U.S. President Donald Trump stated, "We had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan."
Rating: Correct Attribution
Context: Trump was likely referring to Iran and misspoke. The White House did not provide clarification on his remarks.
In early July 2026, social media users circulated claims that U.S. President Donald Trump had referred to the "Islamic Republic of Japan" firing 111 missiles at an American aircraft carrier. This claim gained traction across platforms like X and Facebook, often accompanied by video clips appearing to show Trump making the statement.
Trump did indeed make this statement on July 8, while speaking with reporters alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. The remarks were made in response to a question about Patriot interceptor missiles. Trump described an incident where, according to him, 111 missiles were fired at the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln over the course of an hour, with most being intercepted.
While Trump’s statement is accurately attributed, it is presumed he intended to refer to the Islamic Republic of Iran, not Japan. The White House did not offer any clarification regarding this apparent misstatement, and questions about the president’s mental acuity went unanswered.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated in an email, "President Trump delivered a marathon, high-energy performance at the NATO summit, holding four separate press availabilities plus a solo press conference and taking unscripted questions from reporters on a wide range of topics. The President commanded every room, gave our allies some much-needed tough love, and left the summit with a stronger NATO and more united free world."
The full remarks from President Trump are available on the White House and Al Jazeera English YouTube channels. He used the phrase "Islamic Republic of Japan" at approximately 11:55 in the White House video and 11:45 in the Al Jazeera video.
Earlier in 2026, Iran had claimed to have struck the USS Abraham Lincoln. However, U.S. Central Command denied this in a March post on X, stating the missiles "didn’t even come close."
During the same press conference, Trump also appeared to mistakenly ask for questions for "President Putin" while addressing President Zelenskyy, before clarifying he wished to relay journalists’ potential questions to Putin.