President Trump made a major historical mistake this week when he said the United States has been around for 300 years. He made this error on Monday while talking about his plans to acquire Greenland. During a press conference, Trump announced that Jeff Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana, would serve as a special envoy to the territory.
According to The London Economic, Trump compared the possible Greenland deal to the Louisiana Purchase, when the US bought that large area from France in 1803. He called Landry a “deal-maker type guy,” which shows he wants serious negotiations to start soon. The president clearly still wants to add Greenland to American territory.
Things went wrong when Trump started questioning why Greenland still belongs to Denmark. He said Denmark has spent no money on the territory and provides no military protection. Then he made his historical error. Trump claimed, “They say that Denmark was there 300 years ago with a boat, well, we were there with boats too I’m sure.”
The president’s timeline is off by several decades
If you do the math, 300 years ago would be 1725. That’s a serious mistake because the United States wasn’t founded until 1776. This means the country is currently about 249 years old, not 300. The difference matters a lot when comparing national histories.
In 1725, the territory that would become the United States was still a collection of British colonies. There was no unified government, no Constitution, and no independent nation. The American Revolution wouldn’t begin for another 50 years.
The real history of Greenland makes Trump’s error even worse. Norse Vikings reached Greenland around 985 AD. Denmark set up colonies there in 1721. This means Denmark was actively colonizing Greenland more than 50 years before the USA even existed as an independent nation. This isn’t the first time Trump has disrupted major programs with controversial decisions.
Trump suggested the US had boats sailing around 300 years ago, but that’s simply not true. The nation didn’t exist yet at that time. In 1725, the land that would become America was still made up of British colonies.
People on social media quickly caught the mistake. A community note appeared on X under a video clip of Trump’s statements, correcting the historical error. The note pointed out the actual founding date of the United States. The president’s team has faced public criticism from protesters recently over various policy issues.
This incident shows that even when important appointments are being made, basic facts still matter. Historical accuracy is important, especially when discussing territorial claims and national histories.
Published: Dec 23, 2025 03:15 pm