1. You may have seen this going around Sunday night (it took place on Monday in Japan, but … time zones):
Screen shot/Twitter
That’s from a widely circulated tweet by the writer Yashar Ali. Ali eventually deleted the tweet, though, because it turns out Trump didn’t actually commit the gaffe in question:
2. Various versions of this quote/paraphrase, in which Trump seems unaware that Japanese auto manufacturers have had plants in the United States for decades, were also circulated on Twitter and used in can-you-believe-it news stories:
As Aaron Blake of the Washington Post points out, though, it’s clear from the full version of Trump’s remarks that he’s aware that many Japanese cars are already built in the U.S. and is simply requesting in a vernacular way that the practice continue:
I also want to recognize the business leaders in the room whose confidence in the United States—they’ve been creating jobs—you have such confidence in the United States, and you’ve been creating jobs for our country for a long, long time. Several Japanese automobile industry firms have been really doing a job. And we love it when you build cars—if you’re a Japanese firm, we love it—try building your cars in the United States instead of shipping them over. Is that possible to ask?
Please apologize to Donald Trump, social-media liberals.
