In a strange moment in the Oval Office on Tuesday, President Donald Trump seemed to forget where his father was born.
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In a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump accused Britain of being “very, very uncooperative” over the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, which is home to a British and American military base.
The topic also seemed to trigger nostalgia for his parents.
“I love that country,” Trump said of Britain. “I love it. My mother was born there. I love it. My mother was born there.”
He then began to focus on his father’s origins.
“My dad was born – like he knows everything about my dad – my dad was born there,” Trump said, gesturing to the German chancellor to indicate his father was born in Germany. “So, you know, those are the places where you automatically, very, very warm.”
President Donald Trump (right) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House. Image Alliance via Getty Images
Trump was right about one of his parents. His mother, Mary Anne Trump, was born in Scotland, which is part of the United Kingdom. But his father, Fred Trump, was born in New York, not Germany. His grandfather, Frederic Trump, was born in what is now part of Germany.
Trump has made the same mistake before, claiming in 2019 that his father was “born in a very wonderful place in Germany.”
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The latest verbal gaffe has drawn attention in part because Trump repeatedly attacked his predecessor, Joe Biden, for his gaffes in office, even claiming in 2022 that Biden suffered from dementia.
Now, some critics are pointing to Trump’s frequent missteps and growing questions about his overall health (including two “annual” physicals six months apart). They are attacking Biden with the same accusations the president once leveled against him.
Some commentators, such as Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan, have even called for invoking the 25th Amendment, a constitutional process that could ultimately lead to the removal of a president unable to carry out his duties:
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