Trump mispronounces ‘Assyrians’ at Arizona rally

Donald Trump left people perplexed after distorting part of his speech on Sunday during a rally in Prescott Valley, Arizona.

In welcoming his audience, the Republican proudly introduced the many “Asian-Blues” in the crowd.

Perplexed by what Trump said, several people posted a clip of the speech on social media to understand what he was trying to say.

While some people theorized that he had found a truly remarkable way to mispronounce “Arizonanos” or perhaps “Azerbaijanis,” journalist Aaron Rupar flagged a more likely explanation on X, formerly Twitter.

Pointing to a group of supporters in red shirts that said “Assyrians for Trump,” Rupar noted that he must have been trying to refer to them.

There is little information online about “Assyrians for Trump.” Although the collective appears to have an almost non-existent digital footprint, a 136-member Facebook group by that name can be found online.

The modern Assyrian community links its heritage to ancient Mesopotamia, an area now occupied by northern Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. They are largely Christian or Catholic and often identify themselves as culturally distinct from the majority of the Arab-Muslim world.

Trump’s wild mispronunciation moment comes amid ongoing concerns about the 78-year-old’s age and cognitive abilities.

Earlier this month, the New York Times published an article questioning Trump’s once-esteemed communications skills, pointing to his incoherent and angry speeches, recent memory lapses and apparent decline in energy.

“He’s not competing at the level he was competing at eight years ago, there’s no doubt about that,” former Trump official Anthony Scaramucci told the Times. “He lost a step. He lost the ability to form powerful sentences.”

Trump would be the oldest person elected to the presidency if he wins in November.