President Donald Trump raised eyebrows on Thursday (April 17), in the Oval Office, when he confessed he didn’t know what or where the Democratic Republic of the Congo is while discussing immigration with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
During a conversation that veered into global migration, Trump claimed foreign governments were releasing prisoners into the United States under President Joe Biden’s administration.
“People that were in jail for horrible — you know, they release jails, Giorgia, from all over the world and release them. Not just South America. The Congo in Africa. Many many people come from the Congo. I don’t know what that is, but they came from the Congo,” President Donald Trump said.
TRUMP: “Many, many people come from the Congo. I don’t know what that is, but they came from the Congo”🤣 pic.twitter.com/vfuJjjECQK
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) April 17, 2025
The remark quickly drew attention online, with critics questioning the former president’s grasp of international geography, especially regarding U.S. immigration policy and the fact that his administration is considering investing billions into the mineral-rich country.
President Donald Trump continued, “And all over the world, they came in. Venezuela, practically all of their prisoners came into our country and we took them because we had an incompetent administration called the Biden administration. And to think what they’ve done to our country, I was elected to straighten that out.”
The exchange came hours after news broke that Erik Prince, a longtime Trump ally and founder of the private military company Blackwater, had finalized a deal with the Congolese government to help secure mineral resources and improve tax collection.
The agreement focuses on the copper-rich Katanga province in the southern part of the country, far from the conflict-ridden eastern regions controlled by M23 rebels.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, often referred to simply as the Congo, is a central African nation rich in natural resources, including cobalt and copper.
It shares borders with nine countries and has long faced political instability and armed conflict, particularly in its eastern provinces.
And at least half of them will decide it's a congo line rather than a country
— QueenOfHarts (@QueenOfH4rts) April 17, 2025
The president of the United States doesn’t know what “The Congo” is?
— coco 🌺 (@corinnePSU) April 17, 2025
The President of the United States just said he doesn't know what the Congo is
— Joe (@J_Diesel28) April 17, 2025
Amazing a maga t### who knows how to use google. Meanwhile in the real world, everyone educated knows what Congo is.
— triggertwat (@trigg3rtwat) April 17, 2025
The most amazing part is that he didn't even have to admit he didn't know what Congo is. He wanted everyone to know that.
— Vault Dweller 🇷🇺🇫🇷 (@douaileur) April 17, 2025
Hey, Trump scored a perfect score on a cognitive test. People went up to him and said ‘Mr President I’ve never seen that happen before’. Are you saying such a brilliant man couldn’t identify The Congo? Shame on you! Dear leader has himself bragged about how smart he is.
— Thomas Campbell (@bumper1b) April 17, 2025