Story Archive

Oh, Bummer

“This is the part of my speech where I share some inspirational quotes I found on Google,” said Bell County, Ky., High School valedictorian Ben Bowling, 18. He then quoted the president of the United States: “‘Don’t just get involved. Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.’ “ Donald J. Trump.” It was a great applause line, but he made the audience quiet again when he corrected the attribution: the quote was actually from the previous president, Barack Obama. Bowling said he “didn’t mean anything bad by it,” but he knew the quote wouldn’t go over as well with Obama’s name attached to it as it did with Trump’s — almost 80 percent of the county’s voters had backed Trump in 2016. Bowling urged other valedictorians to speak with courage. (AC/Louisville Courier Journal) ...And as President Obama said, “Following your convictions means you must be willing to face criticism from those who lack the same courage to do what is right.” Oh, wait — that was Trump.