Trump's research team in shambles; fact-check disasters and unscripted moments of bias by US President
President
Donald Trump
's recent international appearances have provided a cascade of unscripted moments, historical mix-ups, and eyebrow-raising claims, leaving his speechwriters and America's allies scrambling to correct the record in real time.
A summit of stumbles
At the
G7
summit in Canada, Trump revived a favorite but false anecdote: blaming former Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau
for Russia's expulsion from the
G8
in 2014. In reality, Trudeau didn't take office until late 2015; it was Conservative PM Stephen Harper who led the charge to eject Russia after its annexation of Crimea.
Trump's public misattribution, delivered while standing next to current Canadian leader Mark Carney, was more than just a slip. It was a diplomatic head-scratcher that left Canadian officials correcting the record yet again.
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Undo
But the G7 was just the latest stage for Trump's improvisational approach to world affairs. He floated the idea that the war in Ukraine might have been avoided if Russia hadn't been expelled from the G8, a claim that not only overlooks Moscow's aggression but also undercuts the unified Western stance against Vladimir Putin's actions.
European diplomats privately expressed alarm, noting that Trump's comments seemed to offer 'bouquets' to the Kremlin at a time when the West is trying to pressure Russia with new sanctions.
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UK-EU mix-up
Trump's off-script moments extended to his dealings with the UK. While speaking alongside
UK
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump erroneously described his trade agreement with the UK as a deal with the European Union, a body the UK no longer belongs to after Brexit. The mischaracterization was not just a minor slip but a significant diplomatic faux pas, given the sensitive nature of UK-EU relations post-Brexit.
The $350 billion Ukraine aid myth
Trump also twice repeated his long-debunked assertion that former President
Joe Biden
had given '$350 billion' in aid to Ukraine. The real numbers tell a very different story.
According to the
Kiel Institute for the World Economy
, a German think tank that closely tracks international aid to Ukraine, the US had committed about $138 billion in military, financial, and humanitarian aid from January 2022 through April 2025, a period that includes more than three months of Trump's current presidency.
Even using different counting methodologies, there is no basis for Trump's '$350 billion' claim.
The US government inspector general overseeing the Ukraine response reports that the US had appropriated about $185 billion for Ukraine through March 2025, with about $90 billion actually disbursed - figures that also include funds spent in the US or allocated to other countries.
For Trump's speechwriters, these moments are more than gaffes; they're a recurring challenge. Carefully crafted talking points are often abandoned in favor of improvisation, leaving aides and diplomats scrambling to clarify facts and mend fences.
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