Donald Trump Mocked For Saying ‘Sea To Shiny Sea’ In Speech, Flubbing Key Line From ‘America The Beautiful’

Donald Trump may want to bone up on his classic American songs a little more before his next major speech.

On Friday, the president took to the White House Rose Garden to deliver a speech announcing the end of the six-week government shutdown, saying he would be directing Congress to pass a resolution that would temporarily re-open the government while he continued to push for a border wall. Trump also used the remarks to continue making his pitch for the border wall, though he offered some new details that claimed the wall was not meant to stretch the entire length of the border.

“These barriers are made of steel, have see-through visibility, which is very important, and are equipped with sensors, monitors and cutting-edge technology, including state-of-the-art drones. We do not need 2000 miles of concrete wall from sea to shining sea,” the official transcript of Trump’s speech read (via Real Clear Politics.)

But those listening to the speech live heard something very different as Donald Trump tried to recite the line from the classic song “America the Beautiful.” Instead of saying “sea to shining sea,” it seemed to most people listening that he actually said “sea to shiny sea.” While Donald Trump often takes heat for his verbal bumbles, this one was seen as particularly harsh given that it was meant to quote a song that most Americans learn as children.

"We do not need two thousand miles of concrete wall from sea to SHINY sea." pic.twitter.com/PyRogKvCYu

— Dr. Jeffrey Guterman (@JeffreyGuterman) January 25, 2019

Others noted that Donald Trump’s stance on the border wall seems to have changed rapidly from just a few weeks ago, when he definitely was calling for a wall that stretched the entire length of the U.S.-Mexico border.

The “sea to shiny sea” gaffe was not the only part of the speech that drew criticism for Donald Trump. He also made a curious remark about building a “smart wall” rather than a “medieval wall” that had plenty of people confused.

As SFGate.com noted, this also drew some jokes from Trump’s critics on Twitter.

Will they be compatible with Apple?” one person asked

“Will they play Netflix?” another wondered.

There will still be at least a few more weeks for Donald Trump to make his pitch for the border wall, as the agreement that ended the government shutdown will only stay in effect through the middle of February. Until then, President Trump will likely be taking his arguments to the public, though not for a wall “from sea to shiny sea.”