So that was weird.

On Friday afternoon, the President of the United States — who happens to be Donald Trump — informed the nation and the world that the moon is “a part of” Mars.

Really, that’s what he said:

For all of the money we are spending, NASA should NOT be talking about going to the Moon – We did that 50 years ago. They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including Mars (of which the Moon is a part), Defense and Science! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2019

Since — and you’re going to have to take my word on this that I know what I’m talking about — the moon is not a part of Mars, people were rightly confused:

How is the Moon “a part” of Mars? https://t.co/Z4FL099kpB — Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) June 7, 2019

TIL the moon is part of Mars. — Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) June 7, 2019

The most generous interpretation would suggest Trump means that going to the moon is part of the broader project of going to Mars. And maybe that’s true, but that’s not what he said. And one would hope that a president could say things and make it sound like he knew what he was talking about.