--- title: Trump Says You Need ID to Buy Groceries, Spurs Viral Reaction description: Trump said you need ID to buy groceries at the rally in Tampa, Florida and the internet naturally went to town. canonical: https://time.com/5354690/trump-rally-groceries/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-08-01T01:03:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T09:36:18.867Z og:title: Trump Said You Need ID to Buy Groceries og:description: And the internet promptly chimed in with thoughts og:url: https://time.com/5354690/trump-rally-groceries/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltafef8b1ec8c3016c/698936c4db2987713e260518/gettyimages-1008609786.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5568 og:image:height: 3132 og:image:alt: US-POLITICS-TRUMP-RALLY og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Said You Need ID to Buy Groceries twitter:description: And the internet promptly chimed in with thoughts twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltafef8b1ec8c3016c/698936c4db2987713e260518/gettyimages-1008609786.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Said 'You Need an ID to Buy Groceries.' The Internet Went to Town > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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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=eec14b7c-de35-475e-934e-def8b36948d3&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Trump Said 'You Need an ID to Buy Groceries' [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Said 'You Need an ID to Buy Groceries'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/R6Fanz0t.m3u8) (0:56)  _Published 2018-08-01. “You know, if you go out and you want to buy groceries, you need a picture on a card, you need ID. You go out and you want to buy anything, you need ID and you need your picture,” Trump said at Tuesday night’s Tampa, Fla., rally._ by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Aug 1, 2018 1:03 AM UTC “You know, if you go out and you want to buy groceries, you need a picture on a card, you need ID. You go out and you want to buy anything, you need ID and you need your picture,” Trump said at Tuesday night’s Tampa, Fla., rally. by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Aug 1, 2018 1:03 AM UTC [President Donald Trump’s](http://time.com/5353826/donald-trump-taxes-finances-emoluments-trial/) latest head-scratching comment has lit up the internet. “You know, if you go out and you want to buy groceries, you need a picture on a card, you need ID. You go out and you want to buy anything, you need ID and you need your picture,” [Trump](http://time.com/5353826/donald-trump-taxes-finances-emoluments-trial/) said at Tuesday night’s Tampa, Fla., rally to drum up support for GOP Rep. Ron DeSantis’ gubernatorial bid. He was – in the moment – throwing his support behind tougher ID requirements for voters. “Only American citizens should vote in American elections. The time has come for voter ID like everything else,” [Trump](http://time.com/5317522/donald-trump-border-cover/) said. He deployed that claim as he was saying that the only time people don’t need to present their identification card is when they want to place a vote. He may have been referring to stores that ask to see IDs from credit card holders, but the comment became the fodder for a Twitter-wide joke from people calling out that you don’t need to show your ID to get what you need at the supermarket. Most people quickly set about riffing on the comment. Some took the comment even further by wondering when the POTUS last made a trip to the supermarket. See a sampling of the Twitter reactions to Trump groceries comment below. > [](https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/1024441955562991617) > [](https://twitter.com/Acosta/status/1024443446319349760) > [](https://twitter.com/kathrynw5/status/1024442129064570880) > [](https://twitter.com/LiamWBZ/status/1024443327452774400) > [](https://twitter.com/KailiJoy/status/1024441594341019649) > [](https://twitter.com/dustinjkent/status/1024450316249518081) > [](https://twitter.com/tylercralle/status/1024450137022779392) > [](https://twitter.com/jvagle/status/1024449982965993473) > [](https://twitter.com/iamweswilson/status/1024449735699062784) > [](https://twitter.com/LeonHWolf/status/1024449330382622721) ## Transcript [00:00] We believe that only American citizens [00:04] should vote in American elections. Which [00:13] is why the time has come for voter ID, [00:17] like everything else. Voter ID. [ APPLAUSE ] [00:24] Whenever [00:29] you go out and you wanna buy groceries you need a [00:32] picture on a card, you need ID, you go out [00:36] and you wanna buy anything, you need ID and you [00:39] need your picture In this country the [00:44] only time you don't need it in many cases, is when you [00:47] wanna vote for president, when you wanna vote for [00:50] senator, when you wanna vote for governor or a [00:53] congress it's crazy. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5354690/trump-rally-groceries/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5354690/trump-rally-groceries/"},"headline":"President Trump Said 'You Need an ID to Buy Groceries.' 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