Ancient Mesopotamians might have been interested to know that someday a world leader would offer them protection for their genius invention.

During a CNBC interview in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that we must “protect our genius,” citing Elon Musk, Thomas Edison, and the inventor of the wheel as examples.

Trump, who is in Davos for the World Economic Forum this week, was praising Tesla CEO Musk for both his car and SpaceX businesses following some problems in recent years.

“I was worried about him, because he’s one of our great geniuses, and we have to protect our genius,” Trump said of Musk. “You know, we have to protect Thomas Edison, and we have to protect all of these people that came up with, originally, the lightbulb, and the wheel and all of these things.”

The wheel made its first appearance in Mesopotamia — an ancient region that corresponds mostly to present-day Iraq — around 3,500 B.C.

Trump seems to believe the wheel was invented in the United States: "We have to protect all of these people that came up with, originally, the light bulb and the wheel and all of these things." pic.twitter.com/re6CyRi6HY — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 22, 2020

“You go back a year, and they were talking about the end of the company,” Trump said in a nod to Tesla’s legal battles. “And now all of a sudden they’re talking about these great things.”

The president also applauded Musk’s expertise in aerospace.

“He’s also doing the rockets, he likes rockets, and he does good at rockets, too, by the way,” he said. “I never saw where the engines come down with no wings, no anything, and they’re landing.”

Here’s what Twitter users thought of all this:

In one minute today Trump managed to:



- Say Elon Musk “does very good at rockets”



- Imply Thomas Edinson is alive



- Say the wheel was invented in America



Such a massive embarrassment to our country.



pic.twitter.com/Qc4I7tlviX — Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) January 22, 2020

Second grade book report on Elon Musk and rockets: https://t.co/sSCXVqbWsz — Randi Mayem Singer (@rmayemsinger) January 22, 2020

In this clip, President Trump appears to believe that an American invented the wheel. pic.twitter.com/Bz68fHczAD — Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) January 22, 2020

This organically damaged buffoon thinks the wheel was invented by an American. pic.twitter.com/CM97pOggzQ — Claude Taylor (@TrueFactsStated) January 22, 2020

Hey Republicans, the guy you're shredding the Constitution for thinks an American invented the wheel. https://t.co/AJQFbNv2f3 — Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) January 22, 2020

The wheel.



This fuckopotamus thinks an American invented the wheel. https://t.co/rdWGzy294V — The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) January 22, 2020

We have to protect the american who invented the wheel guys https://t.co/5Jqfij2wOf — music man (@Ghaspermusic) January 22, 2020