Trump Gets Taken To School After Botching Basic US History

[Brexiter]

Donald Trump once again flunked history, this time getting a basic fact wrong about Thomas Jefferson.

New York City announced it was moving a statue of the Founding Father and nation’s third president out of its City Council Chamber due to his history as a slaveholder.

It’s not yet clear where the statue will go, but Trump predictably threw a fit over Jefferson … even if he’s a little hazy on what, exactly, Jefferson did.

Trump called him “a principal writer of the Constitution of the United States.”

Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, but did not contribute to the writing of the Constitution, nor did he attend the Constitutional Convention as he was in France.

Trump has never had the firmest grasp of US history, often getting key details wrong. In 2019, for example, he praised the Continental Army for taking over airports during the American Revolution.

The former president’s critics on Twitter took him to school over his latest flub:

It's difficult to argue that removing a statue of a historical figure erases history when you can't even get the basic facts straight.

Thomas Jefferson was in France when the Constitution was debated and written. pic.twitter.com/vA3G63O9Hu

— Kevin M. Levin (@KevinLevin) October 19, 2021​

You'd think that a former president of the United States would have the cursory knowledge that Thomas Jefferson did not actually write any of the Constitution, as he was in France at the time. But hey, it's Trump. https://t.co/fyoq69j9lo

— Mike Rothschild (@rothschildmd) October 19, 2021​

Quick, Hamilton fans … where was Jefferson during the Constitutional Convention? https://t.co/2Mt7bRrYdH

— Ilana Keller (@IlanaKeller) October 19, 2021​

Thomas Jefferson did not contribute to the writing of the Constitution, a fact for which we should be grateful. Jefferson should be honored for other (important!) contributions, but actual conservatives would feel at least a bit grudging about honoring the Jacobin scoundrel. https://t.co/JbVB0PT5QL

— Gregg Nunziata (@greggnunziata) October 19, 2021​

This is such a stupid time to be alive. https://t.co/d95jx8fEff

— Miranda Yaver, PhD (@mirandayaver) October 19, 2021​

Ooooof. Thomas Jefferson was NOT a principal writer of the Constitution. He was in France at the time.

Not that TFG cares about details like actual historical facts. https://t.co/Bj6pWT6B4v

— Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) October 19, 2021​

Lol, huge swing and a miss pal.

Jefferson was serving abroad as Minister to France when they wrote the Constitution. Trump has no idea that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are different documents https://t.co/qWxGufPpCI

— Aaron Fritschner (@Fritschner) October 19, 2021​

Not only was Jefferson not "a principal writer of the constitution," he wasn't even a member of the convention. Jefferson was in France at the time.

It's amazing that the same people who scream about teaching 'real history' to students have very little grasp on it https://t.co/Xr6Tfa3rnj

— Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) October 19, 2021​

Naturally, Trump gets the history wrong and, of course, it's about the founding document that began our Republic, the same one he ignored repeatedly in office. Not only was Jefferson in Europe when the Constitution was written, he was quite skeptical of the Madisonian enterprise. https://t.co/VtohvUCUFY

— Matt Winfough ??? (@MattWinfough) October 20, 2021​

This guy got to appoint a third of the Supreme Court and he has no idea who wrote the Constitution. https://t.co/xQAVVQmAb4

— Thomas Bloom (@ThomasJBloom) October 19, 2021​

Let's play a game called 'Who wrote the U.S. Constitution'... https://t.co/1Ajm7YkR5U

— Myatt Daymun (@MyattDayMun) October 19, 2021​

Not that it matters with his crew but in fact Thomas Jefferson was in Europe when the constitution was written. Constitution, declaration, who can tell them apart. https://t.co/paZ6MXtnZy

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) October 19, 2021​

Donald Trump is so dumb it makes my molars ache https://t.co/UEryVSpXzX

— Jeff Timmer (@jefftimmer) October 19, 2021​