Trump Reportedly Thought Nepal & Bhutan Were Part Of India During An Intelligence Briefing

Source: Bustle


By MORGAN BRINLEE
6 hours ago

Early last year, President Donald Trump claimed that one of his two greatest assets is "being, like, really smart." Despite Trump's claim, some intelligence officials have reportedly said the president actually displays a "willful ignorance" during intelligence briefings. In fact, intelligence and congressional officials have told Time magazine that Trump thought Nepal and Bhutan were part of India.

Unidentified intelligence officers and congressional officials told Time magazine that Trump wrongly identified both Nepal and Bhutan as belonging to India during a briefing on South Asia. Nepal is, of course, its own independent country (known formally as the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal) while Bhutan is an independent Buddhist kingdom. According to Time, the president had to be informed by briefers of the two country's independent status.

. . .

This isn't the first time Trump's world knowledge has been called into question. In fact, it's not even the first time that reports have surfaced regarding Trump's understanding of Nepal and Bhutan. In August, Politico was the first to report that Trump allegedly mispronounced Nepal as "nipple" and referred to Bhutan as "button" while examining a map of South Asia prior to meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017.

In a statement to Politico, however, the White House claimed that other people present at the time of Trump's supposed slip up did not remember him saying "nipple" and "button." Rather, they claimed the president asked appropriate questions.

Read more: https://www.bustle.com/p/trump-reportedly-thought-nepal-bhutan-were-part-of-india-during-intelligence-briefing-15921219

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Older story:

Nepal is 'Nipple', Bhutan is 'Button' - Donald Trump's litany of diplomatic faux pas continues
Updated Aug 14, 2018 | 00:20 IST | Times Now Digital

Washington: US President Donald Trump apparently has a lot to learn when it comes to understanding diplomatic nuances. For instance, how to pronounce the names of several Asian countries, such as Nepal and Bhutan. According to a report by Politico, sources said that President Trump once pronounced Nepal as “Nipple” and Bhutan as “Button.” In fact, the President even seemed to be surprised that the countries exited and were not a part of India, Politico reported, quoting two sources.

As per the report, the incident took place in 2017, when the President was studying a briefer’s map of South Asia ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He “laughingly referred” to Bhutan as ‘Button’ and mispronounced Nepal as ‘Nipple’, the report stated quoting the two unnamed sources.

“He didn’t know what those were. He thought it was all part of India. “He was like, ‘What is this stuff in between and these other countries?” a source said, according to Politico, reported Washington Post. However, a White House official told Politico that others present at that meeting do not recall Trump making such statements and that he had asked appropriate questions only.

Incidentally, as per the Politico report, Trump also supposedly cracked a joke at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s marital status after learning that he was estranged from his wife. The report stated that in 2017, Trump had asked his national security aides if PM Modi would be bringing his wife along to the White House, but was informed that would not be the case. The two sources told Politico that upon learning this, Trump jokingly said, “Ah, I think I can set him up with somebody.”

More:
https://www.timesnownews.com/international/article/donald-trump-president-of-united-states-of-america-mispronounces-nepal-nipple-bhutan-button-report-says-narendra-modi-india-trump-diplomatic-faux-pas/269145