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“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

Who could deny that these emphatic words spoken by President Ronald Reagan in his 1987 speech in Berlin were his most famous (among many) from his stellar two terms in the White House? And if you thought about it, wouldn’t Richard Nixon saying, “I am not a crook,”
seem to be the words that sum up Nixon’s days in office? One president rose at the Brandenburg Gate; the other fell from Watergate.

Trump hasn’t even reclaimed his seat behind the Resolute desk, and he’s already gifted the world with gems like “Canada could become the 51st state.”

And before Nixon, who will ever forget John F. Kennedy’s powerful expression, “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country”?

Our presidents’ words, whether simple phrases or entire speeches, paint a picture of the men in America’s highest office and can, rightly or wrongly, be used to label them either a good or bad leader. Nixon, for example, accomplished much good for this country during his tenure. But the Watergate scandal, which by today’s barometer might appear tepid, marked the event that chased him from the Oval Office.

So with Donald J. Trump’s triumphant return to the White House, and with many of his words still fresh in our collective consciousness, what can we pare down as possibilities for his most memorable quotes?

Trump is nothing if not a showman. Even those who dislike him or didn’t vote for him must admit his actions commanded constant attention, placing him center stage both nationally and internationally — whether willingly or unwillingly. More than in his previous two presidential campaigns, this time around, Trump-related merchandise — from T-shirts and buttons to bobblehead dolls and even
a shot glass complete with a bullet — flew off internet shelves. Many items, of course, featured his most memorable phrases. And what other president can claim credit for inspiring a worldwide dance craze?

Setting aside his iconic campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again” (first revealed in
a 2013 interview, two years before he descended the escalator), Trump has also added a powerful 2024 tagline: “Too Big to Rig,” a nod to the shenanigans in 2020. Trump has continued to coin meaningful expressions at a relentless pace, as if from a busted gumball machine.

Here, then, is a partial list of Trump quotes, keeping in mind that some of my choices and their order of appearance here are based on a bit of whimsy and a dash of snark.

“They’re not after me, they’re after you — I’m just in the way.”

Trump
tweeted this out back on December 18, 2019. This defiant blast came along with a black-and-white photo of the president pointing his finger and indicating that people’s attention should be focused on what was really going on behind the impeachment proceedings at the time.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!”


Elon Musk may have captured it best when he described Trump’s life-on-the-edge-of-death experience on July 13, 2024. The former president’s immediate response to a bullet whizzing past his head was not to hide or flee, but to stand in defiance.

Many who witnessed the moment — either in person or on television, as I did — were struck by a mix of emotions. At first, fear gripped us, thinking Trump might have been wounded or killed. But relief swept over us when he raised his fist in defiance and shouted like a victorious leader emerging from battle. In that moment, it felt as though the race, with nearly four months to go, had already been won.

“Do you want fries with that?”

OK, maybe McDonald’s employee Trump didn’t
actually say these words as he leaned through the drive-through window at the fast-food restaurant that is as American as mom and apple pie. But when the jolly old grandpa who has been compared to Hitler can pull this one off, followed by sitting in the co-pilot’s seat of a garbage truck, what unknown person in the future won’t be fooled by this application to President 45 and 47? (Future me is already saying, “I’m lovin’ it!”)

“As I was saying …”

During Trump’s return to Butler, Pennsylvania, in October, it was clear to anyone paying attention that this moment was coming. He opened his speech with words that underscored his determination to deliver his message — nothing, not even a bullet, would stop him. His opening remark seemed to dismiss the threat as casually as swatting away a fly.

Trump also paid tribute to firefighter
Corey Comperatore, a brave soul who lost his life during Trump’s first visit to the small Western Pennsylvania town.

“The electrician must be a Democrat.”

OK, OK — another Trump-didn’t-actually-say-that quote. Even though it sounds like something Trump might have said if his microphone had gone on the fritz in the middle of a rally speech. But he didn’t. I just had to slip that one in. Besides, Trump never goes after ordinary citizens, Democrats or Republicans. When it comes to taunts and “mean tweets,” his focus has always been on the leadership class. (That line, by the way, is from my all-time favorite movie, “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken,” and spoken by Don Knotts as Luther Heggs.)

Finally, here is the quote that I think received the most traction because it hit the mark on so many levels:

“They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. … They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”

During Trump’s one and only debate with Kamala Harris, many outlandish statements were made — many of them baseless and previously debunked claims from Harris’ rambling thoughts as a candidate. However, the only substantial issue to emerge from the long-winded and contentious exchange was Trump’s assertion that Haitian migrants were committing unspeakable acts involving people’s household pets — a claim that turned out to be true.

This statement could easily have been turned into ridicule, but instead, it spawned memes and even a
song with a catchy tune portraying Trump as a savior of cats and dogs. Later, when New York bureaucrats exterminated P’Nut the squirrel and Fred the raccoon, this trend of animal cruelty became a symbol of the ruling class’ heartlessness. (Had the “snuffed out” squirrel been a tenant’s pet in Trump Tower, and its execution carried out by a vindictive doorman, would Trump have emerged unscathed?)

This brief and narrowly focused collection of Trump’s statements highlights his colorful rhetoric as both president and candidate. With his anticipated return to the White House for another four years, we can expect even more witticisms to add to his already vibrant repertoire. After all, Trump hasn’t even reclaimed his seat behind the Resolute desk, and he’s already
gifted the world with gems like “Canada could become the 51st state.”

We might even speculate that what the incoming president has promised to be a Golden Age of America could also be the dawn of brand-new maxims that might very well be …
“Yuuuuuge!”