President Trump went viral for the wrong reasons on Tuesday when he mispronounced the name of one of America’s most famous national parks at a ceremony touting his signature on a major piece of conservation legislation.
Trump tripped up as he tried to speak about the giant sequoia trees of Yosemite National Park. Instead of Yosemite, it sounded as if Trump was saying “yo-Semite.”
Social media users and political opponents of the president immediately pounced, joking about the incident on Twitter.
The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump GOP super PAC, shared “The president can pronounce hydroxychloroquine, but not Yosemite,” referencing the antimalarial drug that the president has touted as a treatment for the coronavirus.
Former White House Cabinet Secretary Chris Lu shared a video of former President Obama during a visit to Yosemite National Park.
Following Trump’s mispronunciation, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington slammed the president’s nomination of William Perry Pendley to lead the Bureau of Land Management. Pendley has advocated for selling off federal lands, and he has significant ties to industries that the agency regulates.