125 million voted: Trump posts about India presidential election in latest gaffe

Donald Trump appeared to confuse Brazil with India in a Truth Social post about the South American country's presidential election. The mix-up, made while criticising the US election system, quickly drew mockery online and renewed focus on his earlier naming slips.

In Short

• Trump confused Brazil for India in a post about presidential election
• He wrongly claimed 125 million voted in India’s presidential election first round
• Social media mocked Trump’s error and questioned his awareness

US President Donald Trump confused India for Brazil in a social media post about the South American nation's presidential election. He claimed that "125 million people voted today in the first round of India’s presidential election."

Trump's latest gaffe came while attacking the American election system.

In a Truth Social post on Sunday, he said, “125 Million People voted today in the first round of India’s Presidential Election. The results came out shortly after the vote closed, on the same day."

He then compared that with voting in places including Detroit and Philadelphia, as well as California, and claimed that US elections are “corrupt.”

The reference to India was inaccurate on more than one count. India's President is chosen through a direct nationwide vote but is elected by an electoral college.

The election is conducted through proportional representation using the single transferable vote, with voting taking place by secret ballot.

Trump's post came as Brazil held the first round of its presidential election.

Right-wing Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro is set to face leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a run-off on October 25 after Bolsonaro Jr outperformed expectations in Sunday's first round.

Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, secured 47 per cent of the vote against Lula's 45 per cent.

'IS HE GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP'

Trump's latest gaffe drew a wave of hilarious reactions on social media, with some users even questioning whether the US President was getting enough sleep.

“The president doesn’t get enough sleep. He thinks there are 125 million voters in India, a country of 1.4 billion. Brazil bro,” one X user wrote.

Another joked, “He gonna change the name of Brazil to India tomorrow.”

Pointing out another error in Trump's post, a user wrote, “Even bigger problem. Indians don't directly vote for the President. India has a parliamentary form of governance, not a presidential form.”

“Brazil is just India with a different filter,” another social media user quipped.

TRUMP'S EARLIER GAFFES

The latest mix-up is not the first time Trump has made headlines for appearing to confuse countries.

In July, he referred to Iran as the “Islamic Republic of Japan” while discussing US military operations and tensions with Tehran during a session with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit.

As he praised the Patriot missile system, Trump recalled an attack on the USS Abraham Lincoln.

"We had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan. They were shot at the aircraft carrier over a period of about one hour," Trump said.

Earlier, in January, Trump repeatedly referred to Greenland as Iceland during an address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, despite discussing Greenland in the context of his territorial ambitions.

- Ends