Did former President Donald Trump say to not be distracted by Afghanistan because "a magician always distracts his audience ... And we all know that the Democrats are very good magicians"? No, that's not true: Liz Harrington, Trump's spokeswoman, told Lead Stories that "President Trump did not say this." Trump did make a comment on Afghanistan, but it had more to do with the military than magicians.
The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) where it was posted on August 22, 2021. The graphics around the text make it look like it was a phone interview broadcast on television. The post read:
Do Not Be Distracted By All This Going On In Afghanistan. Always Keep One Eye On Washington D.C. A Magician Always Distracts His Audience. And We All Know That The Democrats Are Very Good Magicians. - Donald Trump
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Mon Aug 23 19:04:02 2021 UTC)
Harrington replied to a Lead Stories inquiry on August 23, 2021:
President Trump did not say this. His most recent statement on Afghanistan is below. Thank you.
NEW:
Biden's biggest mistake was not understanding that the Military has to be last out the door, not first out the door. Civilians and equipment go first and then, when everyone and everything is out, the Military goes. So simple, and yet it wasn't done. Tragic!
The "magician" quote circulated online, unattributed, before being falsely attributed to Trump. The origin of the quote is not known.
