The Republican National Committee is being widely mocked after tweeting a photo of two Liberian flags on the Fourth of July. The GOP account quickly deleted the tweet.
Alongside the image was a message that read “247 years ago, our forefathers told Ol’ King George to get lost! Happy Independence Day from the GOP!”
The American flag and the Liberian flag do bear striking similarities, as Liberia was founded by the American Colonization Society, which consisted of white men who attempted to relocate black slaves to Africa.
Liberia declared independence from the American Colonization Society in 1847, which is when it adopted its current flag.
After deleting the tweet, the party then posted a separate image of a sparkler in front of the correct U.S. flag and wrote, “Thank you to all the men and women in uniform who continue to defend our freedom at home and abroad.”
Despite the party’s attempts to cover up their mistake, other Twitter users were quick to screenshot the original post and have since been calling GOP members “idiots” and mocking the error.
“From your dear friends at the Republican National Committee, Happy Independence Day, Liberia!” wrote former congressional staffer Zack Brown.
Some people have even suggested that the party posted the wrong image on purpose.
“Not sure it’s a mistake,” one user wrote. “I’m sure the GOP would be fine bringing back the idea of relocating African Americans to Liberia.”
