The White House on Wednesday defended President Donald’s Trump’s false claim that people need photo identification to buy groceries — made as he railed against alleged fraudulent voting at a rally in Tampa, Florida, Tuesday night.
Trump, a millionaire who lived in Fifth Avenue penthouse apartment in New York City before moving into the White House, made the claim while demanding stricter voter ID laws.
“If you go out and you want to buy groceries, you need a picture on a card, you need ID,” Trump said. “You go out and you want to buy anything, you need ID and you need your picture.”
Pres. Trump “wants to make sure that anybody that’s voting is someone that should be voting, and I think that’s something that frankly should be celebrated.” pic.twitter.com/RfcgfFQHtG
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders couldn’t say if Trump made the claim because he believes in widespread voter fraud but said he brought up using identification to buy groceries because “he wants to see the integrity of our election systems upheld.”
Trump has repeatedly made the claim, without any evidence, that there was widespread voting fraud in the 2016 election and “millions” of people illegally cast their ballots.
“Even if ten people are voting illegally it shouldn’t happen, the president wants to see the integrity of our election systems upheld. And that’s the purpose of his comments,” Sanders said. “He wants to make sure anybody voting is somebody that should be voting and I think that is something that should be celebrated, not discriminated.”
Trump’s comments unleashed ridicule online as people wondered when the wealthy businessman last bought groceries. Sanders couldn’t say.
“Certainly if you go to a grocery store and buy beer and wine you have to show your ID,” Sanders said.
“If you go to the grocery store and you buy beer and wine, you’re going to show your ID,” Sanders says. pic.twitter.com/uiX5pHEZji
ABC’s Cecilia Vega reminded Sanders that the president famously does not drink.
“He is not saying every time he went in, he is saying when you go to the grocery store. I’m pretty sure everybody in here who has been to a grocery store that has purchased beer or wine has had to show their ID. If they didn’t then that’s probably a problem with the grocery store.”
Typically, purchases of tobacco, alcohol, fireworks, or firearms do require a form of identification, but not everyday groceries.
Critics say asking people to provide an ID to vote could lead to voter suppression.
