Overview
- During a weather-delayed, late-night address at the Great American State Fair, President Donald Trump said the Declaration of Independence states "we are all made in the image of one almighty god," a phrasing the document does not contain.
- The Declaration actually says that "all men are created equal" and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights," language cited by reporters correcting the remark.
- A video of the remark spread on X and was labeled with a community-added note that pointed viewers to the Declaration’s actual wording.
- Commentators from across the political spectrum criticized the misquote, with some conservatives responding sarcastically and academics calling for improved civic education.
- The episode has renewed scrutiny of elected leaders’ use of founding texts and raised questions about how social platforms surface user-added corrections and shape public understanding.