--- title: Trump Gets Mocked for Saying I Think I Am a Great Moral Leader description: President Donald Trump said "I think I am a great moral leader, and people quickly had some fun with that statement. canonical: https://time.com/5448224/trump-moral-leader-jokes/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-11-07T20:27:01.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:05:36.576Z og:title: Trump Said I Think I Am a Great Moral Leader Eliciting Jokes og:description: People had jokes og:url: https://time.com/5448224/trump-moral-leader-jokes/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf532567ef935504f/69893e82b21a9c6eac4ff687/trump-press-conference-midterm-elections-2018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3253 og:image:height: 1830 og:image:alt: trump-press-conference-midterm-elections-2018 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Said I Think I Am a Great Moral Leader Eliciting Jokes twitter:description: People had jokes twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf532567ef935504f/69893e82b21a9c6eac4ff687/trump-press-conference-midterm-elections-2018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:59 video:published: 2018-11-07 section: politics topics: 2018 midterm elections, Republican Senate majority, House results, Republican candidates losing races, candidate embrace of Trump, party platform support, Venezuela hostage issue genre: news, political commentary tones: triumphant, defensive, critical, dismissive emotions: pride (high), resentment (medium), regret (low) sentiment: neutral audience: US political news readers, Republican voters, midterm election observers, political commentary followers people: Donald Trump, Mia Love, Barbara Comstock, Peter Roskam, Eric Paulson, Bob Hugin, John Faso, Carlos Curbelo, Mike Coffman organizations: Republican Party, Democrats content_suitability: politics [00:00-01:59]; hate [01:02-01:13] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Trump Said 'I Think I Am a Great Moral Leader' and the Internet Took It From There > Sponsored content. 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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=d0525041-789d-4e3f-b87a-4a3895f73ee5&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 'Close to a Complete Victory.' President Trump Claims a Win Even as Democrats Take the House [Watch (HLS stream): 'Close to a Complete Victory.' President Trump Claims a Win Even as Democrats Take the House](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FGQJRU5s.m3u8) (1:59)  _Published 2018-11-07. 'Close to a Complete Victory.' President Trump Claims a Win Even as Democrats Take the House_ 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 President Trump, speaking after the 2018 midterm results, claims a win for the Republican Party because it expanded its Senate majority and beat expectations in the House. He criticizes several Republican candidates who he says did not embrace him or his platform, singling out Mia Love, Barbara Comstock, Bob Hugin and others. He says his party's message meant a lot to most people and that he has received tremendous support. ## Key points - Trump says the Republican Party defied history by expanding its Senate majority in the midterms. (00:04) - Trump claims Republicans significantly beat expectations in the House despite the midterm-year context. (00:08) - Trump says he is not sure whether he should be happy or sad about the House results but feels fine about it. (00:25) - Trump criticizes Mia Love, saying she called him often for help with a hostage situation in Venezuela but gave him no love, and that she lost. (00:43) - Trump says Barbara Comstock could have won but did not want an embrace from him, and that she substantially lost. (01:02) - Trump names Peter Roskam, Eric Paulson and John Faso among candidates who he says chose not to embrace him or what Republicans stand for. (01:18) - Trump says Bob Hugin in New Jersey was a race that could have been won, expressing regret about the loss. (01:30) - Trump asserts that what Republicans stand for meant a lot to most people and that the party has had tremendous support. (01:46) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:19] Trump claims Senate gains and House performance. Trump says Republicans defied history in the Senate and beat House expectations in the midterms. - [00:19 to 00:34] Candidates who kept distance from Trump. Trump says some candidates chose to stay away from him and that this hurt their races. - [00:34 to 00:52] Criticism of Mia Love and Carlos Curbelo. Trump singles out Mia Love and other Republicans he says lost, linking Love to a Venezuela hostage issue. - [00:52 to 01:18] Reaction to Barbara Comstock's loss. Trump says Comstock could have won but declined to embrace him, and says he does not blame her. - [01:18 to 01:59] Other losing Republicans and closing claims. Trump names more losing candidates, expresses regret over Bob Hugin's race and claims strong support for his platform. ## Key quotes - [00:04] Donald Trump: "the Republican Party defied history to expand our Senate majority" - [00:21] Donald Trump: "On the other hand, you had some that Decided to let's stay away, let's stay away." - [00:43] Donald Trump: "Mia Love gave me no love. And she lost." - [01:13] Donald Trump: "she didn't wanna have any embrace, for that I don't blame here." - [01:46] Donald Trump: "whether it's me or what we stand for, but, what we stand for meant a lot to most people." ## Questions this video answers - Did the Republican Party gain seats in the Senate in the midterms? [00:04] - How does Trump assess Republican House performance in the midterms? [00:08] - Why does Trump say some Republican candidates lost their races? [00:21] - What role does Trump say Mia Love's relationship with him played in her loss? [00:43] - Which candidates does Trump say did not want to embrace him or his platform? [01:18] - How does Trump describe the support for his party and platform? [01:46] ## Content suitability - politics [00:00-01:59]: Partisan political commentary on midterm election results and named candidates. - hate [01:02-01:13]: Trump's criticism of named candidates for not embracing him could be read as hostile toward individuals. by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Nov 7, 2018 8:27 PM UTC 'Close to a Complete Victory.' President Trump Claims a Win Even as Democrats Take the House by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Nov 7, 2018 8:27 PM UTC Joke tweets are rolling in after Trump spoke of his leadership skills and patriotism. “I think I am a great moral leader and I love our country,” he said during a White House news conference on Wednesday after the [2018 midterm elections](http://time.com/5447972/donald-trump-midterm-elections-results-reaction/). He was responding to a reporter who questioned him about the rise in [instances of anti-Semitic hate crimes](http://time.com/5438424/pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting-anti-semitism/) under his presidency. But Trump’s statement [elicited jabs](http://time.com/5126189/donald-trump-state-union-clapping/) from some who felt differently, tweeting as much in the form of untrue declarations of their own. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Patton Oswalt were among the fast and furious responders. “I think I can breathe underwater with my gills,” the _Veep_ actor shared. “I think I have six pack abs,” the comedian said. See below for a sampling of the responses from celebrities and average citizens alike. > [](https://twitter.com/OfficialJLD/status/1060249084823367680) > [](https://twitter.com/pattonoswalt/status/1060248364262993920) > [](https://twitter.com/W7VOA/status/1060230920043720705) > [](https://twitter.com/ysankar1/status/1060248703385055233) > [](https://twitter.com/beschlossdc/status/1060230850451828743) > [](https://twitter.com/LLeighMartin/status/1060259347358343169) > [](https://twitter.com/jennarae120/status/1060254629349462024) > [](https://twitter.com/kathelizmac/status/1060254027949264896) > [](https://twitter.com/ChorizoDFW/status/1060273775625863175) ## Transcript [00:00] Was a big day yesterday, an incredible day. And [00:04] last night, the Republican Party defied history to [00:08] expand our Senate majority, while significantly beating [00:13] expectations in the House for the midterm and [00:19] midterm year. On the other hand, you had some that [00:21] Decided to let's stay away, let's stay away. They did [00:25] very poorly and I'm not sure that I should be happy or [00:29] sad but I feel just fine about it. Carlos [00:34] Quebela, Mike Coffman, too [00:39] bad Mike. Mia Love. I [00:43] saw Mia Love, she called me all the time to help her [00:48] with a hostage situation. Being [00:52] held hostage in Venezuela, but [00:58] Mia Love gave me no love. And she lost. Too [01:02] bad, sorry about that Mya. And Barbara Comstock [01:07] was another one, I mean I think she could have won [01:09] that race but she didn't wanna have any embrace, [01:13] for that I don't blame here. But [01:18] she lost, substantially lost Peter Roskam [01:24] didn't want the embrace. Eric Paulson didn't want the [01:27] embrace. And in New Jersey I think he could have [01:30] done well, but it didn't work out too good. Bob Hugin, I [01:34] feel badly cuz I think that's something that could have [01:37] been won. That's a race that could have been won. [01:39] John Faso, those are some of the people that, you [01:42] know, decided for their own reason not to embrace, [01:46] whether it's me or what we stand for, but, what [01:50] we stand for meant a lot to most [01:55] people. 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