New Delhi: United States President Donald Trump Wednesday coined a new country: the “Islamic Republic of Japan”. In a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Turkey on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Trump said the ‘Islamic Republic of Japan’ had fired missiles at a US aircraft carrier.
“We had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan,” Trump said.
His slip-up made headlines within minutes and triggered widespread mockery and criticism on social media—along with a flood of memes.
“This is the historic moment when the United States officially recognized the Islamic Republic of Japan on the international stage,” wrote Naoki Yamamoto, assistant professor at Kyoto University.
He also mentioned a ‘Shogun-Sultanate system’ sarcastically.
“No one has even had time to theorize the Shogun-Sultanate system yet, and Trump has already left us with a tremendous trust to bear,” he added.
Of falafels and halal ramen
Some called Trump a “clown”, while others joked that he had forgotten to take his medication before the meeting. Many also pointed out the irony of mentioning Japan in the context of missile attacks, given the history of World War 2.
“As if Japan would ever do something like suicide bombing… oh wait a minute,” read a comment on an AI-generated photo of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dressed in a green burqa with a mosque and cherry trees in the backdrop.
“Wallahi japan,” wrote @wataminoodles in a reply to a similar post.
Elsewhere, people compared cultures.
“Our Falafel game is too weak,” a Reddit user commented in r/japan under a post discussing Trump’s faux pas.
“So THATS why there was that one Halal Ramen restaurant in Asakusa. First I thought its for Muslim tourists. But it turns out it’s the base for the Muslim takeover of Japan,” read another comment.
On 4 July, the US and Japan celebrated America’s 250th anniversary, highlighting their longstanding alliance and shared commitment to security, trade, innovation, and cultural ties.
For Americans, Trump’s gaffe is a moment of embarrassment and anger. Many are apologising to Japan and comparing Trump to former President Joe Biden, who was known for similar fumbles.
“He is accomplishing nothing at this NATO summit other than creating a flood of the stupidest and most embarrassing moments that cement the fact that he’s the stupidest President ever. Oh, and he’s managing to alienate our allies even more. Other than that, things are GREAT!” one user wrote on X.
This is not the first time Trump has mixed up the name of a country or public figure.
In 2017, during a meeting with African leaders, he mentioned “Nambia”. No such country exists; the US president most likely mixed up Namibia and Zambia.
In 2019, he referred to Britain’s heir to the throne as the “Prince of Whales” instead of “Prince of Wales” in a social media post.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
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