what did trump say about magnets

just now 1
Nature

Donald Trump has recently been quoted making a remark along the lines of “nobody knows what magnets are,” during an Oval Office exchange. The comments circulated widely across social media and news outlets after his remarks on magnets were reported in multiple outlets on November 10–11, 2025. The context given in coverage suggests he was discussing magnets in relation to manufacturing and supply chain issues, including ties to magnets’ role in modern devices and vehicles, and he referenced potential tariffs in related statements. Several fact-checking and news sources corroborated that the quote existed, though translations and exact wording varied slightly across reports. Key points from coverage

  • The quote centers on the idea that “nobody knows what magnets are” and was tied to his discussion of magnets’ importance to manufacturing and global supply chains.
  • Coverage notes the moment occurred during an Oval Office event or press interaction and has been captured in multiple outlets with slight variations in transcription.
  • Independent outlets and fact-checkers have labeled the moment as a notable, unusual assertion rather than a standard policy statement, and they emphasize the broader topic of magnets’ role in modern technology.
  • Additional clips and articles reference related remarks in other contexts (e.g., remarks about magnets versus hydraulic systems in aerospace), but the exact phrase “nobody knows what magnets are” appears most consistently with the Oval Office exchange.

If you’d like, I can pull the latest articles or transcripts to verify exact wording and provide a concise quote with precise attribution, or summarize how different outlets interpreted the remark.