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Trump garners mockery over weird rant about Battle of Gettysburg: ‘He shouldn’t even try being a historian’
Former US President Donald Trump addressed his supporters in a key swing state on Saturday and made reference to the "beautiful" Battle of Gettysburg.
Ahead of the November elections, former US President Donald Trump addressed his supporters in a key swing state on Saturday and made reference to the "beautiful" Battle of Gettysburg, prompting several social media users pondering what his long-winded "rant" was about.
Addressing a rally at Pennsylvania's Schnecksville, which is situated two hours away from the location of the historic Civil War battle, Trump discussed the significance of Gettysburg.
“The Battle of Gettysburg. What an unbelievable thing that was,” Trump stated while sporting a Make America Great hat.
“It was so much, and so interesting, and so vicious and horrible, and so beautiful in so many different ways,” he continued, adding that the battle represented a huge portion of the success of the United States.
The Battle of Gettysburg, which continued for three days between July 1 and 3, 1863, was the deadliest of the Civil war. Over 50,000 people were killed in the battle. While the civil war lasted for almost two years in official terms, the Battle of Gettysburg is largely regarded as the pivotal event that led to the Union's eventual victory.
Quoting Robert E. Lee, who was the Confederate general during the American Civil War, Trump said: “And the statement of Robert E. Lee, who's no longer in favor—did you ever notice it? He's no longer in favor. 'Never fight uphill, me boys, never fight uphill.' They were fighting uphill, he said, 'Wow, that was a big mistake,' he lost his big general. 'Never fight uphill, me boys,' but it was too late.”
Trump faces heat over mention of Battle of Gettysburg; Here's what went wrong
Social media users took notice of Trump's comments regarding the Battle of Gettysburg, with many expressing that he lacks in-depth knowledge and shouldn't even attempt to be a historian.
"Donald Trump doesn't know the first thing about The Battle of Gettysburg. He shouldn't even try being a historian. His lack of in-depth knowledge quickly reveals itself," wrote an X user.
Taking a dig at the GOP leader, another X user said Trump's mention of the battle was like "when there's an essay question on the test you didn't study for."
Paul Farhi even pointed out that Robert E. Lee said and wrote many eloquent things, but “Never fight uphill, me boys” that Trump mentioned in his speech “is not among them.”
Many social users blasted Trump, questioning how the war that killed over 50,000 people could be deemed "beautiful."
This wasn't the first time that Trump spoke about the Civil War during his 2024 campaign rally. Addressing a rally in Iowa in January, he claimed that the battle "could have been negotiated" and thereby averted. He even suggested that the conflict was "so horrible, but so fascinating."
