Trump Mixes Up 2 Leaders and Says 111 Missiles Came From 'Islamic Republic of Japan'
Updated
Updated · The New Republic · Jul 8
Trump Mixes Up 2 Leaders and Says 111 Missiles Came From 'Islamic Republic of Japan'
3 articles · Updated · The New Republic · Jul 8
Summary
At a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump made two high-profile verbal errors within minutes, calling Zelenskiy "President Putin" and saying 111 missiles were fired by the "Islamic Republic of Japan."
Video from the press appearance showed Trump pointing at the Ukrainian president as he repeated the Putin misidentification, then trying to recast the remark as intentional when reporters reacted.
The Japan-Iran mix-up came as Trump described a missile incident involving an aircraft carrier, adding a second conspicuous error to the same appearance.
The back-to-back gaffes immediately renewed scrutiny of Trump's mental sharpness, a concern already raised by earlier miscues and amplified by the NATO-stage setting.