Trump mixes up Iran and Japan in latest high-profile verbal slip

Donald Trump's political opponents have long questioned his physical and cognitive health, citing several incidents, including the President allegedly nodding off at major events and fumbling while doing simple tasks. And the latest incident has only amplified the criticism. During an interaction with the press in Ankara, Turkey, Trump confused the Islamic Republic of Iran with one of the U.S.A.'s closest Asian allies, Japan.

The moment unfolded as Trump took questions from reporters alongside Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. "We had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan," he said, "They were shot at the aircraft carrier over a period of about one hour. 111 missiles going to a very expensive ship, and every one of those missiles was knocked down," he said. Trump's comment has drawn widespread criticism on social media.

"When your mental map of the world glitches so hard that allies, WWII history, and the Middle East merge into blurry geopolitical hallucinations," one user wrote on X. "We all know how this goes: Joe Biden’s choice of stairs on Air Force One got a week of headlines. Trump confuses Iran and Japan, and the coverage will vanish by lunchtime," quipped another. Some even called for the 25th Amendment, including former GOP Congressman and serial Trump critic Joe Walsh. Unfortunately for Trump, that was not the only fumble he made during the media interaction.

While addressing the Barack Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran, the U.S. President mistakenly called it "the JCPOC." The name of the agreement is the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. "JCPOC. What a terrible deal. I call it the Obama Nuclear Waste Deal because what he did with that deal has caused tremendous hardship in the Middle East." He also mistakenly called President Zelenskyy Putin.

"Do you have a question for President Putin?" he asked reporters while gesturing towards Zelenskyy. He then said that he was taking questions on behalf of the Russian President, which he said he would ask him when they meet. "What would you like to ask him? Because I am going to ask him that question," he said. This is not the first time a U.S. President has confused the Russian and Ukrainian heads of state. As per The Independent, former President Joe Biden did the same thing during an appearance at the 2024 NATO summit in Washington, D.C.

Some moments during Trump's state visit to Turkey have raised concerns over his physical well-being as well. When he was welcomed to the country by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President seemed to lose his way and had to be hand-held by Erdogan, who escorted him to a temporary podium, from where he could address members of the country's security forces.

The President spoke about several issues during his visit to Turkey, but perhaps the most significant of them all was the Iran war. Trump said that the memorandum of understanding, which was previously agreed upon, might be void as both sides had resumed fighting.