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One thing you can say about Donald Trump is that he has a knack for coming up with very bad ideas, such as his failed businesses selling steaks, vodka, air travel, the delights of Atlantic City, etc. His latest very bad idea was his unprovoked pledge to pay legal fees for the attendees of his rallies who beat up protestors. But today on Good Morning America, your home for the very best political news, Trump backtracked on that promise.

In fact, he denied ever saying the thing he said. Via CNN, emphasis ours:

“By paying those (legal) fees, wouldn’t you be rewarding and encouraging violence?” asked host George Stephanopoulos.

“No, no I didn’t say that. I haven’t looked at it yet, and nobody’s asked me to pay for fees, and somebody asked me a question and I haven’t even seen it, so I never said I was going to pay for fees.”

“I never said I was going to pay for fees,” says Donald Trump, who said he was going to pay for fees. Let us review the facts, again via CNN:

At a rally in February, Trump told his supporters about protesters: “Knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously. OK? Just knock the hell — I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees. I promise, I promise.”

As recently as Sunday he said:

And in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” this Sunday, Trump said he had directed his staff to “look into” paying the legal fees of a supporter who sucker punched a protester at a rally last Wednesday in North Carolina.

“I’ve actually instructed my people to look into it, yes,” Trump replied when asked about paying the fees.

But by Tuesday, he’d already started to backtrack:

On Tuesday, questioned again if he was “open to that,” and if paying the fees meant rewarding violence, Trump said, “Well maybe so, and maybe that’s why I wouldn’t do it. I don’t condone violence at all, and you know I looked and I watched and I’m going to make a decision.”

“I certainly don’t condone violence and maybe you’re right and maybe that’s why I wouldn’t do it,” he said.

The man knows a bad idea when he sees one. Now, would you like the sirloin or the rib eye?