Donald Trump told a crowd Thursday afternoon that America can’t be “great again” until its economy gets back on track, but his message was lost after media repeated parts of his address with no context.
“We have people that don’t know what’s going on in Washington,” Trump told voters in Bismarck, N.D. “We have people that truly do not know what’s going on.”
He continued, claiming he would boost the economy by “winning so much” with “great” trade deals.
“There’s one more thing we must do to make America wealthy again, and you have to be wealthy in order to be great,” he added. “I’m sorry to say it.”
However, Trump’s meaning – that a country can’t be great unless it is also wealthy – was lost on some social media users after reporters circulated snippets from his prepared remarks without any context.
“Trump in North Dakota speech: ‘you have to be wealthy in order to be great,'” CNBC’s John Harwood tweeted.
Newsweek’s John Walters added elsewhere, “‘You have to be wealthy in order to be great. I’m sorry to say it.’ Sermon on the Mount or Trump on the stump? You decide, Christian Right.”
Politicos even got in the act, as some took it upon themselves to alert their followers to a sentiment Trump didn’t quite espouse.
“Thing the Republican nominee for president just said: ‘You have to be wealthy in order to be great, I’m sorry to say,'” Hillary Clinton’s communications manager, Ian Sams, tweeted.
Clinton’s press secretary Brian Fallon added, “Even Romney only insulted 47% of the country. Trump insulting the full 99%.”
The Hill also ran a report, titled “Trump: ‘You have to be wealthy in order to be great,” which contributed to the misinterpretation of what Trump said.
As it turns out, though, the GOP nominee’s actual meaning is far less controversial, and is more of a statement regarding the long-term economic health of a nation than it is a commentary on personal worth and finances.
