Trump said he didn’t see any reason why it “would” be Russia, but now he’s claiming he meant to say “wouldn’t.”
President Donald Trump claimed he misspoke about whether he thought Russia meddled in 2016 presidential elections — and Twitter is having a field day with it.
Here’s what happened: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump met in Helsinki on Monday, where Putin publicly denied claims that Russia had interfered in the 2016 US presidential election.
Standing next to Putin, Trump said he didn’t have reason to think Russia meddled with the election — contradicting the findings of US intelligence agencies. “I don’t see any reason why it would be [Russia]” that interfered in the 2016 election, Trump said.
However, on Tuesday, after massive backlash from scores of US politicians and general outrage in the media, Trump walked back these comments, claiming he had intended to say “I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be [Russia].”
Many people on Twitter aren’t buying his excuse. Especially because Trump waited an entire day to correct himself.
I would say that I completely believe President Trump misspoke and that he has full faith and confidence in the members of our intelligence community and understands that Putin and Russia were fully responsible for intervening in our election.
Sorry. I meant wouldn’t.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) July 17, 2018
A man who unironically calls himself a “very stable genius” claims it took him 30 hours to realize he said “would” instead of “wouldn’t”
— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) July 17, 2018
DON’T MAKE AMERICA NOT GREAT AGAIN pic.twitter.com/3hG4Z3ThVg
— ElElegante101 (@skolanach) July 17, 2018
“I meant to say ‘how much wood WOULDN’T a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck COULDN’T chuck wood.’ Could be other woodchucks also.”
— James Robert Carroll (@JRCarrollNews) July 17, 2018
So did Kim Jong-Un say he #would or #wouldnt denuclearize?
— Cory Furlong (@iamfur72) July 17, 2018
Even Richard Marx, the singer behind the 1980s soft rock hit, “Right Here Waiting,” weighed in.
I misspoke. I meant to say I “wouldn’t” be right here waiting for you.
— Richard Marx (@richardmarx) July 18, 2018
Late night hosts also joined in and took jabs at Trump, including Jimmy Kimmel, who has been an outspoken critic of the president.
correction: TODAY is the strangest day of the Trump era #wouldorwouldnt? https://t.co/I9pcom75ov
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) July 17, 2018
And though it’s easy to ridicule Trump’s excuse that he simply meant to say “wouldn’t,” the joke, it turns out, may be on the American people.
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