Trump accidentally says Democrats will receive an impeachment 'backlash at the box office'

Donald Trump
(Image credit: Scott Olson / Getty Images)

Who would have taken President Trump for a box office prognosticator?

He briefly became one with a gaffe at his Wednesday night rally, which occurred at the same time the House of Representatives passed articles of impeachment charging him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The president meant to declare that Democrats will experience a backlash in the 2020 election for impeaching him, but instead, he briefly got the worlds of entertainment and politics all mixed up.

"They'll receive a big backlash at the box office," Trump said of House Democrats, before trying to casually correct himself moments later by referencing "that ballot box on November 3rd," as if that's what he said the first time.

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Then again, if Trump did mean box office, it wouldn't be out of character. He declared in August that "Hollywood is racist" and that "what they're doing with the kind of movies they're putting out, it's actually very dangerous to our country."

Or perhaps he was actually talking about the Democrats' decision to hold a presidential debate on the opening night of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, predicting a huge surge in ticket sales from those who are specifically choosing not to tune in. As Trump might say, who can figure out the true meaning of the box office comment? Enjoy! Brendan Morrow

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.