Published by TrenBuzz.com | July 9, 2026 | BREAKING NEWS ANALYSIS
Key Points at a Glance – Islamic Republic of Japan
- Trump said “We had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan” at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey on July 8, confusing long-time US ally Japan with Iran.
- In the same press conference, Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “President Putin” while Zelenskyy was sitting directly beside him.
- Trump also referred to the JCPOA nuclear deal as the “JCPOC,” called TikTok “Tic Tac,” and described Turkey as a “great company” before correcting himself to “country.”
- The Islamic Republic of Japan gaffe went globally viral within 30 minutes, trending No. 1 on X across the US, UK, Japan, and South Korea simultaneously.
- Japan’s government issued a formal statement clarifying that Japan has no state religion and has never fired on a US vessel, calling the remark “regrettable.”
- Democrats, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, renewed calls for invoking the 25th Amendment, which Raskin called “a matter of national security.”
Islamic Republic of Japan Gaffe: What Trump Actually Said Word for Word
Trump said: “We had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan. They were shot at the aircraft carrier over a period of about one hour. 111 missiles going to a very expensive ship. And every one of those missiles was knocked down, pretty much most by Patriots, but by other means also.”
He was referring to Iran’s March 2026 attempted attack on the USS Abraham Lincoln, which CENTCOM said “didn’t even come close.” The White House did not correct the error or clarify his remarks after the press conference ended.
Why This Gaffe Lands Differently Than Biden’s Stumbles
Trump’s gaffes came after international travel amid a packed schedule at the defence alliance summit. His mistakes are notable as he has long attacked Joe Biden’s verbal stumbles. Trump criticised Biden again at NATO even after making a series of mistakes himself, saying the former president “couldn’t talk, couldn’t walk.”
That self-contradiction is the story within the story. Trump built two presidential campaigns around Biden’s verbal lapses. He ran explicitly on being the sharper, more alert option. On July 8, in front of cameras at one of the world’s most watched diplomatic events, he confused two countries, confused the two leaders in the room, mislabeled an acronym, and called a country a company.
The 25th Amendment Conversation That Got Louder Overnight
Democrats in Congress have floated the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment against Trump since he returned to the White House. Jamie Raskin said: “We are at a dangerous precipice, and it is now a matter of national security for Congress to fulfill its responsibilities under the 25th Amendment to protect the American people from an increasingly volatile and unstable situation.”
Section 4 of the 25th Amendment requires the Vice President and a majority of Cabinet members to declare the president unable to discharge his duties. No Republican Cabinet member has publicly joined the call.
Japan’s Reaction and What It Means for US Alliances
Japan, a constitutionally pacifist nation with no state religion, issued a statement through its Foreign Ministry calling the remark “regrettable” and requesting clarification from the US State Department. Japan and the United States are active security allies currently deepening cooperation against Chinese and North Korean threats in the Pacific.
Calling Japan by Iran’s formal name during a NATO summit while discussing missiles fired at a US aircraft carrier is not just a word salad moment. It is a diplomatic incident with a country that hosts 55,000 US troops, operates under a US defense umbrella, and whose public trust in American leadership just took a very public, very unnecessary hit at the worst possible moment.