Trump mispronounces Yosemite National Park as 'yo-Semites' twice in White House speech

President Donald Trump speaks during a signing ceremony for "The Great American Outdoors Act," in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020.
President Donald Trump at the signing of the Great American Outdoors Act on Tuesday.

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

  • During a speech at the White House on Tuesday following the signing of the Great American Outdoors Act, President Donald Trump twice pronounced Yosemite as "yo-Semites."

  • Last year, 4.5 million people visited Yosemite, one of the country's most famous and beloved national parks.

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President Donald Trump apparently doesn't know how to pronounce the name of one of America's most famous national parks.

During a speech at the White House on Tuesday following the signing of the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act, Trump twice pronounced Yosemite as "yo-Semites."

"When young Americans experience the breathtaking beauty of the Grand Canyon, when their eyes widen in amazement as Old Faithful bursts into the sky, when they gaze upon yo-Semites, yo-Semites, towering sequoias, their love of country grows stronger, and they know that every American has truly a duty to preserve this wonderous inheritance," Trump said.

Yosemite National Park is one of the country's most visited tourist destinations — 4.5 million people traveled to the park in 2019, according to the National Park Service.

Trump's critics ridiculed the president's mispronunciation. A Twitter account of the Democratic National Committee shared a clip of the moment with the comment "tfw you're the president and don't know how to pronounce 'Yosemite.'"

Trump and his allies have repeatedly criticized Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, for misspeaking in various contexts. They've used those attacks to bolster a broader argument that Biden is unfit to serve as president; Trump has nicknamed him "Sleepy Joe."

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