Donald Trump calls Elon Musk by wrong name at rally, Internet dubs it 'classic donmentia'

Former president Donald Trump also stumbled over his words while mentioning his plan to eliminate the federal Department of Education
Donald trump refers to Elon Musk as 'Leon' while addressing a rally on September 7, 2024 (Getty Images)
Donald trump refers to Elon Musk as 'Leon' while addressing a rally on September 7, 2024 (Getty Images)

MOSINEE, WISCONSIN: Former president Donald Trump had multiple slip-ups while speaking at a Wisconsin rally on Saturday, September 7, reported Raw Story. The most glaring verbal misfire by the GOP nominee was when he referred to tech billionaire Elon Musk as "Leon" during his speech.

Trump has time and again ridiculed incumbent Joe Biden, 81, for the gaffes in his speeches. However, with Biden suspending his reelection campaign, 78-year-old Trump has found himself to be the oldest candidate running for the White House in the history of the United States and on the receiving end of age-related criticisms.



 

Donald Trump's reference to Elon Musk at rally

Trump was speaking of the aircraft manufacturer Boeing at his rally when he shared, "Boeing, I shouldn’t say anything there is a beautiful Boeing plane right there. But, ehh Boeing had a little hard time, so they are going to save—Leon is going to send them a rocket."

According to the Daily Beast, two NASA astronauts are presently stranded aboard the International Space Station as their Boeing Starliner vessel has been deemed unsafe to make a return to Earth. SpaceX, owned by Musk, is planning a rescue mission for them.

“He looks forward to it, that’s all he thinks about is things like that,” added Trump of Elon Musk, without correcting himself to say the right name.

Donald Trump struggles to say the word 'eliminate'

The slip-up between Leon and Elon was not Trump's only gaffe in the rally, as he later had a brain freeze while saying the word "eliminate."



 

The GOP nominee was sharing his outlook on education policies, when he said, "Ultimately, will li--- (garbled), and you know what we're doing here."

"I say it all the time, I'm dying to get back to do this. We will ultimately eliminate the federal Department of Education," he added.

Internet trolls Donald Trump over his slip-ups

The gaffes in Trump's speech concerned netizens on the social media platform X, and many took to trolling the former President. The following tweets demonstrate the predominant takes.

"Classic Donmentia," wrote a user.



 

"Leon the famous owner of Litter," mocked another, referring to Elon Musk buying Twitter.



 

"Grandpa is having cognitive issues again!" jibed a third.



 

"Nothing to worry about if you’re supporting a septuagenarian with the linguistic skills of a college freshman after 15 shots of Jagermeister," expressed a fourth.



 

"At least, DonOld didn’t call him Elmo," jibed a fifth.



 

"I wonder how many of his 'nicknames' for people are just him being unable to read their name," quipped yet another.



 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

GET BREAKING U.S. NEWS & POLITICAL UPDATES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Rep Randy Fine said that the government should review the citizenship records of everyone who became a naturalized US citizen since 1990
2026-10-28T08:02:30.000Z
Lisa Murkowski endorsed Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins over Donald Trump-backed Bernadette Wilson, calling him a fresh, commonsense leader for Alaska
2026-10-28T06:36:10.000Z
A report shifted Ohio’s governor race toward Amy Acton, citing Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign strategy, rising concerns over his ad and Acton’s five-point poll lead
2026-10-28T06:24:27.000Z
The filing sought to add an obstruction charge but had not undergone judicial review to determine whether probable cause existed
2026-10-28T05:53:45.000Z
Trump made the remarks at a rally one week before the midterm elections, where he has been campaigning for Republican candidates
2026-10-28T04:53:00.000Z
Kamala Harris called impeaching Donald Trump 'not a good idea,' urging Democrats to prioritize investigations and accountability instead
2026-10-28T03:53:46.000Z
The investigation focused on Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony before the House committee investigating the January 6 attack in 2022
2026-10-28T03:32:05.000Z
Trump announced a proposed rollback of Biden-era methane regulations, claiming it would save $45 billion and boost Texas energy production as Republicans fight to retain the Senate seat
2026-10-28T02:56:04.000Z
Mike Waltz accused Cuba’s leadership of profiting from forced labour and confiscated assets, telling Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla to 'back up!' during the heated exchange
2026-10-28T02:01:58.000Z
The president ran three different polls asking users to choose a new name for AI: “Super Intelligence,” “Extreme Intelligence” and “Supreme Intelligence”
2026-10-27T20:05:39.000Z