ID for groceries? Trump trolled on Twitter for his shopping comment at Florida rally

Mike Snider | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump Claims Americans Need ID to Buy Groceries During a rally in Florida, President Donald Trump wrongly claimed Americans need photo ID to purchase groceries and compared himself to Abraham Lincoln. (July 31)

Twitter did not exist to troll President George H. W. Bush when, during a debate more than two decades ago, he could not say how much a gallon of milk cost.

Not so for President Donald Trump. Despite being a deft devotee of the social media platform, he has seen his comments that grocery shoppers must show identification cards set off an amusing response on Twitter.

The hashtag #TrumpGroceryStores came to life Wednesday, with people on Twitter chiming in with funny, fictitious names for current grocery store chains — meant to chide the commander in chief. Among them: "Traitor Joe's," "Bigly Wiggly," "Whole Frauds," "Shop Alt-Rite" and "Unsafeway."

Trump provided the stimulus for the online parodies during a rally Tuesday in Tampa, Fla., when he justified his call for voter ID cards by saying they were already needed to buy food.

"If you go out and you want to buy groceries, you need a picture on a card, you need ID," he said. "You go out, you want to buy anything, you need ID, you need your picture.”

More: Watch Seth Meyers imagine what grocery shopping is like for Donald Trump

These days, shoppers rarely need to show identification except to buy cigarettes, alcohol and some over-the-counter medications. And in some states, ID is required to buy groceries if customers use food stamps.

When asked about the comments during a Wednesday press conference, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said Trump was “not saying every time he went in; he said when you go to the grocery store.”

Asked when Trump last shopped for groceries himself, Sanders said: "I’m not sure. I’m not sure why that matters, either.”

Trump is "probably not going to like these," said the "HuffPost," which posted a list of supermarkets renamed in "mock honor" of the president.

Back on Twitter, the retailer rename game quickly expanded to include other stores with people coming up with names such as "Home Despot," "Bigly Lots" and "Russian Target."

Chapters 7 & 11 #TrumpGroceryStores — Pinky Tuscadero 🌈 (@3steev) August 2, 2018

As the comedic chain went viral, readers began offering extended comments, with one person who identified herself as a "progressive liberal" saying, "I just read thru 100's of posts ... and I just want to thank each and every one of you for bringing a smile to my face."

Sometimes, you just have to laugh.

I just read thru 100's of posts to #TrumpGroceryStores and I just want to thank each and every one of you for bringing a smile to my face - I needed this. some wonderful, witty, clever creations, you guys. thanks. 😊🤣🌊🌊🌊👏👏👏 — Judy Pelton (@JudyPelton) August 2, 2018

Contributing: The Associated Press

Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.