President Donald Trump appeared to have a muddled understanding of America’s history during his Fourth of July “Salute to America” speech on Thursday when he mistakenly said that the Continental Army took over the “airports” during the Revolutionary War.
“Our army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do,” he said.
As several people pointed out on social media, airplanes didn’t exist in 1775. On Twitter, Trump got roasted for the blunder with the hashtag, “Revolutionary War Airports” in which people wrote their hilarious imaginings of what the War For American Independence would have been like if the armies had access to airplanes.
“Dearest Abigail, The situation at ye Olde Laguardia Airporte is untenable,” wrote one Twitter scribe with the handle @mmpadellan. “Amparts and ramparts clogging metal detectors, and a scrum has begun betwixt Kanye of Cornwallis and Frederick Douglass. I may not make it to Bowling Green. Yours, Philippe.”
Others imagined founding fathers grappling with common air travel annoyances like flight delays.
Dearest Martha,
My flight has been delayed. I swear when we take this country I will change it from British Airlines to American Airlines.
I’m waiting at the Cinnabon now.
Love,
George #RevolutionaryWarAirports
— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) July 5, 2019
But amidst all of the fun and games, some came to sobering revelations about the president and his supporters.
On Twitter, the hashtag “#RevolutionaryWarAirports” was trending in the United States for several hours on July 5, as was “#TrumpParadeFail,” which is a reference to the military parade which was supposed to be a big part of Trump’s Independence Day celebrations.
But as 10 Daily reports, the weather dampened the festivities. Heavy rain drenched spectators and the military tanks on show could only be seen by people lucky to have spots in the VIP area. Regular folks were fenced off by metal barriers that had been erected in the reflecting pool at Lincoln Memorial, which seemed like a safety hazard given the stormy weather.
The program will start soon, I’m told. pic.twitter.com/rf5Q8yoNc1
— Meredith Lee Hill (@meredithllee) July 4, 2019
A National Park Service volunteer just told me that the tanks & military equipment are all in the closed off perimeter for the president’s VIPs and that the general public on the Mall will not be able to see them.
— Osita Nwanevu (@OsitaNwanevu) July 4, 2019
On Twitter, the ‘parade fails’ offered even more fodder for jokes about the president.
“I really appreciate George Soros paying for the weather machine to make it rain on Trump’s parade,” tweeted Political editor at large at Harper’s Bazaar, Jennifer Wright.
Congressman Ted Lieu, a longtime critic of President Trump’s, wrote that the weather was proof of Mother Nature’s “sense of humor” and the existence of karma.
According to CNN , The White House and other federal departments involved in the planning of the parade have declined to reveal its exact cost to taxpayers. They do note that the ballistic plastic screen that was used to protect the president during his speech costs more than $24,000. They also report that some of the military aircraft used in the flyover can cost over $100,000 an hour to fly.
For someone who is so obsessed with his image, it’s hard to imagine Trump’s reaction when he realizes that his speech was broadcast through rain-streaked glass. pic.twitter.com/NkVB4eFwly
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) July 4, 2019