Donald Trump said on Friday he met with the president of the Virgin Islands, apparently referring to the governor of the islands, Kenneth Mapp. But the problem is that he is the president of the US territory.
"I will tell you I left Texas and I left Florida and I left Louisiana and I went to Puerto Rico and I met with the President of the Virgin Islands," the US president said, commenting on how the Virgin Islands were hit by two hurricanes lately.
"The Virgin Islands and the President of the Virgin Islands, these are people that are incredible people, they suffered gravely and we're be there, we're going to be there, we have really, it is not even a question of a choice," Trump said, adding that "We are one nation and we all hurt together, we hope together and we heal together."
Trump's remark has caused a Twitter storm with many social media users making fun of the US president's slip of the tongue. Many voiced an opinion that Trump wasn't really aware that the Virgin Islands are a US territory.
President Trump said he met with the President of the U.S. Virgin Islands…which is him.
— Someone's An Idiot (@SomeonesAnIdiot) 14 октября 2017 г.
(Video via @davidmackau)pic.twitter.com/fOuyTfeq3G
According to sources — Donald Trump will spend the weekend playing golf with the President of the U.S. Virgin Islands and his entourage!
— skot2uk3000 (@skot2uk3000) 13 октября 2017 г.
Quick! Someone convince Trump to impeach the president of the Virgin Islands.
— Michael Blackman (@MBlackman37) 14 октября 2017 г.
I hope that Trump told the President of the Virgin Islands that he and the President of Puerto Rico are doing a crappy job!
— Steve Redmond (@sjredmond) 14 октября 2017 г.
Just like his supporters, Trump doesn't know Virgin Islands is part of US territory & he doesn't want to help 🇵🇷 anymore. #25AmendmentNow
— Joe Negan (@mynameisNegan) 13 октября 2017 г.
Trump just spoke with the "President of the Virgin Islands."
— Mike Stanley (@LoneWolfStanley) 13 октября 2017 г.
In other news I just spoke with the owner of my car. Seemed like a cool guy.
when trump meets with the president of the virgin islands pic.twitter.com/FPIWvCIpYc
— Mike Bushnell (@bushnellmike) 13 октября 2017 г.
Donald Trump just said he met with the "president of the virgin islands." Must've been a one sided conversation.
— Philip Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) 13 октября 2017 г.
This has been not the first time Trump's factual errors or incorrect remarks have been mocked.
Puerto Rico Located 'in the Ocean'
The US president's remark, saying that Puerto Rico is "in the middle of an ocean" without pinpointing the exact geographical location has also sparked controversy online.
"This is an island sitting in the middle of an ocean — and it's a big ocean, a really, really big ocean," Trump said, also commenting on the aftermath of a hurricane hitting the US territory.
At least Trump clearly informed us that Puerto Rico is an island, & then he placed it in the middle of the ocean. Is Betsy DeVos his tutor?
— arthur bernard (@arthur_bernard) 13 октября 2017 г.
"[Puerto Rico] is an island surrounded by water. big water. ocean water."
— draculeia ⚰️ (@claire_leia_) 4 октября 2017 г.
— Donald Trump, the man america elected as president
Imaginary 'Nambia'
Trump prompted an avalanche of online ridicule on Twitter as he mistakenly referred to Namibia, a country in southern Africa, as "Nambia" while meeting with African leaders at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The video of Trump saying that "Nambia’s health system is increasingly self-sufficient” took the Internet by storm.
Trump, at a lunch with African leaders, refers to the non-existent country of "Nambia." pic.twitter.com/N8megnC1Xi
— David Mack (@davidmackau) 20 сентября 2017 г.
"Nambia is made up of nothing but golf courses! Coast to coast golf corses everwhere folks! The best golf courses, believe me!" — Trump pic.twitter.com/qdtn3FTGaM
— 💙🌍BlueHumanity🌍💙 (@BlueHumanity) 21 сентября 2017 г.
Napoleon 'Finished a Little Bit Bad' and WWII
In an interview with the New York Times, Trump recalled his trip to the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte, a prominent military commander and the French emperor in 1804-1814, during his visit to Paris.
"Well, Napoleon finished a little bit bad," Trump said. "But I asked that. So I asked the president [Emmanuel Macron], So what about Napoleon? He said, ‘No, no, no. What he did was incredible. He designed Paris.’"
"Napoleon finished a little bit bad."
— Aldo Gandia (@AldoBarkeeper) 20 июля 2017 г.
Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/f8jF7u29at
"And his one problem is he didn’t go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death. How many times has Russia been saved by the weather?" Trump said, apparently referring to the 1812 war between France and Russia resulting in Bonaparte's defeat.
The 1812 war between the Russian empire and Napoleon's France lasted over six months and ended with the complete defeat of the French Army and the liberation of Russia's territory. Russian historians have named the nationwide participation in the war and the heroism of the Russian Army, as well as the unpreparedness of the French Army for combat operations in large areas and in the natural and climatic conditions of Russia, among the reasons for Napoleon's defeat.
Trump went on to comment on the Nazi Germany invasion of the Soviet Union and the subsequent fight of the USSR against Adolf Hitler's forces dubbed the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) by saying that "the Russians have great fighters in the cold," he said. "They use the cold to their advantage. I mean, they’ve won five wars where the armies that went against them froze to death. […] It’s pretty amazing."
Interestingly, one of the key battles that turned the tide of the war, the Kursk Battle, which was the largest tank battle in history, took place from July 5 to August 23, 1943, resulting in the victory of the Soviet Union. Thus, Trump's comment on the four-year-long conflict between the USSR and Nazi Germany turns out to lack accuracy.
Error at Talks With S Korean President
During a meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, the US president incorrectly linked Washington's trade deficit with South Korea to US national debt despite the two economic parameters not being really connected at all. The US trade deficit refers to the fact that the country imports more than it exports, while the US national debt is a result of the country's government spending exceeding the revenue it collects from taxes.
"The United States has trade deficits with many, many countries, and we cannot allow that to continue… with South Korea right now, but we cannot allow that to continue. This is really a statement that I make about all trade: For many, many years the United States has suffered through massive trade deficits; that’s why we have $20 trillion in debt," Trump said.
Trump in June: "For many, many years, the US has suffered through massive trade deficits. That's why we have $20 trillion in debt.”
— MikeBates (@MikeBates) 12 октября 2017 г.
Really?
'How Many People Do You Have'
When speaking about his phone talks with foreign leaders, Trump told the Wall Street Journal that he was surprised to learn how many people live in other countries.
"You know, a lot of people say – they say, well, but the United States is large. And then you call places like Malaysia, Indonesia, and you say, you know, how many people do you have? And it’s pretty amazing how many people they have," Trump said.
Trump: “You call places like Malaysia, Indonesia, and you say, you know, how many people do you have?”
— sam scarypadi 🌶✊🏼 (@sam_sicilipadi) 3 августа 2017 г.
Me: pic.twitter.com/PevxZaUmSD
'What Happened in Sweden'
In a mysterious remark made during a rally in Florida, speaking about the rise in terror attacks in Europe, Trump referred to Sweden, who had taken in large numbers of refugees, saying "When you look at what’s happening last night in Sweden."
The remark caused confusion in Swedish media, with some outlets publishing lists of what could have possibly gone wrong in the country on that day. It has also brought to life the #LastNightInSweden hashtag mocking the comment and rapidly gaining popularity on Twitter.
What happened last night in Sweden 🇸🇪 #1#LastNightInSweden #PrayForSweden #SwedenIncident #JeSuisSweden pic.twitter.com/f5mgmPxApl
— WiggyWanksta (@WiggyWanksta) 19 февраля 2017 г.
It wasn't a pretty sight #lastnightinsweden #DonaldTrump #jesuisikea pic.twitter.com/SMa8jc8K7G
— Dimitri Verbelen (@DimitriVerbelen) 19 февраля 2017 г.
Australia Refugee Swap Deal
Shortly after his inauguration, Trump had a phone conversation with the Australian prime minister. The Australian leader, Malcolm Turnbull, went on to discuss the agreement the country reached with former US President Barack Obama on the refugee resettlement deal. According to media reports, the two leaders did not see eye to eye on the US-Australian deal made by the previous US administration, stipulating that Washington would resettle some of the refugees held in detention camps on the islands of Nauru and Papua New Guinea's Manus.
Following the phone talk, Trump took to Twitter to slam the agreement, making many believe he wasn't aware of it at all.
"Do you believe it? The Obama Administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia. Why? I will study this dumb deal!" Trump said.
this information was available to you prior to you campaigning. Why is it only a surprise to you now?
— Stephen Grant (@stephencgrant) 2 февраля 2017 г.