Nobody Can Stop Trolling Trump For This Hilarious Plane Name Screw-Up
Our very stable genius of a president made a public statement about the "F-52" fighter jets he has been delivering to the Norwegian government, which just so happen to be fictional Call of Duty jets. Yes, you heard correctly — and the president spoke incorrectly. F-52 fighter jets are indeed not real, but from the video game, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Understandably, Trump's F-52 comment has people revisiting his history of made up vocabulary, like Nambia and covfefe.
Standing alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg at the White House on Wednesday, Jan. 10, Trump discussed the defense relationship that the U.S. and Norway have invested in together, which has included the U.S. sending fighter jets to the European country. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, Norway, which shares a border with Russia, has increased their defense, with aide from the United States, according to The Washington Post.
"In November we started delivering the first F-52s and F-35 fighter jets,” Trump said. “We have a total of 52 and they’ve delivered a number of them already a little ahead of schedule."
His misstep was likely combining the "F" that comes before any fighter jet title and the number 52, which is how many jets the U.S. intends to give to Norway. Easy mistake, but you bet he's not living this one down any time soon.
People have taken to Twitter to point out Trump's little mistake, and they really don't miss a beat.
Some people have used this opportunity as a chance to bring back Trump's other made up words, like Nambia.
In September 2017, Trump referred to the made up country "Nambia" instead of Namibia, while meeting with African leaders at the United Nations General Assembly conference in New York. One Twitter used posed the questions, "I wonder if F-52s were invented in Nambia?"
Another Twitter user managed to use two words from Trump's vocabulary: Nambia and covfefe.
In May 2017, Trump prematurely pressed "send" on an incomplete tweet that read, "Despite the constant negative press covfefe." Obviously, people took it and ran with it.
Some people are crediting Trump's extensive television habits for the F-52 mistake.
While we know that Norway doesn't have F-52s in their midst, F-35 jets actually do exist and have been delivered to Norway.
The F-35 is the most advanced jet in the U.S. inventory to date. In September 2017, Trump talked about the aircraft's capabilities saying, “When our enemies hear the F-35 engines, when they’re roaring overhead, their souls will tremble, and they will know the day of reckoning has arrived.” As advanced as they are, the F-35 are projected to cost $1 trillion, making it the most expensive weapon in the history of the Defense Department, according to The Washington Post.
Spokeswoman Carolyn Nelson for Lockheed Martin, which is the company that produces the aircraft, said in a statement that the Norwegian government has confirmed funding for 40 F-35s, and has received 10 so far. However, they neither confirmed nor denied that a F-52 program was in the works. Could Trump be on to something?
The Washington Post, which first reported the F-52 comment, reached out to White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to comment, as well as to ask if Trump was a Call of Duty fan, but Sanders did not respond.
While Trump's word mixup is not the biggest deal, it adds to a longer list of instances that make it easier for people to question his credibility and seriousness. If he really wants the American public to see him as the "stable genius" that he claims to be, then he should probably start with vocabulary.
