If you sat through 90 minutes of shouting – I mean, the first presidential debate of 2020 – on Tuesday night, you might've caught Donald Trump's very questionable statement about Philadelphia.
Towards the end of the debate, Trump said, "Today there was a big problem. In Philadelphia, they went in to watch. They’re called poll watchers. A very safe, very nice thing. They were thrown out. They weren’t allowed to watch. You know why? Because bad things happen in Philadelphia, bad things.”
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As Inquirer explained, the Trump campaign doesn't currently have poll watchers approved in Philadelphia.
It's unclear what Trump meant by "bad things," so Philadelphians and people who've visited the city turned his ludicrous statement into a meme.
Singer Phoebe Bridgers joked about her experience walking around the city while having a Philly crush:
bad things happen in philadelphia like when I had a crush on someone from there and spent an entire day walking around wondering if they had also walked where I was walking
Her boygenius bandmate Lucy Dacus noted how passionate Philadelphians are about their hoagies:
bad things happen in philadelphia like when they spit on you if you call it a sub instead of a hoagie
Others referenced Philly's other food staple: the cheesesteak:
"Bad things happen in Philadelphia" Is he talking about the cheesesteak?
trump: “you know why? because bad things happen in philadelphia, bad things” to be clear, he’s talking about the ‘philly cheesesteak’
“Bad things happen in Philadelphia” - me in the bathroom an hour after eating a cheesesteak
Sports fans noted Philadelphia teams' not-so-stellar track record:
"Bad things happen in Philadelphia." Tbh, that was the most correct statement he made all night.
"Bad things happen in Philadelphia, bad things" Trump has clearly seen the Sixers halfcourt offense
Trump: “Bad things happen in Philadelphia” Eagles fans:
Comedian Hari Kondabolu reminded us that Philadelphia is not a happy movie:
BAD THINGS HAPPEN IN PHILADELPHIA. It's true, but Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington are brilliant in it. #Debates2020
Some made The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air jokes:
He is right. Bad things happen in Philadelphia. A couple of guys, who were up to no good, starting making trouble in my neighborhood.
“Bad things happen in Philadelphia...” For real. Like this one time, I was shooting some b-ball outside of the school, when a couple of guys who were up to no good, started making trouble in my neighborhood... Rough place. #PresidentialDebate #Debates2020
“Bad things happen in Philadelphia” was part of Will Smith’s network pitch for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
And even It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia star and co-creator Rob McElhenney chimed in:
Well, I guess season 15 writes itself.
It's become such a big meme overnight that people have made t-shirts of it. (H/T IndeVets social media and marketing manager Kate Bracaglia.)
@bookishkate https://t.co/ydaFDe3DdF
@bookishkate https://t.co/QDKmqIndDW
@bookishkate I kinda like this one... 😂https://t.co/NetjYvoMzX