During a live broadcast of his ‘Liberation Day’ speech, U.S. President Donald Trump made a notable gaffe by claiming that over 90% of Japanese cars were manufactured in Japan.
The slip-up happened as Trump delivered his much-anticipated address on April 2, during which he announced significant tariffs on various countries worldwide.
In his address, Trump accused South Korea, Japan, and “many other nations” of exploiting the U.S. with high prices for their goods. He proudly stated: “As a result of these colossal trade barriers, 81% of the cars in South Korea are made in South Korea,” and went on to say, “94% of the cars in Japan are made in Japan.”
Trump also claimed that while “Toyota sells 1 million foreign-made automobiles in the United States, General Motors sells very little,” and lamented that “None of our companies are allowed to go into other countries.”
Despite continuing with his speech, an astute listener was quick to point out the error. A Twitter user mocked, “90% of Japanese cars are made in Japan. Lol,” and derided Trump’s age and mental acuity, saying, “Trump is too old and senile but maga eat up everything he says,” reports The Daily Star.
In response to the new tariffs, reports indicate that Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is weighing “every option” for an “appropriate” response. The Washington Post has also suggested that the Japanese Government might be considering imposing retaliatory tariffs.
“If you say, ‘Fine, let’s have an offensive method. What can we threaten America with?’ The irony is – very, very little,” jests Jesper Koll, a Tokyo-based economist and investor, as he weighs in on the economic firepower or lack thereof in other countries compared to the USA.
In a slightly awkward moment, President Trump was seen leaving the stage after delivering his remarks, only to be reminded to sign the document that would enforce new tariffs. Captured on video for posterity, the 78 year old is all grins and waves at the assembly before a staff member ushers him back to complete the signing ceremony.
Earlier in his speech, Trump narrowly avoided a slip of the tongue when mentioning Thailand – almost calling it ‘thigh-land’ whilst discussing the imbalanced tariffs on US products.
He remarked: “Meanwhile, thigh-Thailand and others are charging much higher prices, like 60%.”
He went on to underscore the hefty 70% to 75% tariffs imposed on American automobiles by nations such as India and Vietnam. “Others are even higher than that,” he warned, insistent that the United States would firmly respond to these tariffs on a reciprocal basis.
Not one to shy away from controversial statements, Trump had choice words about the trade disparities, stating: “The United States for decades charged a 2.5% on foreign-made automobiles,” He didn’t stop there; he also criticised the European Union for its tariff rates, claiming: “The European Union charges us more than 10% tariffs and they have 20% that are much, much tighter.”
