"They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists"

In his presidential announcement speech at Trump Tower, Trump previewed two themes that would dominate his political career. On Mexican immigration, he said: "They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists" [1]. On border security, he committed to a southern border wall, telling the crowd he would "have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words" [2].

The 2015 announcement also produced the signature commitment that "I will build a great, great wall on our southern border," which became the chant "Build the wall" at subsequent rallies [3].

"stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody"

In a January 23, 2016, rally in Iowa, Trump commented on the durability of his political support that has been frequently quoted since: he said he could "stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody" and not lose voters [4]. The line has been cited by both supporters and critics ever since as a self-description of his unusual political resilience.

At a February 23, 2016, Nevada caucus victory speech, Trump told the crowd that he loved many demographic groups, including "the poorly educated", a line that supporters embraced as a populist appeal and critics framed as a tell about his electoral base [4].

In October 2016, a 2005 audio recording of Trump speaking with Access Hollywood host Billy Bush surfaced in which he described aggressive behavior toward women using crude language; Trump issued a video apology, calling the comments "locker-room banter" [5].

"America First"

In a January 20, 2017, inaugural address, Trump framed his agenda as "America First", a phrase he repeated as his foreign-policy doctrine throughout his first term [4].

At an August 15, 2017, press conference following the white-nationalist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump said there were "very fine people on both sides" of the protest, a line that defenders argued referred to non-extremist protesters concerned with Confederate monument removal and critics argued provided cover for white nationalists [6].

On July 25, 2019, a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that led to his first impeachment, Trump asked Zelensky to "do us a favor though" before raising Crowdstrike and Joe Biden, in a transcript released by the White House on September 25, 2019 [7].

In a September 29, 2020, presidential debate with Joe Biden, asked about the Proud Boys. Trump said the group should "stand back and stand by", a comment he later said was a directive to stay out of trouble but that the Proud Boys treated as encouragement [8].

"fight like hell"

In his speech at the Ellipse on the morning of January 6, 2021, Trump told the crowd to "fight like hell", a phrase the House impeachment managers later cited as part of the case for "incitement of insurrection" [9]. Trump's defense argued that the same speech also asked supporters to march "peacefully and patriotically" to the Capitol, a phrase that has been cited by his supporters as evidence against the incitement charge [9].

"I'm a very innocent man"

After his May 30, 2024, conviction in the New York hush money case, Trump told reporters outside the courthouse: "I'm a very innocent man" [10]. He also told reporters that "the real verdict is going to be November 5", reframing the conviction as a campaign issue rather than a legal verdict [10].

At his January 10, 2025, sentencing hearing, Trump told Judge Juan Merchan that he had been "treated very, very unfairly" while declining to express any remorse and continuing to characterize the case as politically motivated [11].

"we will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based"

In his January 20, 2025, inaugural address, Trump told the nation that "we will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based" while signaling the rollback of federal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs [12]. He also declared at the inauguration that "there are only two genders, male and female", a line that became the basis for Executive Order 14168 issued later the same day [12].

In a Truth Social post during the spring 2025 New York congestion pricing fight, Trump posted, "CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!" The White House later posted an image of a fake Time magazine cover depicting Trump in a crown [13]. The "king" framing drew criticism from constitutional commentators and was cited by Gov. Kathy Hochul in her vow to fight back legally.

In his April 2, 2025, "Liberation Day" Rose Garden address announcing sweeping tariffs, Trump declared the day "one of the most important days in American history" and "our declaration of economic independence", framing the move as a long-overdue correction [14]. He told the crowd, "We're going to start being smart, and we're going to start being very wealthy again" [14].

"never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents"

In his second inaugural address, Trump pledged that "never again will the immense power of the state be weaponized to persecute political opponents" [12]. Analysts at the American Presidency Project subsequently catalogued at least 17 first-100-days executive orders that named or directed action against law firms, former officials, and individuals associated with prior investigations or prosecutions of Trump, a pattern the same analysis characterized as in tension with the inaugural pledge [12].

"fake news"

Across both presidencies, Trump has used certain phrases so often they have become defining: "fake news" to describe critical media coverage, "witch hunt" for the investigations he has faced, "drain the swamp" for his framing of federal reform, and "Make America Great Again" as his foundational slogan [3, 4]. Each phrase has both rhetorical and policy weight that supporters and critics interpret very differently.