• Donald Trump admitted that he concocted a private-sector scheme to avoid paying his own employees overtime compensation. So much for his “pro-worker” pitch.

Five of the most interesting words in Donald Trump’s rhetorical repertoire are, “I shouldn’t say this, but …” While it’s obviously impossible to read the former president’s mind, whenever the Republican uses the phrase, it’s an apparent acknowledgement that he knows the rest of the sentence will be politically problematic, but he’s simply unable to help himself.

As his first year in the White House came to an end, for example, Trump declared, “I shouldn’t say this, but we essentially repealed Obamacare.” He was, of course, lying, but the comments served as a reminder of his anti-health care vision. About a year later, campaigning in Montana, the then-president publicly praised Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte for physically assaulting a journalist who asked a question the governor didn’t like.

“I shouldn’t say this [but] there’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Trump said in reference to the violence.

Six years later, the Republican is still stumbling into inadvertent moments of candor. HuffPost reported:

Former president and current GOP nominee Donald Trump on Sunday admitted he ‘hated’ to pay his staff overtime and would instead replace them with other workers to avoid doing so. Trump’s confession came during a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, after promising to deliver ‘gigantic tax cuts’ via his pledge to end tax on tips, on overtime and on social security benefits for seniors.”

“I know a lot about overtime,” the Republican candidate boasted. “I hated to give overtime. I hated it. I’d get other people, I shouldn’t say this, but I’d get other people in. I wouldn’t pay.”

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Source: Steve Benen, msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/overtime-pay-trump-slips-accidentally-telling-truth-rcna173223