For the record: “Trump has been talking about the unfairness of Chinese trade since the 1990s, by the way, so he’s totally consistent on this. … It’s not like Trump has started a trade war. As we’ve said for months now, folks, Trump is just finally addressing the trade war China has been waging on us for decades. What else would you call it? They import very little of what we produce, and what they do import, they slap massive tariffs on. Meanwhile, we import gobs of stuff from them. … The idea that we at one time may have had some flaws — never mind that they’ve been fixed — disqualifies us for any kind of economic or moral leadership… Well, Trump doesn’t believe any of this. Trump thinks this is crazy. Why should the United States, as the world’s lone superpower, basically punish ourselves, particularly if the effort is oriented around showing people we don’t mean ‘em any harm and we just want them to like us? That’s what Trump is trying to fix in addition to very specific unfairness of the trade arrangements we have with the ChiComs.” —Rush Limbaugh

Stop digging… “No other nation can catch us, including China. I got criticized for saying that. I’ve spent as much time with [Chinese President] Xi Jinping as any world leader has.” —Joe Biden

Friendly fire: “[James Comey] seems to be acting as a partisan pundit, selling books and earning speaking fees while speculating about the strength of my character and the fate of my immortal soul. … That is disappointing. Speculating about souls is not a job for police and prosecutors.” —Rod Rosenstein

Braying Jenny: “I think it’s just gender bias. I think people are generally biased against women. I think also biased against young women. There’s just bias and it’s real and it exists, but you have to overcome it.” —Kirsten Gillibrand, 52, on why her presidential campaign is struggling (It never occurs to these women that perhaps their policies are simply terrible.)

Moving the goal posts: “This is a technique of the GOP, to take dry humor + sarcasm literally and 'fact check’ it. Like the ‘world ending in 12 years’ thing, you’d have to have the social intelligence of a sea sponge to think it’s literal.” —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Alpha Jackass: “Mandatory vasectomies until you want to have children. They can be reversed, so. Come on guys, Lets [sic] save lives! Whats [sic] that? A hard no? Why? Cause its [sic] your body and we dont [sic] get to make that choice for you?” —actress Evan Rachel Wood, who later added, “I dont [sic] want mandatory vasectomies because I dont [sic] believe we should legislate peoples [sic] bodies, its [sic] a dangerous slippery slope. I used the example to point out the hypocrisy of always putting the responsibility, punishment, blame, or means of prevention, solely on women.”

And last… “[Abortion activist Alyssa] Milano’s thesis is a simple one: if women aren’t going to be allowed to have their unborn child legally murdered at any stage of pregnancy, then they just should stop having sex. If effective, her plan will result in only the women who would potentially have their offspring killed not becoming pregnant. How is this a big loss for the pro-life movement again?” —Peter Heck