“Political opponents are imprisoned or otherwise eliminated from participating in the electoral process,” Bush said. “The result is an absence of checks and balances in Russia, and the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq.”

Wincing, Bush quickly correctly himself: “I mean of Ukraine.”

The former president then shrugged and muttered under his breath, “Iraq, too,” which drew a few chuckles. The crowd erupted in laughter when he proceeded to blame the mistake on his age.

“I’m 75,” Bush said.

Despite Bush’s correction, the damage was already done. A video of his remarks has been viewed more than 18 million times on Twitter as of Thursday morning. Social media users say the mistake is an admission of Bush’s guilty conscience. 

Andrew Stroehlein, European media director of Human Rights Watch, called the gaffe the “Freudian slip of the century.” Writer Marisa Kabas also chimed in, tweeting: “If I could tell my 17-year-old self one thing it’s that George W. Bush will admit to unjustly invading Iraq in 17 years.” 

Actor and comedian John Fugelsang wrote: “George W. Bush didn’t do a Freudian slip. He did a Freudian Confession.”

Others have used the slip to suggest Bush should face war crime charges over the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, which many of his critics have called brutal and unjustified. Some even compared the invasion of Iraq to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Former Ohio Senator Nina Turner tweeted, “George W. Bush just admitted to being a war criminal of the likes of Vladimir Putin, then laughed. Sickening.”

Tech entrepreneur Kim Dotcom wrote, “Finally the mass murdering war criminal, former U.S. President George W. Bush, admits his war crimes.”

Codepink, a women-led anti-war group, tweeted, “I don’t care how many portraits he paints. Nothing will erase the memory of war criminal George W. Bush LAUGHING — yes laughing — about his grievously apt slip of the tongue accidentally referring to the ‘wholly unjustified invasion of Iraq — I mean of Ukraine.”