FACT CHECK: Did Beto O’Rourke Say He Wanted To Throw The Elderly And Wounded Veterans In The Garbage?
The Facebook page Trump Nation shared a meme Wednesday claiming that Democrat Beto O’Rourke said, “If I could throw two kinds of people in the garbage it would be the elderly and wounded veterans. When a tool breaks you don’t fix it, you throw it in the damn trash.”
Verdict: False
The quote is fabricated and cannot be attributed to O’Rourke or any other public figure.
Fact Check:
“How does this make you feel? Let it out and share,” read the post. As of Sunday, the meme had been shared more than 1,800 times.
There is no record of O’Rourke, a former Texas representative and senatorial candidate, making the remark on the campaign trail or while in office, per the congressional record. No news reports can be found corroborating the quote, and there is no record of any other public figure saying it either.
O’Rourke actually expressed sympathy for veterans and the elderly while running for the Senate.
“Our veterans should receive the care and dignity they have earned. That begins with ensuring that every veteran can receive access to quality healthcare, timely resolutions to their disability claims and appeals, and sustainable housing,” reads his campaign website.
O’Rourke co-sponsored legislation in the House supporting veterans, including the VALOR Act of 2017, which aimed to increase veterans’ access to apprenticeships.
Similarly, he expressed support for the elderly and programs such as Social Security and Medicare. “Texas seniors have built the families, communities, and businesses we now enjoy. We owe it to them to honor and protect the commitment we made to care for them through Social Security and Medicare,” his website reads.
O’Rourke ran against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2018 Senate race in Texas but lost. Since then, he has reportedly been mulling over a 2020 presidential run. A decision could come any day, with O’Rourke giving himself a tentative deadline of Feb. 28. He could also run against Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who is up for re-election in 2020.
“I’m trying to figure out how I can best serve this country, where I can do the greatest good for the United States of America, so yeah, I’m thinking through that, and it, you know, may involve running for the presidency, it may involve something else,” O’Rourke told reporters.
Neither his campaign nor Trump Nation responded to The Daily Caller’s requests for comment.
