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17 Baffling Quotes That Actually Came Out Of Republican Politicians' Mouths
Jamie Ko
Sun, August 23, 2026
Politicians say a lot of things you wish you could unhear, but every once in a while, a quote comes along that really is something else. So, we asked the BuzzFeed Community to share the most unbelievable things they've ever heard politicians actually say, and lucky for us, they had plenty to choose from. Here are 17 real quotes that came out of the mouths of people who were elected, sworn into office, and trusted to help make our laws:
Note: Some submissions are from a Reddit thread.
1. Then-Rep. Todd Akin said in a 2012 interview with a St. Louis TV station, "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."
Chris Maddaloni / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
4. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said during a 2022 One America News appearance while accusing Capitol Police of spying on members of Congress, "Pelosi's gazpacho police spying on members of Congress, spying on the legislative work that we do, spying on our staff and spying on American citizens that want to come talk to their representatives."
Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images
5. Former president Richard Nixon said during his 1977 interview with David Frost, "Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal."
John Bryson / Getty Images
6. Donald Trump said during a 2006 appearance on The View with his daughter Ivanka, "I've said if Ivanka weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her."
Newsday LLC / Newsday via Getty Images
7. President George W. Bush said during a 2002 speech in Nashville, "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."
LUKE FRAZZA / AFP via Getty Images
12. Vice President Dan Quayle said in a speech to the United Negro College Fund, "What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is."
Bob Riha Jr / Getty Images
13. President Donald Trump said during a 2019 Turning Point USA Student Action Summit, "I never understood wind. You know, I know windmills very much. I've studied it better than anybody I know."
Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Jamie Ko
Sun, August 23, 2026
Politicians say a lot of things you wish you could unhear, but every once in a while, a quote comes along that really is something else. So, we asked the BuzzFeed Community to share the most unbelievable things they've ever heard politicians actually say, and lucky for us, they had plenty to choose from. Here are 17 real quotes that came out of the mouths of people who were elected, sworn into office, and trusted to help make our laws:
Note: Some submissions are from a Reddit thread.
1. Then-Rep. Todd Akin said in a 2012 interview with a St. Louis TV station, "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down."
Chris Maddaloni / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
2. President Donald Trump asked during an April 2020 White House COVID-19 briefing, "Is there a way we can do something like that by injection, inside, or almost a cleaning?" referring to the possibility of injecting disinfectants into the body to combat the coronavirus.
Alex Wong / Getty Images
3. Then-Rep. Louie Gohmert asked a US Forest Service official during a 2021 House Natural Resources Committee hearing, "Is there anything that the National Forest Service or BLM can do to change the course of the moon's orbit or the Earth's orbit around the sun? Obviously, that would have profound effects on our climate."
Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Alex Wong / Getty Images
3. Then-Rep. Louie Gohmert asked a US Forest Service official during a 2021 House Natural Resources Committee hearing, "Is there anything that the National Forest Service or BLM can do to change the course of the moon's orbit or the Earth's orbit around the sun? Obviously, that would have profound effects on our climate."
Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images
4. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said during a 2022 One America News appearance while accusing Capitol Police of spying on members of Congress, "Pelosi's gazpacho police spying on members of Congress, spying on the legislative work that we do, spying on our staff and spying on American citizens that want to come talk to their representatives."
Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images
5. Former president Richard Nixon said during his 1977 interview with David Frost, "Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal."
John Bryson / Getty Images
6. Donald Trump said during a 2006 appearance on The View with his daughter Ivanka, "I've said if Ivanka weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her."
Newsday LLC / Newsday via Getty Images
7. President George W. Bush said during a 2002 speech in Nashville, "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."
LUKE FRAZZA / AFP via Getty Images
8. Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin told reporters amid statewide teacher protests in 2018, "I guarantee you somewhere in Kentucky today, a child was sexually assaulted that was left at home because there was nobody there to watch them."
John Sommers II / Getty Images
9. Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens explained while arguing against net neutrality rules in 2006, "The internet is not something that you just dump something on. It's not a big truck. It's a series of tubes."
Scott J. Ferrell / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
John Sommers II / Getty Images
9. Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens explained while arguing against net neutrality rules in 2006, "The internet is not something that you just dump something on. It's not a big truck. It's a series of tubes."
Scott J. Ferrell / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
10. Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump said during a 2015 campaign rally in South Carolina, "Nuclear is powerful; my uncle explained that to me many, many years ago, the power and that was 35 years ago."
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
11. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said during a 2022 Facebook Live while discussing lab-grown meat, "Bill Gates wants you to eat his fake meat that grows in a peach tree dish." [The illiterate moron meant "Petri dish", the standard laboratory container in which much of biological research is done]
MS Now / Via youtube.com
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
11. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said during a 2022 Facebook Live while discussing lab-grown meat, "Bill Gates wants you to eat his fake meat that grows in a peach tree dish." [The illiterate moron meant "Petri dish", the standard laboratory container in which much of biological research is done]
MS Now / Via youtube.com
12. Vice President Dan Quayle said in a speech to the United Negro College Fund, "What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is."
Bob Riha Jr / Getty Images
13. President Donald Trump said during a 2019 Turning Point USA Student Action Summit, "I never understood wind. You know, I know windmills very much. I've studied it better than anybody I know."
Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images
14. Then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush asked during a 2000 campaign speech in Florence, South Carolina, "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"
Brooks Kraft / Sygma via Getty Images
Brooks Kraft / Sygma via Getty Images
15. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said in 2014, "'Net neutrality' is Obamacare for the Internet."
Mark Wilson / Getty Images
16. Then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush said during a 2000 campaign speech in Saginaw, Michigan, "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
Najlah Feanny / Corbis via Getty Images
17. And last but not least, Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush asked an audience at a 2016 campaign event in New Hampshire to "Please clap."
JIM WATSON / AFP via Getty Images
Mark Wilson / Getty Images
16. Then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush said during a 2000 campaign speech in Saginaw, Michigan, "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
Najlah Feanny / Corbis via Getty Images
17. And last but not least, Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush asked an audience at a 2016 campaign event in New Hampshire to "Please clap."
JIM WATSON / AFP via Getty Images
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