,' they scream. his people say 'Take it back.' From that day on, our opponents, a lot of opponents, but we've been waging an all-out war on American democracy."

After his comment, the internet flooded with memes echoing various deliveries of the sentiment "he really said that," such as one from @LocolopezNYC showing an illustration of Trump placing dynamite at the base of a statue with the word "Democracy" and the caption "No s**t."

By Kelly McClure

Kelly McClure is Salon's Senior Culture Editor, where she helps further coverage of TV, film, music, books and culture trends from a unique and thoughtful angle. Her work has also appeared in Vulture, Vanity Fair, Vice and many other outlets that don't start with the letter V. She is the author of one sad book called "Something Is Always Happening Somewhere." Follow her on Bluesky: @WolfieVibes

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