Donald Trump offered alternative facts about the end of his tenure on Wednesday, prompting critics to pile on with some actual truths.
The former president spoke in Asheville, North Carolina, in what was supposed to be an economic address but ended up including many of his usual tangents and attacks on enemies.
At one point, he spoke at length about the “surging economy” he claims he handed over to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, asserting that “we had some of the greatest periods of economic growth and health that any country has ever seen, I think, probably more than any country has ever seen.”
“You never had it so good. Now you’re not doing so well,” he said.
In January 2021, when Trump left office, the U.S. was experiencing its deadliest month of the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 95,000 lives lost over the course of the month.
Just six days into 2021, a violent mob of Trump’s supporters had laid siege to the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election that he lost.
The unemployment rate was 6.3%, as the nation struggled to recover from the massive job losses of March and April 2020, when Trump was still downplaying COVID-19, casting doubt on government medical advice and suggesting the virus would just “go away.” (The unemployment rate was 4.3% last month).
Journalist Aaron Rupar shared a clip of Trump’s quote. Critics who can remember what life was like at the time shared some memories in return.