Donald Trump Jr ridiculed online after confusing India with Iran on electoral map prediction

The son of current US President, Donald Trump, has been ridiculed online for seemingly confusing India with Iran on a hypothetical global electoral map prediction.

Donald Trump Jr appeared to suggest India would have voted for Democratic nominee Joe Biden, while well-known US rival, Iran would have backed his father.

The 42-year-old businessman also suggested the US states of California and New York as well as China, Mexico and bizarrely, Liberia, would have backed Democrat Joe Biden.

The predictions were made in a world map with countries, and in some cases bodies of water, coloured either red for Republican or blue for Democrat.

The geographically inaccurate map was published on Twitter by Trump Jr as polls opened for the US presidential election yesterday.

The 42-year-old wrote: “Okay, finally got around to making my electoral map prediction. #2020Election #VOTE.”

Okay, finally got around to making my electoral map prediction. #2020Election #VOTE pic.twitter.com/STmDSuQTMb

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 3, 2020

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Several Twitter users theorised that Trump Jr had confused India with Iran.

“Wait.”, wrote one user. “Is it possible that Don Jr thinks India is Iran?”

https://twitter.com/rezaaslan/status/1323688198434816000

Ilan Goldenberg, Middle East Security Director at the Centre for a New American Security (CNAS), posted: “I’m pretty sure Don Jr. confused Iran and India on a world map. That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.”

https://twitter.com/ilangoldenberg/status/1323656487118508032

“Did Don Jr confuse India for Iran”, asked another.

https://twitter.com/LivPosting/status/1323685969787195394

Others ridiculed the president’s son for publishing an inaccurate world map, suggesting the move demonstrated the need to increase funding for education in the US.

One user, a clear Biden supporter, said: “I think Don Jr. meant to make Iran blue, but he actually made India blue. This is why we need to increase funding for education. Basic global geography is essential.”

Several other geographical blunders were included in Trump Jr’s map, most controversially showing the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan, which he predicted would back re-electing the president.

Some users were happy with where the borders were drawn, thanking the 42-year-old “for recognizing Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan.”

Thank you, Donald Trump Jr, for recognizing Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan 🇵🇰 https://t.co/boHZhK5ivy

— Jeremy McLellan (@JeremyMcLellan) November 3, 2020

Other’s claimed the potential oversight had settled the long running dispute, with one user writing: “Kashmir is Pakistan. Donald Trump Jr approved it!”

https://twitter.com/blockchain_Baku/status/1323956743966281728

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However, the move has angered India, which held a 100,000-person event titled ‘Namaste Trump’ in the US president’s honour earlier this year.

The event was a copycat of the volunteer organised ‘Howdy, Modi’ rally, which welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Texas last year.

Shashi Tharoor, an MP from Kerala, termed the separation of India and Kashmir on Trump Jr’s map: “The price of NaMo’s bromance”, referring to the events.

“So much for the crores [an Indian unit of measurement, often of money, meaning ten million] spent on obsequious serenading stadium events!”, Tharoor added.

The price of Namo’s bromance: Kashmir & the NorthEast cut off from the rest of India, &the whole “filthy" place relegated by Don Jr to the realm of hostiles, along with China&Mexico. So much for the crores spent on obsequious serenading stadium events! https://t.co/fsI53aSkpv

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) November 3, 2020

Others questioned if India would make a formal complaint to the US over the issue, following last week’s decision to raise serious concerns with Saudi Arabia over the depiction of Kashmir as an independent region on the kingdom’s new 20 Riyal banknote.

One user asked: “Is the Indian foreign ministry going to lodge a complaint to the US State Department for the US President’s son using a map, which shows Kashmir as an independent territory? India had recently lodged a complaint to Saudi Arabia on this, why not the US?”

https://twitter.com/ashoswai/status/1323689481296351232

Meanwhile, others questioned why a host of states, including the UAE, Lebanon and Armenia were left blank, in some cases, making the countries appear as bodies of water.

https://twitter.com/notlivingmas/status/1323689839867428865

Kosovo was included in Serbia. While, Croatia, parts of southern Ukraine, some areas of Israel and Palestine, Liechtenstein, a sliver of Austria and Qatar also seem to appear as bodies of water on Trump Jr’s map.

Other users poked fun at some of Trump Jr’s more impossible electoral claims after he suggested the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Aral Sea, Azov Sea and Antarctica would all back a second term for his father.

I’d like to point out that the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Azov Sea, Aral Sea, and Antarctica aren’t, in fact, countries. https://t.co/kxTcPjNu3E

— EmperorTigerstar (@EmpTigerstar) November 3, 2020

One user particularly enjoyed the 42-year-old’s prediction that Antarctica would vote Republican quipping: “Huge turnout in Antarctica but nothing is for certain. Despite most voters in this area being penguins, things are rarely this black and white.”

In a second tweet the user continued: “Politically most penguins are centrists. Neither the right wing nor the left wing is particularly active given that penguins are flightless birds.”

Huge turn out in Antarctica but nothing is for certain. Despite most voters in this area being penguins, things are rarely this black and white. https://t.co/Ra29V3ShD0

— Michael Fry (@BigDirtyFry) November 3, 2020

British airline Ryanair also waded into the furore offering to open a new route for penguins that required transport to Antarctica to vote. The airline’s account tweeted: “we’re aware you can’t fly.”

if any penguins need to be flown to Antarctica to vote, please let us know

we can open up a new route and we're aware you can't fly #ElectionDay #Election2020 https://t.co/9jTAFzZgAU

— Ryanair (@Ryanair) November 3, 2020

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