--- title: Donald Trump: I Was Only Joking description: After insisting all day that President Obama was the founder of ISIS, Donald Trump tweeted that it was "sarcasm." New polls humble Trump. canonical: https://time.com/4449915/donald-trump-i-was-only-joking/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-08-12T15:08:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T04:15:20.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Donald Trump: I Was Only Joking og:description: After insisting all day that President Obama was the founder of ISIS, Donald Trump tweeted that it was "sarcasm." New polls humble Trump. og:url: https://time.com/4449915/donald-trump-i-was-only-joking/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt084cadf33f92660a/6988a2405f570feeadb222ec/donald-trump-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Donald Trump og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Donald Trump: I Was Only Joking twitter:description: After insisting all day that President Obama was the founder of ISIS, Donald Trump tweeted that it was "sarcasm." New polls humble Trump. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt084cadf33f92660a/6988a2405f570feeadb222ec/donald-trump-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:32 video:published: 2016-08-11 section: politics topics: trade policy, Trans Specific Partnership, tax policy, national debt, middle class tax cuts, job creation, accountability, 2016 presidential campaign genre: campaign speech, political rebuttal tones: combative, confident, critical, assertive emotions: confidence (high), anger (medium), determination (medium) sentiment: negative audience: voters, policy-focused citizens, political news readers, middle class families people: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump organizations: Wall Street content_suitability: politics [00:00-01:32] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Donald Trump: I Was Only Joking > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=dafc13f6-768e-4f9c-85cb-1c4951aa2b36&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Hillary Clinton Lays Out Economic Plan [Watch (HLS stream): Hillary Clinton Lays Out Economic Plan](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FiRS8pAm.m3u8) (1:32)  _Published 2016-08-11. Hillary Clinton laid out her economic agenda on Thursday, touting her plan for tuition-free college and infrastructure spending in a sharp rebuttal to Donald Trump’s speech on the economy earlier this week._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary Hillary Clinton lays out her economic agenda, opening with opposition to trade deals that kill jobs or hold down wages, including the Trans Specific Partnership. She argues that isolating the country from trade would cost more jobs and that trade should be made to work for Americans. She then criticizes Donald Trump's tax plan as giving trillions in cuts to corporations, millionaires and Wall Street money managers, which she says would expand the national debt and force cuts to education, health care and environmental protection. She closes by contrasting her specific, accountable plans with Trump's approach. ## Key points - Clinton says she will stop any trade deal that kills jobs or holds down wages, including the Trans Specific Partnership. (00:00) - Clinton says she opposes the Trans Specific Partnership now, will oppose it after the election, and will oppose it as president. (00:11) - Clinton argues that ranting against trade or cutting the country off from the world would end up killing even more jobs. (00:15) - Clinton says the answer is to make trade work for Americans rather than against them. (00:22) - Clinton says Trump's tax plan would give trillions in tax cuts to big corporations, millionaires and Wall Street money managers. (00:31) - Clinton claims Trump's tax plan would explode the national debt and eventually lead to massive cuts in education, health care and environmental protection. (00:38) - Clinton says both candidates propose tax cuts for middle class families, but claims Trump's own advisors have said he may not stand by his promise. (00:49) - Clinton contrasts herself with Trump by saying she lays out her plans and will stand by them, asking voters to hold her accountable for results. (01:16) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:31] Opposing trade deals that cost jobs. Clinton pledges to stop trade deals that kill jobs or depress wages and argues for making trade work for Americans. - [00:31 to 00:49] Criticizing Trump's tax plan. Clinton says Trump's tax plan would favor the wealthy and corporations, expanding the national debt and forcing cuts to public priorities. - [00:49 to 01:32] Middle class cuts and accountability. Clinton questions Trump's middle class promise and contrasts her accountable, specific plans with his approach. ## Key quotes - [00:00] Hillary Clinton: "I will stop any trade deal that kills jobs, or holds down wages, including the Trans Specific Partnership." - [00:22] Hillary Clinton: "The answer is to finally make trade work for us, not against us." - [00:31] Hillary Clinton: "He would give trillions in tax cuts to big corporations, millionaires, and Wall Street money managers." - [01:16] Hillary Clinton: "I'm laying out my plans and I will stand by them and want you to hold me accountable for delivering results." ## Questions this video answers - What trade deal does Clinton say she will oppose? [00:00] - Would Clinton's approach to trade involve cutting the country off from the world? [00:15] - What does Clinton say Trump's tax plan would do to the national debt? [00:38] - Who does Clinton say benefits most from Trump's tax cuts? [00:31] - How does Clinton say she differs from Trump on keeping promises? [01:16] - What public priorities does Clinton warn could face cuts under Trump's tax plan? [00:42] ## Content suitability - politics [00:00-01:32]: Entire video is partisan political campaign content criticizing a presidential opponent. by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Updated: Dec 13, 2023 4:15 AM UTCPublished: Aug 12, 2016 3:08 PM UTC Hillary Clinton laid out her economic agenda on Thursday, touting her plan for tuition-free college and infrastructure spending in a sharp rebuttal to Donald Trump’s speech on the economy earlier this week. by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Updated: Dec 13, 2023 4:15 AM UTCPublished: Aug 12, 2016 3:08 PM UTC **_If you only read one thing:_** _After repeatedly suggesting Thursday that President Barack Obama was the literal founder of ISIS, the terrorist group the U.S. is currently waging war against, Donald Trump called it “sarcasm” in a tweet Friday morning. The bizarre turn followed Trump’s assertion to a conservative radio host in an interview Thursday morning that he did not mean that Obama’s policies created the space for ISIS to flourish, rather that he was its actual founder. In subsequent interviews he noted that the attack on Obama had been drawing applause from his supporters. But critics called it an accusation of treason toward the president, and the bombastic GOP nominee’s latest effort to delegitimize Obama. The entire incident follows a pattern set by Trump, where he makes wild accusations, sticks by them for a few days to rile up his most fervent supporters, and then tries to laugh them off as jokes to the general public days later._ On the campaign trail Thursday, Trump seemed humbled by a spate of polls showing him behind nationally and in key states. But that didn’t cut back on his braggadocio. Meanwhile, Republican National Committee veterans called on the national party to cut off its support of Trump to save the Senate and vulnerable House seats. Multiple requests for investigation into the Clinton Foundation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation were rejected by the Obama Justice Department, CNN reported Thursday, providing the latest unseemly datapoint in the relationship between the group and the Clinton-led State Department. Congress knew of Democratic hack long before it was public. Mike Pence is running his own race. And a programmer who thinks he can tell which tweets Donald Trump authors himself. _Here are your must reads:_ **Must Reads** [Mike Pence Campaigns With an Eye on His Own Future](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/12/us/politics/mike-pence-donald-trump.html?%5Fr=0) A tale of the ticket \[New York Times\] [Donald Trump’s Business Past at Odds With Rhetoric on Trade](http://time.com/4447655/donald-trump-home-furnishings-turkey-trade/) TIME’s Sam Frizell on Trump’s overseas business interests [Inside the debate over probing the Clinton Foundation](http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/11/politics/hillary-clinton-state-department-clinton-foundation/) Three FBI field offices wanted investigation, but Justice Department overruled \[CNN\] [Reefer Sadness: Feds Keep Restrictions on Marijuana](http://time.com/4447462/marijuana-dea-schedule-i-drug/) But government will allow more research into its possible medical uses, TIME’s Mark Thompson reports [Donald Trump Laments Sliding Polls While Maintaining His Provocative Approach](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/12/us/politics/donald-trump-obama-isis.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&%5Fr=0) Acknowledges troubles in key states \[New York Times\] [Clinton tries to undermine central premise of Trump’s campaign](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clinton-election-is-a-choice-between-helping-the-rich--or-helping-everyone-else/2016/08/11/f855d9f0-5fbd-11e6-af8e-54aa2e849447%5Fstory.html) That he would help struggling Americans \[Washington Post\] **Sound Off** “We’re having a tremendous problem in Utah,” —Donald Trump acknowledging problems in the deep-red state this week. “No, I meant he’s the founder of ISIS. I do. He was the most valuable player. I give him the most valuable player award. I give her, too, by the way, Hillary Clinton.” —Trump to Hugh Hewitt on Thursday, when asked if he was suggesting Obama had created the space for ISIS to form, rather than its actual founder. **Bits and Bites** [Trump Says Calling Obama Founder of ISIS Just ‘Sarcasm’](http://time.com/4449896/donald-trump-barack-obama-founder-isis/) \[TIME\] [As Trump Struggles, Clinton Goes on Offense to Win Over GOP](http://time.com/4449839/election-2016-trump-struggles-clinton-offense/) \[Associated Press\] [Top Clinton State Department aide helped Clinton Foundation](http://Top Clinton State Department aide helped Clinton Foundation) \[CNN\] [This Programmer Thinks He Can Tell Which Tweets Donald Trump Wrote Himself](http://time.com/4448447/donald-trump-tweets-data-analysis/) \[TIME\] [Congressional leaders were briefed a year ago on hacking of Democrats](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-democrats-hack-idUSKCN10N00D) \[Reuters\] [Trump: Americans could be tried in Guantánamo](http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/election/donald-trump/article95144337.html) \[Miami Herald\] ## Transcript [00:00] I will stop any trade deal that kills jobs, or [00:04] holds down wages, including the Trans Specific [00:07] Partnership. << [ APPLAUSE ]. [00:11] I oppose it now. I'll oppose it after the election, and I'll [00:15] oppose it as president. The answer is not to rant and [00:19] rave, or cut ourselves off from the world. That would [00:22] end up killing even more jobs. The answer is to finally [00:27] make trade work for us, not against us. Then there is [00:31] Trump's tax plan. He would give trillions in tax [00:35] cuts to big corporations, millionaires, and Wall Street [00:38] money managers. That would explode our national [00:42] debt and eventually lead To massive cuts in priorities [00:46] like education, health care, and environmental [00:49] protection. Now it's true that both of us have proposed [00:53] to cut taxes for middle class families. He's making a [00:57] big promise, but his advisors have said, his own [01:01] advisors have said, he may not stand by them. Instead [01:05] the tax cuts he doubled down on in his speech in [01:09] Detroit on Monday offered trillions to the richest [01:13] Americans and corporations. And one of the [01:16] differences between Donald Trump and me, is I'm [01:21] telling you what I will do. I'm laying out my plans and I [01:25] will stand by them and want you to hold me [01:28] accountable for delivering results. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4449915/donald-trump-i-was-only-joking/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4449915/donald-trump-i-was-only-joking/"},"headline":"Donald Trump: I Was Only Joking","datePublished":"2016-08-12T15:08:48.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T04:15:20.000Z","description":"Morning Must Reads: August 12","url":"https://time.com/4449915/donald-trump-i-was-only-joking/","keywords":["Morning Must Reads"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt084cadf33f92660a/6988a2405f570feeadb222ec/donald-trump-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Zeke Miller","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt084cadf33f92660a/6988a2405f570feeadb222ec/donald-trump-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Donald Trump","caption":"Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, Friday, Aug. 12, 2016, in Erie, Pa. 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