'Misquoted the Declaration': Outrage mounts over Trump's July 4 speech stumble

[LetMyPeopleVote]

trump has never read the Declaration, the US Constitution or any other document.

President Donald Trump drew scorn from conservatives and liberals alike for a July 4 stumble that threw his patriotism, and his education, into question.

— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2026-07-05T13:00:21Z

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-declaration-of-independence-2677159406

President Donald Trump drew scorn from conservatives and liberals alike for a July 4 stumble that threw his patriotism, and his education, into question.

Trump addressed the nation on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with stern, and inaccurate, words for his opponents.

"And as our Declaration of Independence tells us," Trump said, "we are all made in the image of one almighty god. And a communist will never say that."

The video clip on X was quickly modified to include readers' added context. That message alerted viewers to the issue.

"The Declaration of Independence does not say 'we are all made in the image of one almighty god,'" the message reads. "It states that 'all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.'",,,

Alex Nowrasteh, a senior vice president for policy at the conservative think tank Cato Institute, resorted to sarcasm with jab at national conservatives who support Trump.

“Trump may have misquoted the Declaration but that’s ok because the Declaration should have said that," he wrote. "-NatCons, probably."

Matthew Boedy, a professor of rhetoric at the University of North Georgia, urged the president to better his education.

"America in 2026: its president misquotes the Declaration of Independence," Boedy wrote. "Open the civics centers. Just for him."

[Prairie Gates]

1. Trump is very famous for being an erudite theologian and scholar of Early American Deism

He was actually quoting a letter from Jefferson to Anthony Bettay on his unique reading of Two Corinthians. It's easy for people less erudite than Trump to misunderstand his subtle argumentation.

[struggle4progress]

2. My very favorite part of the Declaration of Independence is where it tells us

to throw Trump off Mount Rushmore

[orthoclad]

3. He forgot the Battle Of Bowling Green

[RockRaven]

4. Paging Jake Tapper...

[jimmy the one]

5. Also: Of the people, for the republicans, and by the republicans

No trumpass hasn't actually twisted Lincoln's remarks in that fashion that I've seen, but it's certainly what trumpass is practicing.
And Abraham Lincoln was a republican, so that's what he surely meant, eh? Trumpass?

[littlemissmartypants]

6. Why can't we just trust his caddy the history scholar?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. Donald is just as familiar with the words in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution

Donald is just as familiar with the words in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as is with the words in the Bible: not at all.

— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@mrsbettybowers.bsky.social) 2026-07-05T16:33:34.824Z

[Ruby the Liberal]

8. Hegseth quoted from the Book of Tarrantino

and nary a blink from the 'religious right'.

I will never understand the blind allegiance to stupidity from those who claim the Bible and Constitution/DoI are infallible.