Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called President Trump’s day of remarks at the NATO summit in Ankara an “embarrassment to our country on the world stage” Wednesday, after Trump delivered a press conference in which he confused Iran with Japan, called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “President Putin,” mispronounced the Iran nuclear deal’s acronym, called TikTok “Tic Tac” and described Turkey as a “great company” before correcting himself to “country.”
“Donald Trump’s rambling, unhinged, confused performance this morning was an embarrassment to our country on the world stage,” Schumer wrote on X. “Serving as Putin’s mouthpiece, undermining our allies, and cheerleading for war — that is Donald Trump’s vision for our country. In November, Americans will have a chance to take us down a very different path.”
The remarks quickly spread across social media, with a clip posted by media monitor Acyn on X showing Trump saying “we had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan” drawing millions of views within hours of the NATO press conference.
The “Islamic Republic of Japan” Moment
The most widely circulated slip came as Trump described a missile attack on the USS Abraham Lincoln, which he called “one of the most beautiful in the world.” “We had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan,” Trump told reporters, according to a transcript confirmed by Snopes’s fact-check, which rated the claim a correct attribution. “They were shot at the aircraft carrier over a period of about one hour, 111 missiles going to a very expensive ship. Every one of those missiles was knocked down, pretty much most by Patriots, but by other means also.”
Iran’s formal name is the Islamic Republic of Iran. The White House did not clarify the remark when asked. Iran’s IRGC claimed in early 2026 to have struck the USS Abraham Lincoln, a claim U.S. Central Command officially denied, stating the missiles “didn’t even come close” and that the carrier continued launching aircraft in support of CENTCOM operations.
Calling Zelenskyy “President Putin”
Seated directly next to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy during a bilateral meeting, Trump asked reporters, “Do you have a question for President Putin? Not Zelensky. What would you like to ask him, because I’m going to ask him that question.” After reporters noted the confusion, Trump attempted to recover by saying he was asking if anyone had a question for Putin that he could then relay to the Russian president.
The slip recalled a similar moment at the 2024 NATO summit in Vilnius, when former President Joe Biden introduced Zelenskyy as “President Putin” before correcting himself. During the same event, Biden also referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.” The Biden comparisons were noted by Trump supporters on social media, while critics argued Trump’s Wednesday string of errors was more extensive.
The Other Gaffes
Trump also referred to the Obama-era Iran nuclear agreement — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA — as the “JCPOC,” calling it a “terrible deal” and an “Obama nuclear waste deal.” He called TikTok “Tic Tac” — a slip he had also made earlier in the week at the White House — and described Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the leader of a “great company” before correcting himself to “country.”
The White House did not directly address the individual gaffes but issued a statement from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defending Trump’s overall performance. “President Trump delivered a marathon, high-energy performance at the NATO summit, holding four separate press availabilities plus a solo press conference and taking unscripted questions from reporters on a wide range of topics,” Leavitt said. “The President commanded every room, gave our allies some much-needed tough love, and left the summit with a stronger NATO and more united free world.”
Expert Reaction
Retired U.S. Naval War College professor Tom Nichols, a former Republican, said the gaffes were more than verbal slips. “There is something deeply wrong with him. His friends know it, his critics know it. His staff, I’m sure, knows it. The world knows it. World leaders know it. And most importantly, our enemies know it, which is why they don’t take him seriously,” Nichols said, according to Newsweek. He added that Trump’s imprecision at a moment of active conflict was particularly concerning. “He made several statements about an ongoing war that the United States is losing.”
Questions about Trump’s health have followed him through his second term. He is 80 years old. Critics have pointed to instances in which he appeared to doze off in public, has been seen with bruises on his hands and swollen ankles, and has delivered rambling remarks at formal events. Trump’s allies have dismissed those concerns, pointing to his heavy travel and event schedule as evidence of his stamina.
What Schumer Is Building Toward
Schumer’s closing line — “In November, Americans will have a chance to take us down a very different path” — framed the NATO performance as a midterm election argument rather than simply a critique of a single press conference. Democrats face the challenge of recapturing the House and defending Senate seats in November 2026, in an environment shaped by the Iran war, Trump’s trade policies, and the ongoing battles over the SAVE America Act and Reconciliation 3.0.
The “Islamic Republic of Japan” clip gave Democrats a concrete, viral piece of evidence for the argument Schumer was making — that Trump’s fitness for office is itself a legitimate campaign issue. Whether voters agree will depend heavily on the outcome of the Iran war and the state of the economy in the months before Election Day.