Nicolai Haugsted
Trump talks his way into a geography headache after trying to explain the United Kingdom.
Donald Trump has spent plenty of time dealing with Britain during his years in the White House, but the country’s geography still managed to produce a slightly complicated moment during his latest encounter with its prime minister.
Speaking alongside Andy Burnham at the United Nations in New York, Trump praised British patriotism before embarking on an explanation of the various names associated with the country.
His geography lesson quickly attracted attention online.
“You call it United Kingdom, Britain. They call sometimes England. They go back to the old — it’s got more names than any other place in the world, right?” Trump said.
Critics soon pointed out a fairly important detail: the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England are not simply three interchangeable names for the same place.
Trump’s geography lesson gets complicated
Trump made the remark while discussing patriotism with Burnham following their bilateral talks.
The US president had just praised what he described as “tremendous patriotism in Britain” before moving onto the country’s terminology.
“And sometimes they have to be educated as to what, but there’s great patriotism in the country,” Trump continued.
Online reaction focused less on Trump’s point about patriotism and considerably more on the geography.
“How uneducated,” one social media user wrote, according to the Irish Star.
Another critic broadened the complaint beyond Trump himself.
“This administration has empowered the ignorant. We need to put intelligence back into our federal government,” the commenter wrote.
Such comments represent individual reactions on social media rather than a broader measurement of public opinion.
Britain, England and the UK are not quite the same thing
British terminology can certainly produce confusion, but the basic distinction is relatively straightforward.
England is one of four constituent countries within the United Kingdom.
Great Britain is the island containing England, Scotland and Wales.
The United Kingdom is the sovereign state comprising England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its full official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Ireland, meanwhile, is the island containing both the Republic of Ireland, which is an independent sovereign state, and Northern Ireland, which forms part of the UK.
Trump’s remark therefore blurred several terms that refer to different geographical or political entities.
Burnham and Trump had plenty more to discuss
Geography was hardly the main purpose of the meeting.
Britain’s new prime minister met Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where the pair discussed trade, migration, energy and security. Downing Street described their early conversations as “warm and constructive.”
Trump was equally complimentary in public.
“It’s a really special country and we are with you all the way, Mr. Prime Minister,” Trump told Burnham.
Burnham returned the diplomatic warmth, saying the relationship between Britain and the United States “matters so much to us.”
Trump also predicted that Burnham would be “a great Prime Minister” following his election victory.
Trump has hardly been a stranger to Britain
Confusion over the terminology attracted extra mockery because Trump has extensive experience dealing with the UK and its political leaders.
Relations between Washington and London have remained a major feature of his presidency, and Tuesday’s meeting continued that tradition under Burnham.
Britain’s prime minister used his own UN appearance to describe the United States as his country’s closest ally while laying out plans for greater cooperation on artificial intelligence and national security.
Trump, meanwhile, clearly had no shortage of affection for the country.
Getting all the labels into their correct geographical boxes proved to be the trickier part.
