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Here is a list of Donald Trump controversies you may have missed this week

Comments made by ‘The Donald’ always prompt a strong reaction from voters – and these are no exception.

IF YOU SOMEHOW managed to miss all of the comments Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has made this week, you have a lot to catch up on.

Trump has come under criticism from President Obama, former Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain, a Muslim couple whose son was killed in the Iraq war, as well as ordinary voters.

However, he’s also been publicly endorsed by Clint Eastwood, who said in an interview with Esquire that Trump is “just saying what’s on his mind”:

[Trump]‘s onto something, because secretly everybody’s getting tired of political correctness, kissing up. That’s the kiss-ass generation we’re in right now… Everybody’s walking on eggshells.

So if you haven’t had a chance to read up on what Trump has said over the past week, here’s our roundup of his most notable comments of the week.

Last weekend: “She probably, maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say”

CBC News / YouTube

After lawyer Khizr Khan made this impassioned speech at the Democratic National Convention, Donald Trump criticised him, hinting that his wife Ghazala ”maybe wasn’t allowed to speak”.

In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Trump said:

If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably, maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say. You tell me.

Tuesday: “I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier.”

When he appeared onstage to address a crowd at a High School in Ashburn, Virginia, Trump began his speech by saying that a man had gifted him his Purple Heart, a badge awarded to the families of soldiers killed or soldiers wounded in action.

Trump then said that he asked the man if it was the “real one or a copy”:

He said that’s my real Purple Heart; I have such confidence in you. And I said man, that’s like – that’s like big stuff. I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier.

This, coupled with criticisms of the Khans, prompted various military and veterans’ groups to strongly criticise Trump.

Tuesday again: “We need very, very strong leadership. And I’m just not quite there yet.”

In an interview with the Washington Post, Trump refused to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan or Senator John McCain, despite both leading figures in the Republican party supporting Donald Trump as their party’s presidential candidate.

Trump then praised Ryan’s underdog opponent, Paul Nehlen, for running “a very good campaign” and said of Ryan:

I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country. We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And I’m just not quite there yet. I’m not quite there yet.

Wednesday: “I was only kidding, you can get the baby out of here.”

After a baby started crying during a speech he was giving in Virginia, Trump reassured the mother, who assumedly had begun to leave the room, that there was no need to panic, and that “he loved babies”.

When she remained in the room, he changed his mind, telling either the mother (or his security perhaps?) to “get that baby out of here”.

A snapshot of his immigration policy?

CNN / YouTube

Thursday: “Iran provided all of that footage of taking that money off that airplane.”

On Tuesday, it was revealed that the US had paid Iran $400 million in cash in January, around the same time four Americans were released in Tehran. President Barack Obama has vigorously denied the payment was a ransom to secure their release.

After the news broke, Trump claimed to have seen footage of the plane landing in Iran, and money being loaded off the plane.

I’ll never forget the scene this morning Iran – I don’t think you’ve heard this anywhere but here – Iran provided all of that footage, the tape, of taking that money off that airplane.

What’s remarkable about this comment is that Trump spokesperson Hope Hicks later clarified to The Washington Post on Thursday that Trump was actually talking about a widely shown video of a private plane carrying the four US hostages landing in Switzerland.

On Thursday, Donald Trump said:

It was interesting because a tape was made, you saw that? With the airplane coming in? Nice plane. And the airplane coming and the money coming off, I guess. That was given to us, has to be, by the Iranians.

On Friday, Trump admitted that he made a mistake when he made the above comment:

All week: Accusations against the Democrats

All or some of the above comments would lead some to vote Democrat in the US election in November (a decision that even some Republicans are reluctantly considering).

But it’s not as simple as that. A lot of US voters trust Hillary much less than they do Trump – partly because she has a political history to judge. Controversies surrounding her past support for the Iraq war, and the mystery around confidential security-related emails that were sent to her personal email account and then deleted have left voters reluctant to vote for a figure associated with the political elites.

Trump has, as you would expect, honed in on this mistrust in an effort to win votes, and has accused American media outlets of being biased towards Hillary:

A regular user of Twitter, Trump has used the platform to criticise what he sees as the media’s decision not to investigate controversies surrounding Hillary Clinton and where the donations to her campaign are coming from.

Chances are that by the time you’re reading this, a new comment from Trump will already be making headlines.

Read: Is it possible for Donald Trump to drop out of the presidential race? And what would happen if he did?

Read: Trump insists there’s “unity” in the Republican Party as prominent members flock to Clinton

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113 Comments
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    Mute Dmc
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    Dec 28th 2012, 9:32 AM

    The UK should have no business with an island thousands of miles away next to Argentina. How would we like if they took over the Aran Islands?

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    Mute mattoid
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    Dec 28th 2012, 10:05 AM

    By your logic Ireland is geographically close to France therefore France is entitled to sovereignty over Ireland.

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    Mute mattoid
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    Dec 28th 2012, 10:07 AM

    And most Argentinians have no right to be living in South America!

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    Mute Dmc
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    Dec 28th 2012, 10:57 AM

    Mattoid, you are misinterpreting my point. The example I gave was an island a couple of miles off the Irish mainland. It wouldnt make sense to have it under French or British jurisdiction. Its Irish! The same should apply to the Falklands. British Impearlism trying to take over the world is over with!

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    Mute Mark Dalt
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    Dec 28th 2012, 11:00 AM

    The UK has annexed territories and planted them with a puppet populations for years. Mattoid is an intellect, no country has a right to take.

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    Mute Reg
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    Dec 28th 2012, 11:02 AM

    But Dmc, the Falklands aren’t a couple of miles of the aregentine coast. They are about 400 miles away.

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    Mute mattoid
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    Dec 28th 2012, 11:38 AM

    And there was no native population to displace – the British were the first to set foot on the islands.

    Given your comments about imperialism, do you also agree that all non-native Argentinians (the vast majority of the population) should withdraw from Argentina?

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    Dec 28th 2012, 12:00 PM

    My point is that Argentina’s only claim over the Falklands is on the grounds of geographic proximity (a point which you hint at yourself), therefore with that logic what is to stop France making the same claim about Ireland?

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    Mute Chris K
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    Dec 28th 2012, 9:34 AM

    Typical bullyboy tactics employed by the thatcher govt. long may she suffer.

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    Mute Conor Buggy
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    Dec 28th 2012, 10:34 AM

    What a horrible thing to say about the woman. Am sure you would love that if someone said the same about your Ma!

    She was doing what she thought was right for her country and for people who want to stay part of her country. Disagree with her actions all you like but nasty personal comments are childish and immature.

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    Mute Mark Dalt
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    Dec 28th 2012, 11:06 AM

    Conor Buggy,

    She was an evil figure and still detested by the majority of Irish people. Tell you what Buggy, if you like her so much, why don’t you leave Ireland and move there. Leave the rest of us alone.

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    Mute Conor Buggy
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    Dec 28th 2012, 12:35 PM

    With eejits such as yourself still in the country I’d be f&&king delighted to! 30 years on and theres still attitudes like that here. Hold on to your hate. I hope it consumes you.

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    Mute _doesnotcompute
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    Dec 28th 2012, 10:23 AM

    Not surprising to see the veiled threats from Thatcher’s govt to the Irish Embassy in London.

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    Mute AJ Finnin
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    Dec 28th 2012, 10:03 AM

    The French won the Falklands war…let me explain………..

    The French Gov sold exocets to the Argentinians, the Argies were pulverising the brit fleet…….a few weeks into the war the exocets were falling out of the sky harmlessly.

    The French had sold the codes for disarming the exocets to the brits in exchange for billions of pounds worth of north sea oil……

    Here ended the history lesson.

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    Mute Reg
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    Dec 28th 2012, 10:19 AM

    The Argentines only had 5 air lanch Exocets. I believe they had two hits and three misses. Hardly pulverising. Most of the damage was inflicted on the Royal Navy by argentine pilots using plain old fashioned bombs. The Royal Navy were lucky that these bombs failed to explode in a number of cases.

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    Mute Mark Dalt
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    Dec 28th 2012, 12:26 PM

    The economic war has starved the British occupied Islas Malvinas which are now cut off from trading with most of latin America due to an Argentine-led economic blockade. This is costing Britain billions of ££££££££ !

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    Dec 28th 2012, 12:53 PM

    The FIs have never been as prosperous Mark. It is Argentina that is the economic basket case. Don’t let your anti-brittishness get in the way of a good rant though!!

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    Mute mattoid
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    Dec 28th 2012, 2:05 PM

    Mark – the British were the first human beings to ever set foot on the Falklands, and they were settled (occupied??) by them long before Argentine even existed!!

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    Mute Derek Mac An Úcaire
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    Dec 29th 2012, 10:23 AM

    connor buggy i dont know if you are english or irish or just plan confused the idea that thatcher cared for anyone is a joke your words (She was doing what she thought was right for her country and for people who want to stay part of her country.)
    who was see looking out for in england during the coal miners strike ? they were her own people were they not?
    the millions unemployed were they her own people ?.

    as for an irish person hating her.
    you have a very short or be it selective memory if you can not see why any one with any knowledge of that evil woman would have feelings of hatred and contempt for her. chris k and mark are entitled to their opinion. I personally hope see has a long and painful illness and has time to reflect on all the pain and suffering she has put on anyone effected by her time on this earth.

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    Mute Conor Buggy
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    Dec 29th 2012, 12:26 PM

    Maybe ask the falkland islanders what they think of her!

    I am Irish and happy to say that I can look back on our past without getting full of hate.

    And she cant remember anything these days as she has dementia. Something I hope you nor Mark or Chris ever has to witness in a family member. Thats why I said his comment was horrible. Nowhere did I say I agreed with her. Read what I actually said!

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    Mute Eoin Bishopski
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    Apr 25th 2013, 9:13 PM

    Maggie was not a nice politician. Hitler was not a nice leader. George Bush was an evil president. Get over it.

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