Which U.S. president said, "Read my lips: no new taxes"?

"Read my lips: no new taxes" is a phrase spoken by then American presidential candidate George H. W. Bush at the 1988 Republican National Convention as he accepted his party's nomination on August 18. Written by speechwriter Peggy Noonan, the line (phrase) was the most prominent sound bite from the speech.

Politically, this line later hurt Bush. Although he did oppose the creation of new taxes, the Democrat controlled U.S. Congress proposed increases of existing taxes as a way to reduce the national budget deficit. Bush negotiated with U.S. Congress for a budget that met his pledge, but was unable to make a deal with a Senate and House that was controlled by the Democrats. Finally, Bush agreed to a compromise, which increased several existing taxes as part of a 1990 budget agreement.

Next, in 1992 in both the primaries and the general election, Bush's opponents cited the quotation, "Read my lips: no new taxes" and questioned Bush's trustworthiness. Ultimately, Bush lost his re-election bid for president of U.S. to Bill Clinton.