Facing a barrage of criticism after saying that Russia had not meddled in the 2016 presidential election, US President Donald Trump claimed that he merely misspoke during a joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin following their meeting in Helsinki on July 16.
"I thought it would be obvious, but I would like to clarify just in case it wasn’t. In a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word ‘would’ instead of ‘wouldn’t,’" Trump said.
According to the president, "the sentence should have been: ‘I don’t see any reason why I wouldn’t, or why it wouldn’t be Russia,’ sort of a double negative" which, Trump claimed, "probably clarifies things pretty good by itself."
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Trump’s explanation quickly went viral on social media where many users mocked and ridiculed the president’s statements using hashtags #would and #wouldn’t.
Others, however, were less inclined to jest, blasting Trump and calling for his impeachment.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a one-on-one summit in Helsinki to discuss the current state of bilateral relations along with pressing issues on the international agenda.
While the two world leaders hailed the summit as successful and productive, a joint press conference of the heads of state sparked criticism among many current and former US officials.