Trump Takes Credit for Phrase 'Prime The Pump'

President Donald Trump says he came up with the phrase "prime the pump."

But he should not tell that to the folks at Merriam-Webster.

In an interview with The Economist, Trump says he would be okay with proposed tax cuts increasing the deficit because they would stimulate growth in the long term. He said it would "prime the pump."

"It is OK, because it won't increase it for long," Trump says. "You may have two years where you'll … you understand the expression 'prime the pump?' Have you heard that expression used before?

"Because I haven't heard it. I mean, I just…I came up with it a couple of days ago and I thought it was good. It's what you have to do."

But Merriam-Webster begs to differ with the president about whether he coined the phrase.

'Pump priming' has been used to refer to government investment expenditures since at least 1933. https://t.co/VfkGwwzZRC

— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) May 11, 2017

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