These politicians couldn't keep their feet out of their mouths. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 20 most ridiculous, absurd, or factually incorrect things said by US Politicians.
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00:00In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats,
00:06they're eating, they're eating the pets of the people that live there.
00:12Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 most ridiculous,
00:17absurd and factually incorrect things said by US politicians.
00:22So we're going to play a game called Bushism or Not.
00:29Number 20.
00:30I took the initiative in creating the Internet, Al Gore.
00:33In a 1999 interview with CNN journalist Wolf Blitzer, almost US President Al Gore stated
00:40that he took initiative in creating the Internet.
00:42I've traveled to every part of this country during the last six years.
00:47During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet.
00:54This led to a firestorm of ridicule and controversy against Gore, who was widely misquoted as
00:59claiming to have invented the Internet himself.
01:02It had never been Gore's intention to make that specific claim.
01:05He was simply trying to highlight various initiatives and policies he had been involved
01:10with that helped foster the right environment for the Internet to grow.
01:14Gore's poor word choice left him ripe for the attack, however.
01:17Let this be a lesson to all you current or future politicians watching today, phrasing
01:22matters.
01:23They shared with me their expectations that it could very well grow into a much bigger
01:29thing than it was back in those days.
01:31Number 19.
01:33My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over
01:37and capsize.
01:38Hank Johnson.
01:39On March 25th, 2010, as is tradition, the House Armed Services Committee met to discuss
01:45the 2011 defense budget.
01:47The otherwise routine hearing had a moment of unusual ridiculousness while discussing
01:52the Guam military base.
01:54After giving a way too detailed report on the island's size, Georgia Representative
01:58Hank Johnson cited his worry that adding more military personnel would cause the island
02:03to, quote, tip over and capsize.
02:06The whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize.
02:16The admiral on the other side of the bench was quick to dispel that concern.
02:20After all, we live in a real world and not a Nickelodeon cartoon.
02:24Johnson's office later put out a statement that he was simply being humorous and metaphorical,
02:29but that was one joke that just didn't land.
02:35Number 18.
02:36The internet is not something that you just dump something on.
02:39It's not a big truck.
02:40It's a series of tubes.
02:42Ted Stevens.
02:43And again, the internet is not something that you just dump something on.
02:47It's not a big truck.
02:48It's a series of tubes.
02:50Ted Stevens had a 40-year-long U.S. Senate career, defined by such highlights as a 2008
02:56corruption scandal and a 2006 net neutrality speech.
03:00In that speech, he had been arguing against an amendment to ban providers from charging
03:05higher rates for faster internet.
03:08Stevens got a bit too colorful describing how the internet works.
03:12He clarified that the internet was in fact not a truck where you can dump things en masse,
03:17but rather a series of tubes that can apparently get clogged up like a rush hour freeway.
03:23The comment was widely mocked and derided, notably by Jon Stewart.
03:27If only there was some worldwide tool Stevens could have used to look up a better description
03:33of the internet.
03:34I look only forward, and I still see the day when I can remove the cloud that currently
03:39surrounds me.
03:40Number 17.
03:42Stand up, Chuck.
03:43Let him see you.
03:44Joe Biden.
03:45In the year 2000, Eminem asked the real Slim Shady to please stand up.
03:49Eight years later, at a campaign event, Joe Biden asked Missouri State Senator Chuck Graham
03:54to do the same.
03:55Chuck Graham, state senator's here, Chuck.
03:57Stand up, Chuck.
03:58Let him see you.
03:59Oh, God love you.
04:01What am I talking about?
04:02The only problem was that Graham required a wheelchair due to his paralysis, so standing
04:07up wasn't really an option.
04:09Biden realized his mistake and awkwardly tried to pivot away from his gaffe, asking everyone
04:13else to stand up instead.
04:15Thankfully, enough people obliged that Biden was able to apologize, and the incident passed
04:20with some self-deprecation and little additional fanfare.
04:23I tell you what, you're making everybody else stand up, though, pal.
04:27Thank you very, very much.
04:28Number 16.
04:30There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, and there never will be under a Ford administration.
04:35Gerald Ford.
04:36You have three choices when asked a question during a presidential debate.
04:39You can give a right answer, a wrong answer, or just plain confuse everyone.
04:44Gerald Ford chose the latter when asked about Soviet domination in Eastern Europe in the
04:49second 1976 presidential debate.
04:52There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, and there never will be under a Ford administration.
04:59His incredible response that there was none forced the moderator to ask him again.
05:05Ford doubled down, insisting there would be no Soviet domination during his presidency,
05:10using specific countries as examples.
05:13It's interesting to note that Ford likely wasn't so much wrong as simply belting out
05:18U.S. foreign policy, which refused to acknowledge the Soviet Empire and insisted every nation
05:24was independent.
05:25Unfortunately for him, though, most people didn't catch that subtle distinction, and
05:29he ultimately lost the election.
05:32Did I understand you to say, sir, that the Russians are not using Eastern Europe as their
05:36own sphere of influence and occupying most of the countries there?
05:41Number 15.
05:42It depends on what the meaning of the word is, is.
05:46Bill Clinton.
05:47The Clinton Lewinsky scandal first broke in 1998 and quickly dominated media headlines.
05:53A few days after the initial reports, Clinton gave the now infamous press conference where
05:57he categorically denied having any relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
06:02I did not have sexual relations with that woman.
06:07During his grand testimony hearing, he was asked about statements made by his attorney
06:11denying his relationship with Lewinsky.
06:14Clinton stated that the veracity of those statements really depends on what the word
06:18is means.
06:20It depends upon what the meaning of the word is.
06:24This Simone Biles worthy feat of verbal gymnastics wasn't even Clinton's only attempt to use
06:29semantics in his favor as he tried to dodge the consequences.
06:33While Clinton's presidency is largely viewed in a positive light, the scandal remains a
06:37significant part of his legacy.
06:39Number 14.
06:41As Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the United States of America.
06:45Sarah Palin.
06:46You cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience.
06:52What did you mean by that?
06:53Sarah Palin dramatically rose to the national stage when she was selected to be John McCain's
06:58running mate in the 2008 U.S. presidential elections.
07:01While her selection was initially certified fresh, Palin soon began to get called out
07:06for her apparent inexperience.
07:08To combat this, she tried to bolster her foreign policy credentials by citing Russia's proximity
07:14to Alaska.
07:15Palin further emphasized this point in an interview with Katie Couric by describing
07:19how Alaska is Putin's target as he rears his head and enters U.S. airspace.
07:24It was a statement that did absolutely nothing but give people an absurd image of Putin as
07:29a dragon getting out of bed in the morning.
07:31When you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes
07:37into the airspace of the United States of America.
07:41Number 13.
07:42Binders full of women.
07:44Mitt Romney.
07:45I went to a number of women's groups and said, can you help us find folks?
07:47And they brought us whole binders full of women.
07:50There are plenty of good ways to highlight the gender pay gap.
07:54And then there's what Mitt Romney said in the second 2012 presidential debate.
07:58When asked a question on pay equity for women, the Massachusetts governor described receiving
08:02quote whole binders full of women while trying to fill his cabinet.
08:07Romney had managed to somehow take a topic as dull as resume files and sound like a sleazy
08:12talent scout looking for America's next top model.
08:15The quote went viral, garnering significant attention from the media, becoming a meme
08:20and putting Romney on blast for his supposed misogyny.
08:23It certainly didn't help matters when Obama added the quotes to his campaign arsenal.
08:28Little did he know that very second, memes started popping up of binder full of women
08:33on the internet.
08:34Number 12.
08:35Life is indeed precious and I believe the death penalty helps to affirm that fact.
08:40Ed Koch.
08:41You're, of course, against the death penalty.
08:43No, I'm for the death penalty.
08:47She screamed.
08:48Honest to God, she screamed.
08:49They say if you love something, let it go.
08:52A philosophy former New York City Mayor Ed Koch clearly embraced when he pontificated
08:57that the death penalty helps affirm the preciousness of life.
09:01This oxymoron was included in a 1985 essay by Koch published in the New Republic in support
09:06of his pro death penalty stance.
09:08This stance often put him in conflict with fellow Democrats and civil rights organizations
09:13like the American Civil Liberties Union.
09:15Koch's main argument in favor of this assertion was that the death penalty would deter those
09:20planning to kill or commit other violent crimes.
09:23The argument falls flat when you consider that most criminals aren't really planning
09:27on getting caught or may be equally deterred by alternate penalties.
09:31So that distinguished me from a lot of liberals and reformers because that issue was considered
09:41to be a right wing issue.
09:42Number 11.
09:43If Lincoln were alive today, he'd roll over in his grave.
09:47Gerald Ford.
09:48That the attention of the president, the Congress and the American people would have been diverted
09:52from the problems that we have to solve.
09:56And that was the principal reason for my granting of the pardon.
10:00Gerald Ford's presidency got off to a rough start in September 1974 when he granted Richard
10:05Nixon a full pardon following the Watergate scandal.
10:08He then stumbled into a reputation for clumsiness and was an early and regular target of Saturday
10:13Night Live.
10:14Among his many slips, trips and gaffes was the declaration that if Abraham Lincoln were
10:19alive today, he'd be turning over in his grave at the status of current affairs.
10:25Let's take a look at the recent popularity polls, shall we?
10:31This butchering of a classic punchline serves as a prime example of someone speaking faster
10:36than their brain works.
10:37Or perhaps Ford had thought Lincoln enjoyed rolling around in empty coffins during his
10:42leisure time between Gettysburg address preparation sessions and trips to the Top Hat store.
10:48Number 10.
10:49Every month that we do not have an economic recovery package, 500 million Americans lose
10:53their jobs.
10:55Nancy Pelosi.
10:56It's not unusual for politicians to slightly bend the truth or employ hyperbole to pass
11:01legislation or enact policy.
11:03Nancy Pelosi, however, took it to another level when she claimed in early 2009 that
11:08500 million Americans would lose their jobs every month if Obama's stimulus package
11:13is not passed.
11:14Given that the total U.S. population at the time, including children, was just over 300
11:20We're fairly certain Pelosi momentarily forgot how math works.
11:24Even taking her statement global, the entire world would find itself out of a job in about
11:28a year.
11:29But given that this was Nancy Pelosi, maybe the bill just had to pass for us to understand
11:34her unique logic.
11:40Number 9.
11:41The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation's history.
11:45Dan Quayle.
11:46Dan Quayle's vice presidency is largely defined not by any policy or initiative he spearheaded,
11:51but by the cornucopia of bizarre statements he made while in office.
11:55One of his most confounding statements, however, came when he referenced the Holocaust in 1988,
12:00calling it the most obscene period in American history.
12:04It was an obscene period in our nation's history.
12:08No, not our nation's, but in World War II.
12:12Quayle attempted to correct this snafu, but only dug himself deeper as he discussed World
12:17War II and this century, where he may or may not have lived.
12:21Quayle concludes this epic monologue by defining the term Hitlerism, which sounds like a term
12:27he created.
12:28What do you expect from the man who once fixed a student's already correct spelling of the
12:32word potato?
12:33Add one little bit on the end.
12:35It's like a potato.
12:36How's it?
12:37Potato.
12:38Potato.
12:39If you write phonetically, what else?
12:41There you go.
12:42Number 8.
12:43Trees cause more pollution than automobiles.
12:46Ronald Reagan.
12:47But I'm proud of having been one of the first to recognize that states and the federal
12:51government have a duty to protect our natural resources from the damaging effects of pollution
12:56that can accompany industrial development.
12:58If there's one thing Ronald Reagan was a fan of during his presidency, it was
13:02deregulation.
13:03The former governor of California gutted federal regulation for numerous sectors, including
13:08the environment.
13:09To promote anti-environmental policy, Reagan even claimed in 1981 that trees are responsible
13:15for more pollution than automobiles.
13:17This comment was widely mocked by critics, who joked about the presence of killer trees,
13:22which surprisingly did not become the title of a Stephen King novel.
13:26To be clear, research has shown that some trees do release organic hydrocarbons that
13:31contributes to air pollution.
13:33However, saying they pollute more than cars is misleading and ignores all the good trees
13:38do for the environment.
13:40As I said, our progress on protecting the environment is one of the best-kept secrets
13:44in Washington.
13:45But it's not by far the only secret, and I'll have more on that.
13:49Number 7.
13:50I've been in 57 states.
13:52I think one left to go.
13:54Barack Obama.
13:55Many politicians are known for being highly skilled and charismatic orators, including
14:00Barack Obama, who often gave memorable and captivating speeches.
14:04Unfortunately, he doesn't always get it right.
14:07During a 2008 Oregon campaign rally, when he was first running for president, Obama
14:12described how he had been all over the country, having apparently visited 57 states.
14:18I've now been in 57 states.
14:22I think one left to go.
14:24Yeah, you heard that right, 57 states.
14:26But wait, it gets worse, because it seems he still had one to go and had not visited
14:32either Hawaii or Alaska.
14:34It was later suggested that he meant to say 47, but we're just gonna pretend that he
14:39included the great states of Narnia, Westeros, and Middle Earth in his count.
14:43Over the last 15 months, we've traveled to every corner of the United States.
14:48Number 6.
14:49The female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.
14:53William Todd Akin
14:54Abortion has always been a divisive issue, with people often not afraid to express and
14:59fiercely defend their views.
15:01One such view came from former Missouri Representative William Todd Akin, a known abortion critic.
15:07In a 2012 Jayco Report interview, he gave the startling view that the female body is
15:12capable of automatically terminating pregnancies after legitimate sexual assaults.
15:17The female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.
15:21The backlash was immediate, with many decrying the statement as both highly insulting and
15:26very scientifically inaccurate.
15:28Akin was also heavily criticized for his use of the word legitimate to describe sexual
15:33assault, as if to question the veracity of some survivors.
15:36While he initially apologized for his remarks, he later walked the apology back after losing
15:41the 2012 Senate elections.
15:43What I see is an irresponsible claim that you're trying to take what one man said that
15:48is completely indefensible.
15:49Number 5.
15:50I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.
15:54George W. Bush
15:55Did you say, I know that human being and fish can coexist peacefully?
16:01An important part of the U.S. President's job is to better inspire their citizens, to
16:06help them believe they can achieve their full potential and do great things.
16:10During a September 2000 campaign event, George W. Bush tried to show America he could rise
16:15to that task while still practicing good governance.
16:18While discussing his energy policies, Bush passionately proclaimed his belief that humans
16:24and marine animals can live side by side in peace and harmony.
16:28That may not be entirely realistic, given the almost 9 billion pounds of shrimp people
16:33consume annually, but it's always good to dream.
16:36With all due respect to Bush, though, if peaceful human-fish coexistence is how we get the deep,
16:41then he can keep it.
16:42That is?
16:44I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.
16:48Absolutely correct.
16:50Number 4.
16:51We've got to stand with our North Korean allies.
16:54Sarah Palin
16:55The early 2010s were filled with rumors about a Sarah Palin 2012 presidential run.
17:00During an interview with Glenn Beck around the same time, Palin was asked how she would
17:04handle rising tensions with North Korea.
17:07She concluded a long-winded answer involving sanctions with the statement that we must
17:11stand with our North Korean allies.
17:21A statement that is 100% without a doubt factually accurate if you take out the word North and
17:27put in the word South instead.
17:29Beck quickly corrected her and the interview proceeded.
17:32While this was likely a simple slip of the tongue from Palin, it unleashed a bounty of
17:36criticism on her foreign policy inexperience and her 2008 troubles with their myriad SNL sketches.
17:54Number 3.
17:55When the president does it, that means it is not illegal.
17:58Richard Nixon
17:59The Watergate scandal rocked the US in the early 1970s before ending with Nixon's resignation
18:05and pardon.
18:06Nixon had spent most of those tumultuous years maintaining his innocence and hindering investigations.
18:12In 1973, he vehemently announced to a room full of journalists that he was not a crook
18:18six months before he was required to pay over $400,000 in back taxes.
18:24Whether or not their president is a crook, well, I'm not a crook.
18:27I've earned everything I've got.
18:30During his 1977 interview with David Frost, Nixon was asked if the US president had the
18:35authority to commit illegal acts in the nation's best interest.
18:39His reply that anything the president does is automatically not illegal perfectly encapsulated
18:44his arrogance while ignoring a key tenant of democracy.
18:48When the president does it, that means that it is not illegal.
18:53If only that 2024 Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity had come five decades earlier.
19:01Number 2.
19:02Too many OBGYNs aren't able to practice their love with women.
19:06George W. Bush
19:07It's no secret that the US healthcare system has a lot of issues, including high medical
19:12bills, trouble getting insurance, and a shortage of qualified doctors.
19:16George W. Bush addressed the latter issue during a Missouri rally in a way only he could.
19:21He lamented doctors leaving the profession and OBGYNs no longer able to, quote,
19:26practice their love with women.
19:28Too many OBGYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country.
19:34We're not entirely sure where Bush got this idea from, but we think it might have something
19:39to do with some rumors he heard on the internets.
19:42We have to give Bush credit, though.
19:44He's taken this quote and all his other famous Bush-isms with humor and good spirit.
19:48Too many OBGYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country.
19:55That's me.
19:56Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions.
20:00I think that gay marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman.
20:05Arnold Schwarzenegger
20:06I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them.
20:11George H.W. Bush
20:13We did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush's term.
20:17Dana Perino
20:18We did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush's term.
20:21I hope they're not looking at this politically.
20:23I do think that we owe it to the American people to call it what it is.
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20:41Donald Trump
20:44Nearly everything out of his mouth.
20:46Donald Trump
20:47Silence of the Lamb.
20:48Has anyone ever seen the Silence of the Lamb?
20:51The late, great Hannibal Lecter.
20:53He's a wonderful man.
20:55In June 2015, Donald Trump made history when he rode down an escalator and announced that he was running for president.
21:02It wasn't his first public foray, but it launched an era of Trump that gave a whole new meaning to the words bizarre and insane.
21:10Whether it's letting UV light in the body, liking Taylor Swift's music 25% less, or just not wanting pronouns anymore,
21:19Trump's statements have defied all semblance of common sense and logic.
21:24He admires Hannibal Lecter and talks about getting the bad hombres out.
21:28His racist and misogynistic attacks have been aimed at numerous undeserving targets.
21:34Trump's aim is always to make America great again, but he will likely be remembered for the three-ring circus he left.
21:40That name gets further and further away from China as opposed to calling it the Chinese virus.
21:46Which of these sayings had you shaking your head the most?
21:49What other unbelievable or idiotic quotes should have been on the list?
21:53Let us know in the comments below.
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