Trump claims Americans need ID to go shopping

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Donald Trump isn't the first politician to find himself out of touch

US President Donald Trump has been accused of being out of touch with voters after saying Americans need identification to go shopping.

At a rally in Tampa, Florida, he said: "You know, if you go out and you want to buy groceries, you need a picture on a card, you need ID."

ID is not required at US supermarkets unless for buying alcohol or, in some cases, for credit card purchases.

The Republican president was arguing for tougher ID checks on voters.

"You go out and you want to buy anything, you need ID and you need your picture," he told the crowd at the "Make America Great Again" rally on Tuesday night.

"In this country, the only time you don't need it in many cases is when you want to vote for a president, when you want to vote for a senator, when you want to vote for a governor or a congressman.

"It's crazy. It's crazy. But we're turning it around."

It is not known when the president last went to a supermarket.

CNN journalist Jim Acosta tweeted: "Trump out of touch here... you don't need an ID to buy groceries."

Acosta was later heckled live on air by Trump supporters who shouted "liar" and "CNN sucks". The presenter tweeted a clip, which contains strong language.

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A Texas Democrat, Carol Alvarado, was among those who took a jab at the president.

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At Wednesday's White House news conference, a reporter asked about Mr Trump's remark, adding that she had never had to present identification at a supermarket.

Press secretary Sarah Sanders said: "Certainly if you go to a grocery store and you buy beer and wine you're going to show your ID."

Being seen as out of touch with ordinary Americans has caused embarrassment for other US politicians.

In 1992, President George H W Bush was ridiculed after he expressed amazement at a supermarket scanner while attending a grocers' convention.

But the White House said Mr Bush was merely impressed the machine could read damaged labels.

Hillary Clinton was mocked for revealing in 2014 that she had not driven a car for nearly two decades.

Barack Obama provoked scorn in 2007 when he tried to relate with Iowa farmers by saying: "Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?"

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Other Trump quotes in Tampa, dissected

  • "They just came out with a poll, did you hear? The most popular person in the history of the Republican party is Trump!"

Mr Trump has a popularity rate in the party of about 87%, which is historically high compared to predecessors at this point in the presidency. But it's not the highest, and his repeated claim to be more popular than Abraham Lincoln can't be confirmed since there were no scientific polls back then.

  • "We've started large portions of the wall."

Mr Trump has asked for $25bn for his key campaign promise, a wall on the southern border. But he has only secured $1.5bn and that must only be spent on existing barriers, not new ones. This week he said he was prepared to shut down the government to get the cash.

  • "By the way, outside, if you want to go, we set up for the first time a tremendous movie screen, because we have thousands and thousands of people outside that couldn't get in."

A BBC team at the rally said they did not see any big screens outside. And a Tampa Bay Times reporter said the same.

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Meanwhile, Twitter users suggested names for Trump-branded grocery stores.

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