Trump takes South Carolina rally goers down 'Tallahassee Trail' in Congressional smack Must be beautiful, President said about a trail that doesn't exist.

James Call | Tallahassee Democrat

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump misidentifies Appalachian Trail in joke gone wrong The president intended to make an Appalachian Trail joke at congressman Sanford's expense, but didn't quite hit the mark.

President Donald J. Trump plugged Tallahassee Monday night and set social media a twittering.

Trump was in Columbia, South Carolina, to support the reelection of Gov. Henry McMaster when he slammed a frequent critic, Congressman Mark Sanford. A former governor, Sanford lost his re-election bid two weeks ago when Trump tweeted support for Sanford’s challenger the morning of the Republican primary.

Sanford’s final term as governor was upended in 2009 by an extramarital affair. It came to light when he told reporters he was out hiking the Appalachian Trail when he and his lover were in Argentina.

Trump revisited the incident Monday night in his opening remarks at a McMaster rally. He said he tweeted his support of Katie Arrington because she had supported him from the beginning and that he never liked Sanford “too much.”

“The Tallahassee Trail must be a beautiful place,” Trump said. “Unfortunately, he (Sanford) didn’t go there.”

When Trump mocked Sanford with a geographic mistake — Tallahassee is about 300 miles south of where the Appalachian Trail begins — it was quickly caught by social media.

President Trump is in the house. Starts off asking for prayers for ⁦@karringtonsc⁩, then rips on ⁦@MarkSanford⁩ by referencing his affair when governor, mentioning “The Tallahassee Trail.” It was actually the Appalachian Trail but the crowd went along with it. #SCGOV pic.twitter.com/BhEP25DBZA — Meg Kinnard (@MegKinnardAP) June 26, 2018

“Can someone direct me to the Tallahassee Trail,” tweeted Wakulla's Rachel Sutz Pienta.

“The Tallahassee Trail, we need a country song,” chimed in Tough Rivers Tom Richardson.

"The Tallahassee Trail that winds majestically from the humble Chevron Station on Thomasville Road to the bigly 7-11 on Orange Avenue... " tweeted a user named Acorn.

This wasn't the first time Trump had Tallahassee on his mind.

He visited Tallahassee during his 2016 campaign. Thousands attended an October rally that created a gridlock at the intersection of I-10 and U.S. 90. The president carried some panhandle counties with more than 60 percent of the vote.

Related: Trump in Tallahassee: 'We have to win'

More: 2016: The year Trump came to town

Sanford has been a frequent Trump critic but a reliable vote for the administration in the House. He told NBC Sunday that he supported Trump’s position 90 percent of the time. He said he lost because he wasn’t “Trump enough” and that Washington has descended into a “twilight world” where any disagreement with Trump can place one on the losing side of a tweet.

Did Donald Trump just reference "the Tallahassee Trail" instead of the Appalachian Trail? — Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) June 26, 2018

Speaking at his South Carolina rally, Trump attacks Mark Sanford, saying: "I've never liked [him] too much. I wasn't a big fan. The Tallahassee trail — must be a beautiful place."



... it's, um... it's called the Appalachian Trail. — Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) June 26, 2018