Donald Trump has already stirred controversy with his statements about his meeting with Vladimir Putin, which has yet to take place.
The scheduled meeting on August 15 will see Trump and Putin discussing strategies to bring an end to Russia’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
During a recent press event, Trump stated, “I’m going to see Putin, I’m going to Russia on Friday. I don’t like being up here, talking about how unsafe and how dirty and disgusting this once beautiful capital was.”
His comments regarding Washington, D.C., referred to the city’s alleged increase in crime, which Trump plans to address by deploying the National Guard.
However, Trump’s claim of heading to Russia has been corrected by others, noting he is actually slated to meet Putin in Alaska.
Addressing the confusion, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that the plans are still being finalized but confirmed the talks will occur in Alaska, not Russia.
She also mentioned, as reported by BBC News, that a trip to Russia might be considered for Trump in the future.
Following Trump’s statement about traveling to Russia, many have criticized his apparent misunderstanding of the situation.
One person tweeted, “Trump thinks he’s going to Russia. The meeting is in Alaska. He has no clue what’s going on. Russia wants some Ukraine territory. Trump wants to give it to him.
“But it’s not his to give. He’s not king of the world even though he wants to be.”
Another individual remarked on the mistake, “Surely I’m not the only person who noticed that Donald Trump said he was going to ‘Russia’ when he was referring to his trip to Alaska, n’est-ce pas? He said it twice. Imagine if Biden said that.”
Another comment stated, “Trump isn’t going to Russia, he’s going to see Putin in Alaska on Saturday. Trump not knowing where he’s going! Time for a BRAIN CHECK!”
A Twitter user questioned Trump’s repeated mentions of traveling to Russia, saying, “WTF does Trump keep saying he’s going to Russia on Friday?! Alaska is not Russia and never will be.”
It’s important to note that while Alaska is part of the U.S. today, it was once Russian territory.
The United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, and it became a state in 1959.
The Bering Strait separates Alaska from Russia, which may be why the two leaders chose Alaska as their meeting location this Friday.