This is not doctored! What he’s actually saying is “mass starvation” as part of a tirade about “radical Socialists” who don’t support his free-spending ways. C-SPAN’s instant subtitles are generally excellent, and when they’re not, at least interesting. We also think the fact that we are apparently the only people in the world who noticed this, means we are also probably the only people not in the room who actually watched Trump’s entire address.

On The First Day Of His Impeachment Trial, Trump’s In Switzerland, Selling Time Shares…

Well, not exactly…but pretty close…

But when we watch his speech to the World Economic Forum — an annual gathering of global business leaders and politicians — that’s exactly what it seems like. For instance touting this U.S. as:

“A geyser of opportunity. U.S. stock markets have soared more than 50% since my election”.

It’s not wrong. Just weird. And the fact that he takes all the credit — even though we should be used to it by now — still rubs us the wrong way. Yet almost all of Trump’s odd though maybe predictable address focuses, well, on himself. He alone. Bolstered by familiar misrepresentations and exaggerations:

“When I took office 3 years ago, America’s economy was in a dismal state.”

That is wrong. The U.S. was recovering very nicely from one of the worst Recessions ever. The stock market was already up a lot.

But let’s get back to Trump only talking about himself: when he mentions China’s President Xi by name it comes as quite a jolt, because he actually recognizes some other power than himself existing in the universe. He still manages to make it about himself though:

“My relationship with President Xi is an extraordinary one. He is for China. I am for the U.S. Other than that, we love each other.”

(To be fair, he also mentioned Britain’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, but not by name.)

About the first 2/3rds of the speech is a nonstop boast on how he’s singularly accomplishing what no one thought possible in all kinds of areas.

Then, in a bizarre digression, he also takes advance credit for all good that might happen in the future. Here are his exact words, which we find as defining of Trump as anything he’s ever said:

“We are continuing to work on things you will be hearing about in the near future that even today you would not believe is possible that we have found the answers. You will be hearing about it. We have found answers to things people said would not be possible.”

This means nothing, except to say, “I’m reserving the right to take full credit for all…