Trump's Fourth of July history lesson

In case you missed Trump’s speech at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday (and congratulations if you did), here are a couple highlights:

Trump said:

"The Continental Army suffered a bitter winner at Valley Forge, found glory across the waters of the Delaware and seized victory from Cornwallis of Yorktown. Our Army manned the air, it ran the ramparts, it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do."

That’s right. Trump said airports.

He also said the Army “manned the air,” which makes no sense given it would be another 127 years before the airplane was even invented. How exactly does one “man the air” without the ability to fly?

You also don’t “run ramparts.” You can climb them. Ascend them. Assault them. Seize them. Throw sticks at them. Paint them. Kick them. Even kiss them. But a rampart is a wall. You can’t run them.

But all that’s beside the point. Trump said airports.

He also said that the Fort McHenry battle that inspired the writing of the Star Spangled Banner occurred during the Revolutionary War.

It was the War of 1812. Fort McHenry didn’t even exist during the Revolutionary War.

The strangest thing about all of this ignorance and stupidity is that Trump was reading from a teleprompter, which means that either his speechwriters are incredibly stupid (or trying to undermine him) or he can’t read very well.

In addition to all of this, the public cameras on the National Mall were coincidentally turned off yesterday, likely to avoid showing Trump’s characteristically low turnout, and America got its first look at Trump’s hair when it’s wet.

For a man who is obsessed with image (his and others) and routinely insults the physical appearance of his critics and opponents, this image, which has been tweeted tens of thousands of times, must have really stung.

Especially when his predecessor also spoke on the Fourth of July in the rain and made it look so damn good.