bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

US President Donald Trump set the internet abuzz (again) after he made a mistake colouring in the US flag with a group of children.
Trump, who was taking part in a colouring-in activity with kids at a hospital in Ohio, looks like he has added an extra blue stripe in pictures inadvertently shared by US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar.

The opioid crisis is one of our top priorities at HHS, with a drumbeat of action on the full range of efforts where we can assist local communities. Today, I joined @POTUS & @FLOTUS in Ohio to learn how states and communities are responding to the challenge of opioid addiction. pic.twitter.com/NwxSoeNznA
— Alex Azar (@SecAzar) August 25, 2018

The US flag comprises 13 red and white stripes and a blue rectangle in one corner filled with 50 white stars – one for every state.
Twitter users were quick to point out that it looked more like the Russian flag, which is made up of three horizontal layers of white, blue and red.
With Trump’s gaffe list continuing to grow, we look back at five other major gaffes from leaders and public figures.

Prince Philip
In May 1999, Britain’s gaffe-prone Duke of Edinburgh felt the heat from the British Deaf Association after he offended a group of young deaf people with an “insensitive” remark.
Prince Philip joked that the youngsters had been deafened by standing too close to a steel band playing Caribbean music at a celebration in Wales.
Pointing to the loudspeakers, the duke said: “Deaf? If you are near there, no wonder you are deaf,” before walking away.

George W. Bush
Former US president George W. Bush made so many gaffes during his presidency that he had his own category: Bushisms. But it was his actions that raised eyebrows when he gave Germany’s leader Angela Merkel a back rub at the 2006 G8 summit in St Petersburg.
In the short video that went viral, Merkel reacts with horror, throwing her arms in the air.


The five-second video clip was mixed to a rap by the US hip-hop artist Ludacris: “You don’t know me like that,” said the chorus.

Vladimir Putin
Russian president Vladimir Putin found himself in hot water for his act of chivalry during the opening ceremony of the Apec summit at a Beijing stadium in November 2014.


Assuming that Peng Liyuan, the Chinese president’s wife, was cold, Putin slipped a shawl over her shoulders. The video was censored hours after circulating on China’s social media.
Dan Quayle
In 1992, then US Vice-President Dan Quayle had a major case of foot-in-mouth disease while leading a spelling bee for sixth-grade students in New Jersey.

Working from an inaccurate flash card prepared by a teacher, he corrected William Figueroa, 12, when the child spelt “potato” on the blackboard – making the boy add an unnecessary “e” at the word’s end.


Donald Trump
Let’s finish with the man who can fill a book with gaffes. But this one in July 2016 stands out.
“If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably – maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say.”
P***y grabbing, creepy compliments: 5 of Trump’s most controversial comments
Trump made the comments during an ABC News interview, referring to Khizr Khan and his wife Ghazala, parents of a Muslim US soldier killed in Iraq.


Iraq’s parliament delays presidential vote again amid US pressure

Beijing must be clear-eyed about its national interests abroad

Israel’s China envoy calls to deepen historical ties in rare state media outreach

End of an era as US, Russia prepare to exit final nuclear arms treaty

Donald Trump

After Trump colours in US flag wrong, five other high-profile gaffes from leaders and public figures

US President Donald Trump appears to have coloured in the US flag wrong on a visit to an Ohio hospital yesterday. Photo: Twitter/Alex Azar

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (right) with Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh (centre) and Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales at Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff, Wales Wednesday May 26 1999 at a multi-faith service to commemerate the opening of the National Assembly for Wales. (AP Photo/Findlay Kember) WPA Pool Photo

U.S. President George W. Bush makes remarks to the press about the Middle East situation during his bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair (not pictured) at the G8 Summit in St Petersburg, Russia, July 16, 2006. REUTERS/Jason Reed (RUSSIA)

Former US Vice President Dan Quayle and his wife Marilyn acknowledge applause from supporters at Huntington High School in Huntington, IN 14 April, 1999, after announcing that he would seek the presidency for the 2000 elections in the US. AFP PHOTO John RUTHROFF

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) helps put a blanket on Peng Liyuan, wife of China's President Xi Jinping, as they watch watch a lights and fireworks show to celebrate Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting, at National Aquatics Center, or Water Cube, in Beijing, November 10, 2014. Picture taken November 10, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer (CHINA - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) CHINA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CHINA

Top UK envoy Jeremy Hunt makes awkward debut in China with ‘Japanese wife’ gaffe

Jeremy Hunt is married to Lucia Guo, with whom he has three children. Photo: AFP

Britain's Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt (L) speaks during his meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (not pictured) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on July 30, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / Andy Wong

Lifestyle

Lists

From one of Bush’s worst Bushisms to Putin’s misguided act of chivalry, we look at five big-time gaffes in the wake of the Twitter photo showing Trump adding a blue stripe to the US flag


From one of Bush’s worst Bushisms to Putin’s misguided act of chivalry, we look at five big-time gaffes by leaders and public figures in the wake of the Twitter photo showing Trump adding a blue stripe to the US flag.
