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The verbal combat between reporters and White House press secretary Sean Spicer has become high parody with the Melissa McCarthy impersonation of Spicer on Saturday Night Live.
But Spicer provided unintended humor on Tuesday by tripping up on the name of Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“Yesterday the president set — had an incredibly productive set of meetings and discussions with Prime Minister Joe Trudeau of Canada,” Spicer told the daily briefing, “focusing on our shared commitment to close cooperation in addressing both the challenges facing our two countries and the problems throughout the world.”
The Toronto Star commented: “It was not immediately clear if Spicer is familiar with the Molson ads featuring a Joe from Canada.”
The Trudeau name has been subject of previous controversy in Washington, D.C. A White House tape caught President Nixon calling the current PM’s father, Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, “an a******.”
“I’ve been called worse things by better men,” the elder Trudeau responded.
Nor is this the first name blooper to come from the Trump White House.
It has called the prime minister of Australia the president of Australia, and the president of Colombia the president of “Columbia.” British Prime Minister Theresa May has been referred to as “Teresa.”
But there is a tradition of such stumbles, some memorably associated with Washington State.
President Ronald Reagan, touring America in 1986 to rescue Republican Senators, touched down in Spokane. He had no greater loyalist in Washington than Republican State Chair Jennifer Dunn, who had named a son (King County Councilman Reagan Dunn) after the Gipper.
At a big rally, however, Reagan referred to her as “Dunn Jennifer.” At a subsequent rally in Boise, he referred to Oklahoma Sen. Don Nickles as “Don Rickles.”
A major problem preparing Sarah Palin for her 2008 vice presidential debate with Sen. Joe Biden was her propensity for calling him “Joe O’Biden.” The Palin handlers had their charge call him “Joe.” A single “O’Biden” reference made it into the debate.
George W. Bush was campaigning in Michigan in 2000, when Canadian comic Rick Mercer crossed the border and collared W. The Republican presidential hopeful had just been endorsed by Canada’s “Prime Minister Poutin,” Mercer told him.
Bush gushed his appreciation. Only later did he learn that Jean Chretien was Prime Minister of Canada. “Poutin” is, of course, a Quebec dish consisting of French fries, cheese curds topped with a brown gravy.
The greatest mangler of names in American politics may have been Washington’s longtime (1946-80) Sen. Warren G. Magnuson.
Maggie was to refer to France’s President Georges Pompidou as “Poopidoo,” and addressed Rep. Wilbur Mills of Arkansas as “Orville.” Alluding to Thoreau, seeking to put down an environmentalist, Magnuson rumbled: “We can’t all go live on Walden Pond. Even Walden only lived there two years.”
Ex-aides still claim one blooper was deliberate, at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing when Magnuson introduced the arrogant, overbearing International Olympic Committee chairman Avery Brundage as “Mr. Average Brundy.”
But even Maggie couldn’t equal a famous post-World War II episode in Great Britain. The Brit’s wartime ambassador to Britain, Sir Stafford Cripps, was being honored at a lavish banquet.
A BBC announcer, McDonald Hobby, introduced the honored guest as “Sir Stifford Crapps.”
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