WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Among other false and misleading claims in U.S. President Donald Trump ’s inauguration addresses on Tuesday, his declaration that Americans “split the atom” prompted vexed social media posts by New Zealanders, who said the achievement belonged to a pioneering scientist revered in his homeland.

The mayor of a New Zealand city has rubbished an eyebrow-raising claim made by President Donald Trump during his wild inauguration speech.

After President Trump's claim, a mayor in New Zealand pointed out that work to split the atom was actually pioneered by physicist Ernest Rutherford.

Physicists from both New Zealand and Britain have been credited with splitting the atom — but there is consensus that it was not an American.

A small town mayor in New Zealand has picked a nuclear fight with Donald Trump, after the freshly sworn-in US president heaped praise on American scientists for splitting the atom.

Donald Trump claimed in his inauguration speech that the US was the first to split the atom - despite the fact that Kiwi Ernest Rutherford was the first to

Nelson Mayor Nick Smith said on social media he was "surprised" to hear Trump making claims about the atom in his inauguration speech. "That honour belongs to Nelson's most famous and favourite son Sir Ernest Rutherford. [embed https://www.facebook.com/honnicksmith/posts/pfbid02ndf7Lsz8sizpqQXLgCcRrmE9iAYs7tWmqkYPVFh6LmhUyDGMHuVYMRZixXMv1xfcl

Donald Trump vexed New Zealanders on the first day of his presidency after he claimed that America split the atom – a feat achieved by Sir Ernest Rutherford from Nelson in New Zealand.

New Zealand is defending one of the most significant accomplishments by one of its people against claims from newly sworn-in United States President Donald Trump that an American was the first to split the atom.