President Donald Trump kicked off a supposed peace ceremony with a stumble that immediately set the room on edge, turning a straightforward diplomatic moment into yet another viral spectacle.
Before he even reached the substance of his remarks, Trump faltered on a name he was expected to know — and the fallout continued when he made even more jarring comments.
The moment unfolded as Trump hosted the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, Dec. 4, at the newly rebranded Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace, where he was supposed to celebrate a hard-won regional accord.
But instead of striking the appropriate diplomatic tone, Trump opened the ceremony by mangling DRC President Félix Tshisekedi’s name, prompting visible discomfort from both men and igniting outrage online. He quickly tried to recover, praising Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame as “courageous leaders,” but then veered into off-script territory.
Trump mused that the two nations had “spent a lot of time killing each other,” before bizarrely adding that now they’ll spend more time “hugging, holding hands,” and “taking advantage of the United States of America economically, like every other country does.”
View on Threads
Seconds later, he gestured toward the two presidents and told the audience to “look at them, look at the way they love each other,” drawing a nervous laugh from Kagame and a tight, stony glare from Tshisekedi.
The combination of the botched name, the flippant commentary, and the patronizing tone pushed the internet over the edge.
“Even a ten year old would have checked and rehearsed the pronunciation of these names before doing so publicly. But ten year olds don’t have dementia,” this Threads user wrote.
One simply shook their head, “Look at this fool.” While another pointed out his pattern, “The lazy ass never prepares in advance. He always wings it.”
Another viewer was convinced this was enough to crumble Trump’s “ending 8 wars” brag, “Can’t pronounce their names, but want us to believe he negotiated the peace deal. Right.”
Late-night comic and TV host Jimmy Kimmel couldn’t resist getting in on the action, roasting Trump over the mispronunciation and his other embarrassing remarks.
“This conflict between Rwanda and Congo, this has been going on for decades. Millions of people have been killed,” Kimmel explained.
“They’re still fighting as of today, but that didn’t stop Dr. Art of the Deal from acting like he mediated a dispute between neighbors over a broken sprinkler head,” Kimmel joked. The clip also zoomed in on Tshisekedi’s cold stare when Trump’s joke fell flat.
View on Threads
And while Kimmel is certainly hilarious, social media users took Trump’s blatant insults more seriously.
“He talks about other nations’ leaders like they’re children. Jesus, that orange goon is an embarrassment,” one Threads user wrote.
“Not a day goes by where Trump doesn’t manage to show the world what a joke this country has now become,” Threads user Brian Tinson grumbled. “How the hell can anyone respect us as a nation with his incompetent a– at the helm of our deteriorating democracy?”
And social media poster Mary Singer was simply angry. “I am not sure if we will ever regain the respect of people around the world. Who would trust a nation full of people who would vote for this disgusting, stupid con man?
The criticism also revived questions about Trump’s repeated, and widely disputed, boasts that he has “ended” global conflicts. While he has claimed responsibility for eight peace breakthroughs, the evidence tells a different story.
He did help facilitate negotiations between Rwanda and Congo last summer, but the fighting continues and the ceasefire remains unimplemented, according to USA Today.
Trump also claimed credit for ending the Iran–Israel conflict — which lasted 12 days — and disputes between Cambodia and Thailand, though these remain contested according to The Associated Press.
He has said he “brokered peace” between Israel and Hamas, despite the ongoing war; claimed he stopped Egypt and Ethiopia from escalating over the Nile dam, though Ethiopia and Egypt deny this; and insisted he settled tensions between India and Pakistan, which India publicly refuted.
Even Trump’s declaration that he resolved the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo has been undermined by the fact that there was no war to end — and that the agreement initialed at the White House has not been signed or ratified.
