US President Donald Trump speaks at the event where he will sign an executive order on police ... [+]

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According to an unpublished manuscript obtained by the Washington Post and the New York Times, Trump asked his chief of staff John Kelly whether Finland is part of Russia.

This isn't the first time Trump has made basic geography mistakes: He once called the European country of Belgium a "beautiful city," confused the Baltic states with the Balkans and mispronounced Nepal as "nipple," Politico reported.

Bolton's book also reveals that Trump asked if the U.K. was a nuclear power.

More concerning to Bolton was Trump's relationship with authoritarian leaders: Bolton alleges Trump linked trade policy with China to his chances of reelection, appeared open to helping a Turkish firm under investigation for violating Iranian sanctions at the request of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and accepted an unflattering characterization of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Trump administration is attempting to block the book's publication, scheduled for June 23, by claiming that it still contains classified information-but it's unclear whether the Justice Department lawsuit will actually stop the book from being published.

I'm a San Francisco-based reporter covering breaking news at Forbes. I've previously reported for USA Today, Business Insider, The San Francisco Business Times and San

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