Trump accidentally says Democrats will receive an impeachment 'backlash at the box office'
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.
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.
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
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Political cartoons for October 25Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include hospital bill trauma, Independence Day, and more
-
Roasted squash and apple soup recipeThe Week Recommends Autumnal soup is full of warming and hearty flavours
-
Ukraine: Donald Trump pivots againIn the Spotlight US president apparently warned Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Vladimir Putin’s terms or face destruction during fractious face-to-face
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deploymentSpeed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
