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05th Jul 2019

Donald Trump says American revolutionaries “took over airports” between 1775 and 1783

Carl Kinsella

Donald Trump

So I guess there’s a few things that need to be pointed out here.

The first is that the Wright Brothers invented the airplane in 1903. The second thing would probably be that the world’s first airport was established by Wilbur Wright in 1909. The third thing might be that the American War of Independence ended in 1783. And the last thing would be that Donald Trump is an idiot.

Trump gave a speech during his extravagant 4th of July celebrations yesterday – celebrations which are said to have cost the American taxpayer somewhere in the region of $90million.

In that speech, he seemed to become confused about the various details of the War of Independence, specifically claiming that US freedom fighters took over airports in their efforts to seize sovereignty from the British.

While describing the events of 1775, Trump said: “Our army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do, and at Fort McHenry, under the rockets’ red glare, it had nothing but victory.”

Manned the air. In 1775.

Trump’s airport gaffe was not the only historical inaccuracy in the speech. He also mentioned Fort McHenry, a battle that actually occurred in the War of 1812.

The phrase ‘the rockets’ red glare’ is taken from the lyrics of the United States national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, but it also refers to the War of 1812, in which the writer Francis Scott Key fought at the defence of Fort McHenry, which inspired him to write the lyrics.

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