President Donald Trump returned to Michigan for a massive rally while facing a new impeachment attempt from a House Democrat. Controversy erupted when media outlets claimed Trump confused Republican Congressman John James with Democratic Congressman Shri Thanedar. Was this another coordinated attack by mainstream media to make Trump seem incompetent?
Trump’s Celebration and Impeachment Response
President Trump marked his first 100 days back in the White House with a spirited rally in Warren, Michigan, celebrating what he described as major achievements in immigration enforcement and economic policy. The event, one of his largest since returning to office, saw Trump addressing thousands of supporters while highlighting his administration’s accomplishments and contrasting them with the previous administration.
During the rally, Trump addressed the impeachment articles recently introduced by Michigan Democratic Representative Shri Thanedar with dismissive remarks. “And today they did it again, some guy that I’ve never heard of,” Trump said, adding, “What the hell did I do? Here we go again. They want to impeach me. This lunatic.”
Meet Congressman Shri Thanedar — the man leading efforts to impeach President Trump.
In 2010, Shri Thanedar owned an animal testing lab where more than 170 beagles and monkeys were left behind after his company filed for bankruptcy. The animals, previously used for laboratory… pic.twitter.com/UV7OGUjSXL
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) April 30, 2025
Media Controversy Erupts
Following the rally, NewsNation reported that Trump had confused Republican Congressman John James with Democrat Shri Thanedar when discussing the impeachment effort. The report claimed Trump mistakenly accused James of sponsoring the impeachment resolution, sparking immediate pushback from the White House.
The White House quickly issued a statement rejecting the report, explaining that Trump was asking James, who was present in the crowd, about Thanedar’s impeachment effort. “The President was asking John James — who was in the crowd — about Democrat Congressman Shri Thanedar. If NewsNation watched the actual exchange, they would’ve known that,” the White House statement read.
If this guy lived in India, he would be a municipal clerk or waiter.
Here he thrives because of “diversity.”
On the Left, his broken English and semi-illiterate solecisms are seen as positive traits.
We need fewer people like him in this country. pic.twitter.com/rV9tQMuiHM
— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) April 28, 2025
White House Pushes Back on “Fake News”
White House officials forcefully rejected the media’s characterization of the exchange as a presidential mix-up. They emphasized that Trump was fully aware of who both congressmen were and was deliberately seeking information from James about Thanedar’s actions.
The administration used the incident to highlight what they see as broader media bias against the president. “The media is more concerned with pushing hoaxes to attack President Trump than getting the story right and reporting the truth. It is no surprise that America’s trust in the media is at historic lows, but the Administration continues to call out the fake news,” the White House statement declared.
NewsNation reportedly updated its article following the White House’s statement but did not respond to requests for further comment. Politico, which also covered the alleged confusion, similarly did not respond to requests for clarification about their reporting on the incident.