Vladimir Putin set foot on U.S. soil for the first time in 10 years on Friday—but don’t try telling President Donald Trump that.
In the days leading up to the historic summit between the two world leaders, and even while traveling to the meeting in Anchorage, Trump did not seem to understand that Alaska is part of the United States.
In an interview for Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier, Trump indicated that Alaska is not part of the United States.
“We’ll see what happens,” Trump told Baier, speaking about a potential deal with Putin, while on board Air Force One en route to the meeting in Anchorage. “If it’s bad, if it’s something I don’t see a future in, I’m gone, I’ll leave,” Trump added. “I’ll go back to the United States.”
Alaska, of course, is a part of the United States and has been ever since it was purchased from Russia in 1867, following the Crimean War. Alaska achieved statehood in 1959.
Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell responded to the clip of Trump speaking with Baier on X, writing: “Dummy Donald still thinks he went to Russia.”
“And I’ll go back to the United States..”Dummy Donald still thinks he went to Russia. https://t.co/4qQghGHT9v
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) August 16, 2025
While it could be written off as a slip of the tongue, previous footage shows the president making the same mistake on more than one occasion.
“It’s going to be a big thing,” Trump said at a White House Press conference on Monday. “We’re going to Russia, it’s going to be a big deal.”
In a third instance, later in the same press conference, Trump said “You know, I’m going to see Putin. I’m going to Russia on Friday.”
A journalist later questioned Trump’s remarks at a press conference with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, asking whether the president does in fact intend to go to Russia.
“Perhaps there are plans in the future to travel to Russia and on Friday the President will be meeting with the Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska,” Leavitt said.
At the conclusion of their meeting, Putin told Trump that their next talks should be in Moscow, to which the president replied that he “could see it possibly happening.”
Earlier this week, Trump referred to the Russian city of St. Petersburg as “Leningrad,” despite it being renamed in 1991.
The White House did not immediately return the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
The post Trump, 79, Seems Utterly Perplexed About Where Alaska Is appeared first on The Daily Beast.
