Mockery Ensues After Trump Gaffe Claims ‘1917’ Pandemic — Which Actually Took Place in 1918 — Ended World War II
President Donald Trump was roundly mocked for making two historical flubs in the space of a few seconds, misidentifying (yet again) the first year of the Spanish flu pandemic and missing the end of World War II by 26 years.
Trump’s double whammy of failing US history took place during his White House press conference, where he boasted of the federal government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak, which claimed the lives of 163,000 Americans so far. He proceeded to point out the Spanish flu pandemic, which began one year into the U.S. involvement in World War I in 1918, claimed the lives of 50 to 100 million people worldwide.
After the Trump campaign has repeatedly attempted to pounce on every on of the Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s misstatements and gaffes, the irony of the president making such obviously false statements ignited full mockery online from both liberals and conservatives alike.
The Second World War ended in 1945. It’s cruel for @DonaldJTrumpJr and family to let @realDonaldTrump stand out there like this. https://t.co/E0v9VAcBWX
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) August 10, 2020
Hey @DonaldJTrumpJr, if Joe Biden said this, would you tweet about it and say Biden isn’t all there? https://t.co/i1Yhf6I67D
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) August 10, 2020
Trump: In 1917, the great pandemic, where they lost 50 to 100 million people, probably ended the Second World War.
1. The pandemic happened in 1918, not 1917.
2. About 37 million people died in WWI, not 50 to 100 million.
3. The Second World War ended in 1945, not in 1917. https://t.co/EEsnVUkXcE
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) August 10, 2020
The republicans are worried about Joe Biden’s mental acuity https://t.co/NpmQGSqcjp
— Molly Jong-Fast? (@MollyJongFast) August 10, 2020
This is one reason why I’m puzzled by Trump’s decision to make cognitive competence a major election issue. https://t.co/KvM4aeAAvr
— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) August 10, 2020
Sounds like something Joe Biden would say. https://t.co/ErGIjyEnxq
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) August 11, 2020
And at least one critic analogized Trump’s comments to John “Bluto” Blutarsky’s infamously ahistorical and NSFW speech in Animal House.
Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
No. It was not. https://t.co/KCAqMXgwaa— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) August 10, 2020
Dinesh D’Souza: Yes, elitist provincials, laugh. Trump isn’t referencing the 1918 Spanish Flu but the 1917 Portuguese Grippe, which infected a young Hitler. After incubating 28 years, it suddenly became symptomatic in the bunker and he sneezed so violently it blew his brains out. https://t.co/syK9PSmpvw
— Frank Lesser (@sadmonsters) August 11, 2020
I know Trump has mocked the University of Alabama but even we know the difference between World War I and II. #SleepyDon https://t.co/JcWp7JES52
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) August 10, 2020
The ignorance is so painful. https://t.co/GVbgEiWHRl
— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) August 10, 2020
Don’t even bother to correct him. He doesn’t listen, learn, care or show any interest in doing so. https://t.co/ZMCuEOmxJC
— John Sipher (@john_sipher) August 11, 2020
The Chosen One. White Supremacy is so dumb. https://t.co/QXJztZsAdh
— Wajahat “Wears a Mask Because of a Pandemic” Ali (@WajahatAli) August 10, 2020
When given a chance to remove this man, 247-of-248 republican senators and reps voted to keep trump in office.
So much of this tragedy could’ve been avoided but republican leaders value their power more than democracy itself or even your life. https://t.co/9Uy4NlJaO6
— Bill Pascrell, Jr. (@BillPascrell) August 10, 2020
