Trump Asked Why The Civil War Happened And Twitter Gave Him A History Lesson
Trump Asked Why The Civil War Happened And Twitter Gave Him A History Lesson
By Mark PygasUpdated Nov. 18 2019, 2:25 p.m. ET
Every day, President Donald Trump says something that he probably immediately regrets. During an interview with journalist Salena Zito of Sirius XM over the weekend, Trump asked why the Civil War "couldn't be worked out."
"Had Andrew Jackson been a little bit later, you wouldn’t have had the Civil War" @realDonaldTrump told @SalenaZito. Full intv at 2pE, Ch124 pic.twitter.com/d7PuRRm7Md
— SiriusXMPolitics (@SXMPolitics) May 1, 2017The President said:
"People don't realize, you know, the Civil War, if you think about it, why? People don't ask that question, but why was there the Civil War? Why could that one not have been worked out?"The comments were made after a lengthy discussion about former President Andrew Jackson, who Trump compared himself to because of Jackson's populist views and campaigning.
"I mean, had Andrew Jackson been a little later, you wouldn't have had the Civil War," Trump said regarding the slave-owning president. "He was a very tough person, but he had a big heart. He was really angry that he saw what was happening with regard to the Civil War. He said there's no reason for this."Of course, anyone who knows their presidents will know that Jackson died in 1845, 16 years before the Civil War started.
And anyone who knows their American history will probably conclude that if there had been no Civil War, the horrors of slavery would have continued in the south for decades longer. The Civil War broke out over the issue of whether western territories being added to the union should be allowed to practice slavery. In early 1861, fearing that free states would outnumber slave states, seven pro-slavery states in the south seceded from the union, starting the Civil War. Another four states would eventually side with the Confederacy.
As you can imagine, social media didn't treat the president kindly...
DT not knowing Andrew Jackson died before Civil War is not surprising. He is a complete and utter moron. Impeach. Treason. #trumprussia
— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) May 1, 2017After Civil War and Andrew Jackson thing, people should demand Trump release his elementary school report card rather than tax returns.
— Mark Pygas (@MarkPygas) May 1, 2017The punchline is not the Jackson comment, but Trump's self congratulation on being 1st to ask why the Civil War had to happen
— David Frum (@davidfrum) May 1, 2017No one at the time knew that the Civil War/slavery thing was so complicated.
— ANNE LAMOTT (@ANNELAMOTT) May 1, 2017Trump said Andrew Jackson was "angry" about the Civil War. Andrew Jackson died 16 years before the civil war began. pic.twitter.com/QyGvMuXryj
— Ugene's Politics (@UgenesPolitics) May 1, 2017Trump's Civil War quote seems as much a part of his refusal to recognize black humanity as it is a product of his intellectual laziness.
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) May 1, 2017The Civil War is trending because our president doesn't understand why it happened. He loves the poorly educated because he is one of them.
— Patrick Nickle (@pnickle15) May 1, 2017First, this idiot didn't seem to realize Frederick Douglass was dead. Now he suggests Andrew Jackson was alive during the Civil War. I DONE.
— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) May 1, 2017Trump: Why was the Civil War?
Alabama: Slavery
South Carolina: Slavery
Mississippi: Slavery
Texas: Slavery
Trump: We'll never know.
If you have to ask why there was a Civil War, maybe do that before you are 70 years old and the President of the United States.
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) May 1, 2017Now everyone's #shocked that Trump knows nothing about the Civil War or US History 101. Let's make this easy: Trump knows nothing, period.
— John Schindler (@20committee) May 1, 2017I think we need to put this to rest. The Civil War was fought because of Slavery. Period.
— Bakari Sellers (@Bakari_Sellers) May 1, 2017@IsaacDovere "He was really angry that he saw what was happening with regard to the Civil War". Andrew Jackson died 1845. Civil War began 1861.
— Hurst4Spd (@J_Hurstman) May 1, 20171) Jackson did not see the CW. He was very dead.
2) "the Civil War, why?"
3) Holy shit
4) Has Trump ever mentioned slavery? pic.twitter.com/VtdIuTnmDz
"It's embarrassing that intolerant liberals won't hear both sides of whether Andrew Jackson prevented the Civil War."
-The NYT, tomorrow
— Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) May 1, 2017Let's see how Sean Spicer handles this one. Isn't going to be easy for him.
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