Donald Trump has been mocked for repeatedly referring to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy as ‘President’ during a press conference.
The White House Press Office also mistakenly used the title for Spain’s leader in its daily schedule and in a tweet ahead of Tuesday’s event.
The gaffe sparked a wave of mocking comments on Twitter with one person commenting, ‘You’d think he’d get the basics right’.
‘April’ wrote: ‘It’s ridiculous that a man who places so much importance on titles and hierarchy can’t remember the titles of others in power.’
And another user added: ‘Trump just called Spanish PM ‘Mr. President’ throughout the press conference. Sad thing is, that’s totally unsurprising and expected.’
Spain is a constitutional monarchy, so the King is head of state.
While the prime minister’s Spanish title, presidente gobierno, translates as ‘president of the government’, he is formally referred to in English as prime minister.
The gaffe sparked a wave of mocking comments on Twitter with one person commenting, ‘You’d think he’d get the basics right’
The issue of Catalonian independence also came up at the press conference on Tuesday, with Trump branding the looming secession vote ‘foolish’.
Trump said he’s been watching the situation unfold in the region of Catalonia, whose leaders have vowed to hold a referendum Sunday on independence from Spain.
Spain’s central government says such a vote would be illegal.
‘I can say only, speaking for myself, I would like to see Spain continue to be united,’ Trump said when asked about the referendum.
The President had said earlier Tuesday that the U.S. and Spain are allies in the fight against terrorism, saying they share notes and intelligence
The White House Press Office also mistakenly used the title for Spain’s leader in its daily schedule and in a tweet ahead of Tuesday’s event
The President had said earlier Tuesday that the U.S. and Spain are allies in the fight against terrorism, saying they share notes and intelligence.
He also thanked Spain for contributing to a coalition of nations working to defeat IS, including training more than 30,000 members of the Iraqi security forces.
Rajoy said he told Trump that Spain would increase its commitment by contributing a new financial package to help rebuild Iraq.