Trump's American Revelation: Airport Speech Mystery

During a 2019 Independence Day speech, former US President Donald Trump claimed that the Continental Army took over the airports during the Revolutionary War against Britain in the late 18th century. This statement sparked a flurry of jokes and memes on Twitter, with people using hashtags like #RevolutionaryWarAirports and #RevolutionaryWarAirportStoriesto to share humorous images and parodies related to the Revolutionary War and airports. Trump later blamed a faulty teleprompter for the mistake, but the incident added to a series of history-related gaffes during his presidency.

Trump's claim that the Continental Army took over the airports

During his Fourth of July "Salute to America" speech in 2019, then-President Trump made a historical blunder when he claimed that the Continental Army "took over the airports" from the British during the American Revolutionary War in the 1770s. Airports and military airplanes, however, did not exist until the 20th century, with the first powered flight of an airplane officially recorded in 1903.

Trump's exact words during the speech were:

> The Continental Army suffered a bitter winter of Valley Forge, found glory across the waters of the Delaware, and seized victory from Cornwallis of Yorktown. Our army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do, and at Fort McHenry, under the rockets' red glare, it had nothing but victory.

The mistake quickly spread across social media, with many pointing out the obvious historical inaccuracy. The hashtag #RevolutionaryWarAirports began trending on Twitter, with users posting comical parodies in the form of letters written by Revolutionary War soldiers about their airport woes.

Trump later blamed his teleprompter for the error, telling reporters:

> The teleprompter did go out and it was actually hard to look at anyway because there was rain all over it but despite the rain, it was just a fantastic evening.

However, this was not the only historical error in Trump's speech. He also conflated the American Revolutionary War with the War of 1812, which took place from 1812 to 1815. Trump's reference to Fort McHenry and "rockets' red glare" is a reference to the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812, not the Revolutionary War.

Trump's reference to Fort McHenry and the War of 1812

During his Fourth of July "Salute to America" speech in 2019, then-President Trump made a historical blunder when he said that the Continental Army "took over the airports" from the British during the American Revolutionary War in the 1770s. Airports and military airplanes, as many viewers were quick to point out, did not exist until the 20th century, with the first successful flight of an airplane occurring in 1903.

Trump's speech, delivered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., praised the American military's efforts in the war against Great Britain. "Our army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do, and at Fort McHenry, under the rockets' red glare, it had nothing but victory," he said.

Trump's reference to Fort McHenry and "rockets' red glare" pertains to the Battle of Baltimore, which took place during the War of 1812, not the Revolutionary War. The battle inspired the words of "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the United States. Fort McHenry, located in Baltimore, Maryland, played a pivotal role in defending Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British Navy in 1814.

The confusion in Trump's speech may be attributed to a rapid transition from discussing the Revolution to the War of 1812. Additionally, technical difficulties with the teleprompter have been offered as an explanation for the error. Despite the blunder, Trump's speech largely stayed away from politics and focused on celebrating American military prowess.

Twitter users' response with #RevolutionaryWarAirports

Twitter users responded with a variety of comical parodies in the form of letters written by Revolutionary War soldiers about their airport woes.

One tweet featured an image of the famous painting of Washington crossing the Delaware superimposed over a photo of an airport baggage claim area titled “The Battle of Baggage Claim (1776)”. Another tweet above a sketch of Paul Revere’s ride said “One if by land/Two if by sea/ Three if arriving at Terminal C”.

Other tweets included:

> Dearest George, We never expect to find ourselves in Laguardia airport fighting through the TSA line. We prayed hard but never made it to the gate. Remember us fondly. Do not let our struggle be for naught. #RevolutionaryWarAirports

> Dearest Martha, Please ensure to pack our socks. We shan't ride in the flying carriage whilst having our feet exposed. George #RevolutionaryWarAirportStories

> If your gunpowder doesn’t fit in a 3 oz container, it will be confiscated. #RevolutionaryWarAirportStories

> Dearest, the battle for gate C4 was hard fought, but we prevailed. Alas, we ran out of ammunition, and had to lob our stores of Cinnabons at them. The sacrifices of war try our souls. #RevolutionaryWarAirportStories

Trump's history of making history-related errors

In a 2019 Fourth of July "Salute to America" speech, then-President Trump claimed that the Continental Army "took over the airports" from the British during the American Revolutionary War in the 1770s. Airports and military airplanes, however, were not invented until the 20th century, with the first successful flight of an airplane occurring in 1903.

Trump's historical gaffe sparked a flurry of memes and jokes on Twitter, with hashtags like #RevolutionaryWarAirports and #RevolutionaryWarAirportStories trending. The incident also brought to light the former president's history of making history-related errors during his time in office.

For instance, in 2017, Trump argued that Andrew Jackson could have prevented the Civil War, despite Jackson having died 16 years before the war started. During a tense phone call with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2018, Trump mistakenly asserted that Canadian forces burned down the White House during the War of 1812; it was, in fact, British troops that carried out this act.

In the same 2019 Fourth of July speech, Trump made another historical error by conflating the Revolutionary War with the War of 1812. He referenced the Battle of Baltimore, which inspired the "Star-Spangled Banner", as having occurred during the Revolutionary War, when it actually took place during the War of 1812.

Trump's propensity for historical inaccuracies has not gone unnoticed by the public, and his "airport" comment sparked a wave of satirical responses on social media, with people reimagining historical events with humorous references to air travel.

The event's military imagery and display of hardware

On July 4, 2019, President Trump gave a 45-minute "Salute to America" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., to commemorate Independence Day. The event featured a military parade with tanks and aircraft on display, including the M1 Abrams tank, the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the B-2 stealth bomber, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the F-22, the F/A-18, Marine One, and Air Force One. The speech was heavy on military imagery and light on political rhetoric, with Trump praising the American military's historical and current prowess.

Trump's remarks included a historical inaccuracy, stating that Revolutionary War troops "took over the airports," which was met with amusement and criticism on social media. The President blamed this error on a faulty teleprompter.

The event itself was criticized by Democrats and local officials for its cost and potential damage to local infrastructure from military tanks. Despite the criticism, Trump hyped the event, emphasizing the display of military might and the inclusion of "large-scale flyovers of the most modern and advanced aircraft anywhere in the world."

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