Jazmin Li
During his Fourth of July Salute to America speech in 2019, then-President Donald Trump claimed that the Continental Army took over the airports during the American Revolutionary War. Airports and military airplanes, however, are 20th-century inventions, with the first powered flight of an airplane occurring in 1903. Trump later blamed a faulty teleprompter for the gaffe, but this claim was met with skepticism.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 4th of July, 2019 |
| Event | "Salute to America" speech |
| Location | Lincoln Memorial |
| Topic | American Revolutionary War |
| Content | Trump stated that the Continental Army "took over the airports" during the war. |
| Response | Trump blamed a faulty teleprompter for the error. |
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What You'll Learn
Trump's Revolutionary War 'Airports' Flub
During his Fourth of July "Salute to America" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in 2019, President Trump made a peculiar statement, claiming that the Continental Army "took over the airports" during the American Revolutionary War. The full quote from his address is as follows:
> "In June of 1775, the Continental Congress created a unified Army out of the Revolutionary Forces encamped around Boston and New York, and named after the great George Washington, commander in chief. 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."
Trump's reference to "airports" in the context of the Revolutionary War stood out as an obvious anachronism, given that airports and military airplanes are 20th-century inventions. The first powered flight of an airplane was achieved by the Wright brothers in 1903, a fact that Trump himself acknowledged earlier in his speech.
The president's remarks sparked a flurry of reactions, with many viewers taking to Twitter to poke fun at the statement. Hashtags like #RevolutionaryWarAirports and #RevolutionaryWarAirportStories trended as people shared comical parodies in the form of fictitious letters written by Revolutionary War soldiers about their alleged airport troubles.
In response to the gaffe, Trump blamed a faulty teleprompter, citing the rainy weather conditions that affected his speech. He claimed that the teleprompter malfunctioned midway through his sentence, making it challenging to deliver his address to the massive crowd. Despite this explanation, the "airports" flub added to a series of history-related errors made by the president during his time in office.
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Trump Blames Teleprompter
During his "'Salute to America' speech at the Lincoln Memorial on July 4, 2019, then-President Donald Trump claimed that the Continental Army "took over the airports" during the American Revolutionary War in the 1770s. This statement, made as part of his praise for the Americans' military efforts in the war against Great Britain, raised eyebrows as it was obviously a glaring anachronism—air travel did not exist in 18th-century America.
Trump's exact words were:
> "In June of 1775, the Continental Congress created a unified Army out of the Revolutionary Forces encamped around Boston and New York, and named after the great George Washington, commander in chief... 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 rocket's red glare, it had nothing but victory."
Critics were quick to point out the error, noting that the rebels could not have seized airports more than a century before the first powered flight—achieved by the Wright brothers in 1903. In the same sentence, Trump also appeared to date a battle at Fort McHenry to the American Revolution, when it actually occurred during the War of 1812.
Trump later blamed the gaffe on technical issues with his teleprompter, which he claimed malfunctioned due to the rainy weather conditions. Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn, he said:
> "We had a lot of rain. I stood in the rain. The teleprompter went out... It kept going on, and then at the end, it just went out... I do the speech very well, so I was able to do it without a teleprompter, but the teleprompter did go out. But despite the rain, that was just a fantastic evening."
This incident is not the first time Trump has made history-related errors during his time in office. In 2017, he argued that Andrew Jackson could have prevented the Civil War, despite the fact that Jackson died 16 years before the war began. Trump has also been known to regularly use teleprompters for his speeches and has made false claims about his use of them, including accusing Vice President Kamala Harris of using a teleprompter during her Univision town hall in 2024.
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Twitter Reactions to Trump's Comment
Twitter users were quick to react to former President Donald Trump's puzzling reference to US soldiers "taking over airports" during the Revolutionary War. The comment, made during his "'Salute to America' Fourth of July speech in 2019, sparked a flurry of jokes, memes, and satirical tweets. Many users poked fun at the notion of airports existing during the Revolutionary War, with hashtags like #RevolutionaryWarAirportStories and #RevolutionaryWarAirports trending. Some tweets even included mock letters from weary Revolutionary War participants dealing with modern-day airport hassles.
One user, @King_Of_Shade, tweeted: "Ivanka discussing maintaining control of the airports w our founding fathers#RevolutionaryWarAirportStories#UninvitedIvanka." Another user, @Eitanthegoalie, joked: "Y'all, Y'ALL, he said our army took over the airports during the.... Wait for it..... . . . TRUMP IS LYING!!!! JET FUEL CANT MELT STEEL MUSKETS!!! THE 1776 ATTACK ON AIRPORTS WAS AN INSIDE JOB!!!#airports."
Writer Mark Harris joined in on the fun, tweeting a playful take on the lyrics from "The Star-Spangled Banner": "manned proof thru the night / that our airports were there . 🎶And the ampert's red glare Ramparts bursting in there Manned proof thru the night That our airports were there 🎶." U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski, a Democrat from New Jersey, also contributed a light-hearted twist on the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that the red zone has always been for loading and unloading; there is never stopping in a white zone."
Amid the Twitter storm, Trump addressed the "airports" remark, blaming technical issues with his teleprompter due to the rainy weather. He told reporters, "I do the speech very well, so I was able to do it without a teleprompter, but the teleprompter did go out." However, this explanation did little to stem the tide of humorous reactions on social media, which continued to pour in, showcasing the internet's collective wit and creativity in response to the unexpected historical twist in Trump's speech.
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Trump Praises Aviation Industry
During a meeting with the aviation industry, President Trump praised the industry's safety standards and the work of air traffic controllers. He acknowledged the issue of congestion, which was causing longer intervals between flights and increasing fuel consumption. The President expressed his reluctance to raise fees or taxes, citing concerns about the potential impact on travellers and the industry's competitiveness.
Trump also emphasised his openness and accessibility to the press, noting his willingness to let them observe the meeting. The meeting included representatives from major airlines, airports, and aviation authorities across the United States and Canada.
In his remarks, Trump highlighted the importance of efficient aviation operations, stating:
> "So you'd save a lot of time, you'd save a tremendous amount of fuel... I notice the intervals when planes go out seem very, very long."
He also recognised the financial losses faced by the industry, estimated at $25 billion annually, and discussed potential solutions without raising fees.
While the focus was on the present and future of aviation, Trump's comments on airports during his Fourth of July "Salute to America" speech in 2019 are worth mentioning. He praised the Continental Army's efforts in the Revolutionary War, claiming they "took over the airports," an error for which he later blamed a faulty teleprompter.
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Trump on Raising Aviation Fees or Taxes
During a meeting with the aviation industry, President Trump expressed his reluctance to raise aviation fees or taxes. He acknowledged that fees could be increased by a simple act of Congress, but emphasized his preference for not raising fees or taxes. He argued that the United States was already spending a significant amount of money overseas and that other countries were taking advantage of them in trade. President Trump suggested that raising fees would ultimately hurt the aviation industry as people might opt to stop flying due to the increased costs.
> "I don't like raising fees or taxes — I'll be honest. [...] The last thing we have to do is raise the fee. I understand what you're saying, but $4.50 — it's a lot when you look at all of the passengers. If there were other ways of doing this — because you're only hurting yourself by — really, eventually, people are going to just stop flying because it's very expensive with all the taxes," said President Trump.
President Trump's comments highlighted his concern about the potential impact of higher fees on air travel demand and his belief that there should be alternative solutions to generate revenue without burdening passengers with additional costs.
However, it is worth noting that President Trump's stance on aviation fees and taxes was not consistent throughout his presidency. In his Fourth of July "Salute to America" speech in 2019, President Trump made a controversial statement, claiming that the Continental Army "took over the airports" during the American Revolutionary War. This statement sparked humorous reactions on Twitter, with hashtags like #RevolutionaryWarAirports and comical parodies written from the perspective of Revolutionary War soldiers.
In conclusion, while President Trump generally expressed opposition to raising aviation fees or taxes, his administration's approach to aviation policy and funding was complex and subject to change.
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Frequently asked questions
During his Fourth of July "Salute to America" speech in 2019, Trump said that the Continental Army "took over the airports" from the British during the American Revolutionary War.
Yes, Trump praised the Americans' military efforts in the war against Great Britain, saying: "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."
Many people on Twitter responded humorously to Trump's statement, with hashtags like #RevolutionaryWarAirports and #RevolutionaryWarAirportStories trending. Trump himself later blamed the teleprompter for the flub, saying that it had cut out during his speech due to the rain.
