Yes, it’s true—former President Donald Trump recently referred to the toy company Mattel as a country during a speech. While talking about trade and tariffs on Chinese imports, Trump said:
“Mattel, I don't know. I'm not so sure. They also said—they're the only country I've heard, they said, 'Well, we're going to go counter. We're going to try going someplace else.' That's okay. Let him go, and we'll put a 100 percent tariff on his toys. And he won't sell one toy in the United States, and that's their biggest market.”
This comment confused many people because he called Mattel a country, then referred to it as a person using “he” and “his.” It seems like it wasn’t a joke, just a mix-up in speech. Trump was likely trying to talk tough on trade, but ended up using the wrong words. He didn’t correct himself afterward, which added to the confusion.
Comedians and news outlets picked up on the moment. John Oliver, for example, joked about how strange it was to hear someone refer to Mattel as a company, country, and person all in one sentence. This added to the viral reaction online.
The bigger context behind all this is that Trump’s trade policies, including big tariffs on Chinese goods, are affecting companies like Mattel. Mattel, which makes toys like Barbie, is planning to raise prices because of those tariffs.
Trump really did call Mattel a country. It wasn’t meant as a joke—just a confusing statement. But it’s now being talked about and joked about online, but the comment itself was part of a serious discussion on trade.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-hilariously-calls-toy-firm-mattel-a-country
