Donald Trump asks Pittsburgh crowd how Joe Paterno — who died in 2012 — is doing
People of Pittsburgh, forgive Donald Trump — he's so busy affixing his name to buildings, tweeting every thought that comes into his head, and painting things gold that he missed the news in 2012 that Joe Paterno died.
Trump is known to make off-the-cuff statements, and on Wednesday, his strategy backfired when he asked a crowd in Pittsburgh how Paterno, the former head coach of the Penn State football team, was doing. Reporters at the event say the crowd was confused and didn't know how to respond, largely due to the fact that Paterno famously died right after he was famously let go as a result of the infamous child abuse scandal that rocked the football program.
In addition to asking about the welfare of a dead man, Trump asked, "Are we going to bring that back? How about that whole deal?" so it's certainly possible that he did hear the news that Paterno was fired, but not that he died from lung cancer two months later. Who wants to break it to Trump that Breaking Bad is finished, the country has moved on from "Gangnam Style," and Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries are over?
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
Political cartoons for February 13Cartoons Friday's political cartoons include rank hypocrisy, name-dropping Trump, and EPA repeals
-
Palantir's growing influence in the British stateThe Explainer Despite winning a £240m MoD contract, the tech company’s links to Peter Mandelson and the UK’s over-reliance on US tech have caused widespread concern
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policy
Speed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
-
US to send 200 troops to Nigeria to train armySpeed Read Trump has accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks
-
Grand jury rejects charging 6 Democrats for ‘orders’ videoSpeed Read The jury refused to indict Democratic lawmakers for a video in which they urged military members to resist illegal orders
-
Judge rejects California’s ICE mask ban, OKs ID lawSpeed Read Federal law enforcement agents can wear masks but must display clear identification
