Trump raises fresh concerns after attempt to explain Gettysburg goes badly wrong | indy100

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Donald Trump, who back in February sparked international condemnation for comments about Nato, has once again caused concern over remarks made at one of his rallies - this time getting himself confused about the Battle of Gettysburg from 1863.

Considered a turning point in the American Civil War, the battle concerned Confederate soldier Robert Lee launching a second invasion of the North, only to be defeated by George Meade’s Army of the Potomac in a conflict which resulted in more than 50,000 casualties.

Except when Trump tried to explain the historical event during a rally in Pennsylvania at the weekend, it went about as well as you’d expect.

“Gettysburg, what an unbelievable battle that was. The Battle of Gettysburg, what an unbelievable… I mean it was so much, and so interesting and so vicious and horrible and so beautiful in so many different ways.

“It represented such a big portion of the success of this country … Gettysburg, wow,” the former president rambled.

And Trump’s comments on the massive loss of life has been met with shock by social media users – including actual historians – with many comparing it to fumbling your way through a school exam question:

Trump says, "The statement of Robert E. Lee, 'Never fight uphill on me boys, never fight uphill.' They were fighting uphill. He said, 'Wow. That was a big mistake.'"\n\nFirst off, Lee was not a big "wow" guy. Southern gentry and all that. But Trump makes him a passive observer.\n4/9
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Of course Trump romanticizes Gettysburg, calling it \u201cbeautiful.\u201d Americans killed and maimed 50,000 other Americans. That\u2019s 3 days of ecstasy for Trump.
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Trump: Gettysburg: What an unbelievable I mean, it was so much and so interesting and so vicious and horrible and so beautiful and so many different ways\u2026 Gettysburg wow\n\nThere was NOTHING beautiful about the Civil War. Stop the dog whistling.\n\nGettysburg. Horrid.
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@Acyn How was the Battle of Gettysburg "beautiful" ?\nThere were over 50,000 casualties.
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@Acyn My God, there are 3rd graders with a better grasp of US history than Trump.
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@Acyn @Liverpotlian "And everyone knew where the battle was going to take place. They all had the address. You've heard of it. It's called Gettysburg Address. Honest Abe announced it. And if he were alive today he couldn't beat Biden. & I tell you... he said great things about me. Great things."
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When you\u2019ve got an oral report but forgot to read the book.
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Really makes history come alive.
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when there's an essay question on the test you didn't study for
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When you forgot you had a paper on the Battle of Gettysburg due the next morning:
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Trump: "Gettysburg! Wow!"\nWhat a dimbulb.
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\u201cI go to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to look and to watch\u201d\n\nI wish more people would note how frequently Trump says simple sentences with simple words that are still so utterly crazy that no one in history has ever said them before
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Donald Trump just described the Battle of Gettysburg as \u201cso beautiful in so many different ways.\u201d\n\nFucking sociopath.
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It’s also been noted that one Trump supporter can be spotted making a range of bizarre faces throughout, including making binoculars with his hands, derping and scrunching his face up as if impersonating Trump himself.

Trump’s explanation of Gettysburg is the latest unusual comment from one of his rallies to make headlines, after he told a crowd in South Carolina he would be willing to violate the North Atlantic Treaty (overseen by Nato) and let Russia “do whatever the hell they want” to a member country if they “don’t pay” their bills.

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