Donald Trump Jr. weirdly claims that Hurricane Beryl is nonbinary name

Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of the twice-impeached formerRepublican president and convicted felon, has once again made a fool of himself online. This time, his target is Hurricane Beryl, a Category 5 storm wreaking havoc in the Caribbean.

On Saturday, Trump Jr. took to X (formerlyTwitter) to express his disdain for the hurricane’s name, writing, “Beryl? Even our Hurricanes are gender non-binary now.” The remark, predictably, has been met with widespread criticism and eye-rolls for its glaring ignorance of long-established naming conventions for tropical storms.

For those not steeped in meteorological lore, the World Meteorological Organizationhas maintained a pre-determined list of names for hurricanes for decades, alternating between male and female names to ensure clarity and ease of communication. The name Beryl, for instance, has graced this rotation for years, its origins tracing back to a precious stone known for its clear or pale green hue. Far from a modern invention, naming hurricanes dates back to the mid-20th century. Originally, storms were identified by cumbersome latitude and longitude coordinates. In 1953, the National Hurricane Center began using female names for Atlantic storms, a practice expanded to include male names in 1979. These names are selected years in advance from a list approved by the WMO.

According to the organization, each list is recycled every six years unless a storm is so deadly or costly that its name is retired out of respect for the victims. This tradition ensures clear and effective communication between meteorologists, media, emergency management agencies, and the public. The absurdity of Trump Jr.’s assertion that the name reflects anonbinary agenda is readily apparent. As a given name for girls, Beryl became popular in the 19th century and has been part of the hurricane naming rotation for many years. (And to note, names aren't inherently gendered.)

According to the Associated Press, Hurricane Beryl strengthened to a ferocious Category 5 status late Monday after leaving a trail of devastation across the southeastern Caribbean. Making landfall on the island of Carriacou in Grenada as the earliest Category 4 storm in the Atlantic, Beryl further intensified, reaching winds of 165 mph and setting the record as the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin.

Online, the consensus seems to be that anyone named Trump should avoid commenting on hurricanes. This advice stems from a notorious incident in 2019, when then-President Donald Trump used a black Sharpie marker to alter an official National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration map, falsely extending Hurricane Dorian’s trajectory to includeAlabama. Despite the National Weather Service clarifying that Alabama would not be affected, Trump persistently defended his altered map, earning widespread derision.

Notably, some pointed out that Beryl Howell, a United States district judge in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, is one of the federal judges who has tried Trump administration officials and January 6 insurrectionists.

Reactions on X to Trump Jr.’s post included, “Dude that name has been on the list since the early 1980s,” “The fact this post has 1.8k likes is concerning…,” “My god you people are useless,” and “Anyone named Trump should steer clear of snarky comments about hurricane maps.”