President Mohamed Muizzu’s Independence Day message to the United States has sparked online criticism and mockery after a spelling error in the accompanying graphic referred to “INDEPEDENCE DAY” instead of “Independence Day.”
The message, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on 4 July, read:
“Heartiest greetings to President @realDonaldTrump, the government, and the people of the United States as they celebrate the Fourth of July. I wish continued freedom and progress to the American people.”
While the greeting itself appeared standard, users quickly pointed out the misspelling in the graphic shared alongside the post. The image read “United States of America indepedence Day,” prompting a wave of memes and online jokes targeting the President’s media team.
Criticism extended beyond the typo. A user by the name @MvVathan raised concerns about the use of the Emblem of the Maldives in the graphic, stating that its placement above the American flag and text referencing the United States created a misleading representation.
“In doing this, you create the impression that the Emblem of the Maldives belongs to or represents the United States,” @MvVathan wrote. “This arrangement mixes the symbols of both nations in a way that suggests they are a single entity… I strongly feel that this is inappropriate and can even be illegal, and of course, disrespectful to both of the countries involved here.”
The user also noted the disproportionate sizes of the emblem and the U.S. flag in the graphic, calling the design “disgraceful.”
Others joined the discussion with sarcasm and offers of help. “Hello Mr. Prez, for 30k a month I’ll happily proofread all your social media posts,” said one user, @DigitalFlock. Another, @AishathSleena, remarked, “This regime never ceases to amaze us!”
This is not the first time social media posts from the President’s official account have featured errors. Despite maintaining a record number of staff in his media and PR team, reportedly with millions spent on operations, public criticism over frequent mistakes has continued to mount.
As of Saturday, President Muizzu had not issued a correction or acknowledged the spelling error.
In contrast to the online ridicule, the U.S. Embassy in Malé responded formally to the greeting.
“Thank you President @MMuizzu for the warm Independence Day greetings,” the Embassy wrote. “The United States deeply values our enduring partnership, appreciates Maldives’ contributions to a free and open Indo-Pacific, and looks forward to expanding ties between our peoples.”
The post remains online with the spelling error uncorrected.