‘Islamic Republic of Japan’: Trump’s verbal flubs are piling up

Trump’s Growing List of Verbal Missteps Takes Center Stage

Islamic Republic of Japan – President Donald Trump has long been critical of political opponents’ speech errors. At a 2022 rally, he showcased footage of Joe Biden’s verbal stumbles. During the 2024 election cycle, Trump mocked Biden for confusing Trump with Kamala Harris, remarking, “Great job, Joe!” Years earlier, in 2018, Trump participated in conservative jokes about Barack Obama’s claim of visiting 57 states. “Can you imagine if I said that,” Trump wrote on X, continuing with: “story of the year!” Yet Trump himself has accumulated numerous similar mistakes. His NATO summit appearance in Turkey on Wednesday highlighted this trend, as he committed three notable errors—including referring to Iran as “the Islamic Republic of Japan”—within a ten-minute window while standing beside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Recent Gaffes at the Turkey Summit

While discussing tensions with Iran, Trump accidentally mentioned the “Islamic Republic of Japan,” a nation that does not exist. “I told this story yesterday: We had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan,” Trump stated. “They were shot at the aircraft carrier over a period of about one hour.” Trump has frequently criticized the Obama administration’s Iran nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. However, at the same gathering, he mispronounced the acronym. “They picked the wrong country, JCPOC,” Trump declared. “What a terrible — what a terrible deal.”

“I told this story yesterday: We had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan,” Trump said. “They were shot at the aircraft carrier over a period of about one hour.”

Seated alongside Zelensky, Trump turned to journalists and inquired whether they possessed “a question for President Putin.” This mirrors Biden’s behavior during his NATO summit visit in 2024. Just two days before this incident, Trump appeared to confuse Small Business Administration leader Kelly Loeffler with the pro-Trump musician Nicki Minaj. “But Jeff is great,” Trump commented, referencing Loeffler’s spouse, Jeffrey Sprecher. “And he’s married to a person who’s doing a phenomenal job at the SBA, small business — Nicki Minaj who’s so incredible. They call it small business, Nicki.”

More Mix-Ups Across Recent Events

Shortly afterward, Trump mentioned Minaj once more, though this time deliberately. “We have communication equipment up there that’s nobody’s ever seen before. It’s the highest level and, uh, including Starlink,” Trump explained during remarks at a tour of the newly refurbished aircraft serving as Air Force One in June. “My friend Leon — my friend Elon is gonna be very happy.”

“But Jeff is great,” Trump said, referring to Loeffler’s husband, Jeffrey Sprecher. “And he’s married to a person who’s doing a phenomenal job at the SBA, small business — Nicki Minaj who’s so incredible. They call it small business, Nicki.”

At a May celebration honoring Indiana University’s football national championship, Trump searched for head coach Curt Cignetti. Cignetti had been positioned directly beside him throughout the event, and Trump had already glanced in his direction. Trump also appeared to conflate Obama and Biden, who genuinely managed the Afghanistan withdrawal. “They lost 13 people leaving an airport — Obama,” Trump noted in May. “Thirteen very good people that I got to know their families.”

When a reporter questioned Trump about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s warning regarding potential conflict with the United States over Taiwan, Trump answered as though the inquiry concerned Iran. “I don’t think there’s a conflict, other than we don’t need their — their strait,” Trump replied. In April, Trump briefly claimed Ukraine had already lost its war. However, it quickly emerged he was discussing Iran, since he employed a talking point he frequently uses for that country. “I think Ukraine, militarily they’re defeated, OK?” Trump stated. “You wouldn’t know that by reading the fake news. But militarily, look, their Navy — so, they had 159 ships.”

“I think Ukraine, militarily they’re defeated, OK?” Trump said. “You wouldn’t know that by reading the fake news. But militarily, look, their Navy — so, they had 159 ships.”

During a Women’s History Month gathering in April, Trump seemed to blend two women who have held significant positions under his administration. “And of course, Kellyanne Conway,” Trump announced while introducing attendees. “Has anyone ever heard of her? She’s fantastic. She’s in there fighting. She’s a — Kellyanne. A man, a friend of mine, said, you know, that Kellyanne, I admire the way she goes in and she screams at those people. She’s got us — meaning the media.”

Conway currently serves as a strategist rather than a direct administration member, and her public duties typically do not involve confronting the press. This description better fits press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s responsibilities. At a January address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump frequently confused Greenland with Iceland. “I’m helping Europe, I’m helping NATO, and until the last few days when I told them about Iceland, they loved me,” Trump asserted. “They