| | | | A running list of Donald Trump's conspiracy theories | | On Thursday morning, President Donald Trump suggested, via Twitter, that Democrats had inflated the death toll in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017. The goal? To make him look bad, of course!
"This was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico," Trump tweeted. "If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list. Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!"
Trump's tweet came as Hurricane Florence barreled toward the Carolina coast. It also followed hard on a study commissioned by the Puerto Rican government that showed the death toll from Maria was close to 3,000.
Trump's evidence for why the study was wrong? He offered none.
This then becomes simply the latest example of the President of the United States embracing -- or creating -- a conspiracy theory for the sole reason that it a) makes him look good/strong/tough or b) advances his political agenda.
Remember that Trump's real start in politics came earlier this decade, when he became a high-profile cheerleader for the repeatedly debunked idea that then-President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.
Below, my best effort at rounding up the major conspiracy theories Trump has either touted or started since he entered the 2016 presidential race. To be clear: There is no real evidence to back up these claims — and a slew of evidence that rebuts them. Did I miss one? Email me at cillizza@cnn.com. I'll keep a running -- and updated -- list.
* Ted Cruz's father was involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy
* Between 3 and 5 million illegal votes were cast in the 2016 election
* The evidence isn't clear that Russia interfered in the election
* Longtime Clinton aide Vince Foster may not have committed suicide
* Vaccines may be causing autism and other problems
* Muslims were celebrating on New Jersey roofs on Sept. 11, 2001
* Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia may have been murdered
* Climate change may not actually be a thing
* His voice might not actually be his voice on the "Access Hollywood" tape
The Point: This is who Donald Trump is. This is what he does. And scarily, he's getting more divorced from established facts and reality as his presidency goes on.
-- Chris | | "There are no problems in America ... and no one died in Puerto Rico."
-- Former Vice President Joe Biden's sarcastic opening remarks at an event in DC today. H/T Mike Memoli | | | It's the third edition of Chris and Harry Enten's monthly power rankings of 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls!
Looking at the 2018 Democratic primary season, Chris and Harry notice three major trends: - Women are winning
- Liberals are winning
- People of color are winning
"We are nothing if not mindful of the the messages voters are sending at the ballot box. Because of that, we are crowning a new king -- er, queen -- in our monthly rankings of the 10 people most likely to wind up as the Democratic nominee for president against Donald Trump in 2020."
Some rankings to note? Sen. Elizabeth Warren has bumped up to No. 1, while Gov. Deval Patrick has been replaced on the list by Rep. Beto O'Rourke. Agree? Disagree? Let Chris and Harry know! | | Negotiators on the Hill have reached a bipartisan agreement, pushing off a government shutdown for now, CNN's Phil Mattingly reports.
The agreement includes a package of spending bills and a continuing resolution to fund the remainder of the government through December 7.
House and Senate aides have been told by White House officials that President Trump will sign the agreement and in turn will avoid a shutdown in the weeks leading up to the election, Mattingly writes. | | ELECTION NIGHT IN THE BIG APPLE | | As New Yorkers head to the polls today, CNN's Greg Krieg previews the Democratic primary races to watch tonight: - Gov. Andrew Cuomo vs. Cynthia Nixon
- This is, of course, the big one, even if the most recent polling -- indeed, all of the available public polling -- suggests Cuomo will cruise to the nomination.
If Nixon scores a late comeback shocker, she'll have to thank some combination of a fired-up progressive grass roots and Cuomo's stuttering campaign. - Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul vs. NYC councilman Jumaane Williams
- Incumbent Hochul also holds a considerable lead in the most recent polling of her race with Williams. But Williams supporters are hoping that voters anxious about handing over the top job to the inexperienced Nixon will split their ballots and back the challenger as a way to put a symbolic check on Cuomo.
- Attorney general: Zephyr Teachout vs. Tish James vs. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney vs. Leecia Eve
- It's the race that no one saw coming.
Former state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was expected to cruise to the nomination, again, right up until The New Yorker on May 7 published a report in which multiple women accused him of assault. He resigned a few hours later.
His departure opened up one of most powerful statewide jobs in the country -- one that will place the eventual winner in position to challenge Trump and his administration and also police Wall Street. - The down-ballot challengers
- The former leader of a breakaway group of state Senate Democrats who joined forces with Republicans for seven years, in the process effectively guaranteeing GOP control of the chamber, state Sen. Jeff Klein agreed to rejoin the mainline Democratic caucus in April.
But the dissolution of the Independent Democratic Conference didn't dampen enthusiasm on the left to oust its members. If anything, the progressive fervor to unseat IDC members grew throughout the campaign. - DSA's candidate in Brooklyn
- Progressives will also be keeping close tabs on Julia Salazar's bid to unseat longtime state Sen. Martin Dilan in the 18th District, where the 27-year-old Democratic Socialists of America candidate is running a leftist campaign focused on affordable housing.
Make sure to follow along with CNN's live coverage of election night. | | | Today's topic: Today in Brett Kavanaugh news .... | | TRUMP TWEETS ON PUERTO RICO | | In a tweet this morning, Trump denied that nearly 3,000 people died in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, saying instead that Democrats had inflated the numbers to harm him politically.
"3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths. As time went by it did not go up by much. Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000," Trump's tweet Thursday morning said, as Carolinians awaited Hurricane Florence's arrival.
CNN's Betsy Klein reports that earlier this month, "the island's governor formally raised the death toll from Hurricane Maria to an estimated 2,975 from 64 following a study conducted by researchers at The George Washington University."
CNN's reporting also reflects similar numbers.
Trump's false claims also led two top Florida Republicans to distance themselves from the President.
From CNN's Dan Merica and Ryan Nobles:
"Both Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who is running for Senate in the state, and former Rep. Ron DeSantis, who is running to succeed Scott, issued statements affirming their belief in the death count. Puerto Ricans are a key potential voting bloc in Florida's closely contested elections. Following the 2017 hurricane, thousands of Puerto Ricans were estimated to have moved to the state."
Chris notes that Trump's hurricane tweets show he can always go lower. | | | From Brenna: "The only thing I love more than a good pointing GIF is someone who gets animated at a Ways and Means Committee markup on tax reform. Today we got both, thanks to Connecticut's Rep. John Larson. Animatedly point your friends in our direction." Thanks for reading. Tell people you know to subscribe to The Point. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris Cillizza, and follow Chris on Twitter.
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