Donald Trump Jr. delivered an unusual warning to Ohio voters Monday night: Democrats want to turn their state into a state.

There was just one problem. Ohio has already been a state for more than 223 years.

Speaking at a Republican campaign rally in Swanton, Ohio, on November 2, the president's eldest son was attempting to portray Democrats as a threat to American democracy when he made the remarkable statement.

"They want to pack the Supreme Court. They want to make Ohio a state, make DC a state," Trump Jr. declared.

He continued by accusing Democrats of seeking permanent one-party rule, suggesting they could accomplish these objectives while claiming to protect democracy.

The Ohio portion of his warning, however, presented an obvious historical problem.

Ohio officially joined the United States as its 17th state on February 19, 1803, during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. Its statehood was established more than six decades before the Civil War and long before either major political party existed in its modern form.

No Democratic legislation is necessary to accomplish something that happened during Jefferson's administration.

The remarks came during a campaign appearance alongside Vice President JD Vance, part of a final Republican effort to mobilize voters before the November 3 midterm elections.

Trump Jr. was apparently attempting to criticize Democratic proposals for Washington, D.C., statehood, a genuine political controversy involving congressional representation and the balance of power in Washington. The Akron Beacon Journal reported that he appeared to correct himself by moving immediately to D.C.

But the distinction matters. Washington, D.C., is a federal district, while Ohio has enjoyed full statehood for more than two centuries.

The incident quickly attracted attention online, where critics mocked the geographical mistake and questioned how such a statement could make its way into a major campaign speech.

Trump Jr. also used his appearance to attack Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton, who is challenging Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.

Among his accusations were claims about Acton's alleged alcohol abuse, echoing a political advertisement that misrepresented information from her medical licensing application.

PolitiFact previously determined that the allegation was false. The application concerned treatment for emotional or mental health issues, and Acton's campaign explained that her disclosure referred to therapy following childhood sexual abuse.

The Ohio governor's race has already attracted controversy over deeply personal attacks against Acton, including an advertisement featuring her estranged mother that Ramaswamy's campaign subsequently removed.

Against that backdrop, Trump Jr.'s statehood remark provided an unexpected distraction from the Republican campaign's closing message.

There is no evidence that Democrats are attempting to make Ohio a state again. The dispute over Washington, D.C., statehood is real, but it does not involve Ohio's existing constitutional status.

Whether the statement was simply a momentary verbal mistake or a confused attempt to combine multiple political talking points remains unclear.

What is certain is that a prominent presidential family member, speaking at a major political rally on the eve of a national election, warned Americans about a supposed Democratic plan to accomplish something the United States settled in 1803.

Ohio voters went to the polls Tuesday with their state's place in the Union entirely unchanged.