US President Donald Trump has a history of posting private texts and formal documents on social media. Recently, he shared a letter he sent to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, which quickly drew criticism for its tone and grammar.
The two-page letter, posted on Truth Social on July 7, addressed trade issues Japan faces and threatened a 25% tariff on Japanese goods starting August 1. Trump sent similar letters to 13 other countries, including South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Serbia, and Cambodia.
Though higher tariffs were scheduled for July 9, they were postponed as White House officials aimed to negotiate trade agreements. However, many readers focused on the letter’s numerous grammatical errors, especially its strange use of capital letters, which reminded some of Trump’s informal social media posts.
One X user called the letter a “pure clown show” with “threats, bad grammar, zero diplomacy,” accusing Trump of damaging long-standing trust over a trade deficit he doesn’t understand. Another said any eighth-grade teacher would fail him on grammar.
Comments ranged from mocking the letter as “written by a kid who just learned what ‘tariff’ means” to describing it as “appalling.” Some likened the letter’s odd capitalization to a ransom note written by a semi-literate kidnapper. Others lamented that such a letter from the U.S. president damages the country’s global reputation, while one user questioned the author’s mental stability based on the letter’s tone. Overall, the letter sparked backlash for its content and style, raising concerns about professionalism and diplomacy.
