Talk:Covfefe

Pronunciation guide at the top of the article?

Why is there a pronunciation guide for what is famously a typo of an unknown word which was never spoken by its coiner? Perhaps it is useful to include the adopted pronunciation somewhere here (it was certainly spoken out loud on television a lot), but maybe in its own section later in the article (with some info about how people arrived at that pronunciation and the exaggerated way some people spoke it when making fun of it). Putting it at top of the article just makes it seem like it's a "real" proper noun. ~2026-35889-95 (talk) 22:41, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

thats what i was just gonna post, i know its an old article and it doesnt really matter but still LoganStylus (talk) 21:38, 8 August 2026 (UTC)

A suggestion wrt "Covfefe" (II)

"Many media outlets presumed that he had meant to type "coverage"."

Could he, instead, have meant "kayfabe"? Or indeed, a mashup of "coverage" and "kayfabe". i.e. He simply meant "Fake news!". CatNip48 (talk) 00:25, 9 April 2026 (UTC)

WRT the above. I will be watching with interest comedian Munya Chawawa's documentary 'Wrestling With Trump' on UK TV Channel 4 at 10pm on Tuesday 12 May, 2026.

Wrestling With Trump: a fascinating look at how Trump’s political style is inspired by WWE wrestling

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/may/08/wrestling-with-trump-is-a-fascinating-look-at-how-the-donalds-brash-bullying-political-style-is-inspired-by-wwe

Comedian Munya Chawawa’s documentary is a compelling dive into the world of wrestling and its many links with the 45th and 47th US president CatNip48 (talk) 17:45, 8 May 2026 (UTC)

As the above seems to have offended the sensibilities of some US editors - here now is a very relevant (but belated?) update from a US source. Perhaps more acceptable?

Trump’s America Is Really Hulk Hogan’s America

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-trump-america-really-hulk-hogan-america-wrestling-kayfabe-david-shoemaker-vince-mcmahon

The lies, the grievance, the spectacle—and the political movement built from all three.

CatNip48 (talk) 20:29, 11 August 2026 (UTC)

Kerfuffle

It is surprising that “kerfuffle” is not recognized as, quite probably, what DJT meant by his mangled spelling “covfefe.” While kerfuffle is not a word in common use in North America, it is in common use in Scotland – where his mother was born and grew-up and, more generally, in the UK. The word kerfuffle has Celtic roots and has multiple alternative spellings and means a disorderly outburst, disturbance, commotion, or tumult: “confusion, bewilderment” (Scottish Gaelic); “uproar, trouble, agitation” (Welsh); and, “confusion, bewilderment” (Irish):

• kerfuffle, Cambridge dictionary
• kerfuffle, Merriam-Webster
• curfuffle(n.), Etymonline
• kerfuffle, The Free Dictionary
• Words we love: kerfuffles and inconsequential blunders, Red Setter Agency

This would make sense in the context of what DJT was trying to express, per DJT's infamous May 30, 2017 tweet – which could then be interpreted (translated), and make sense, thus:

Despite the constant negative press “disorderly outburst, disturbance, commotion, or tumult”

This interpretation has been widely alluded to, per:

• Covfefe' Kerfuffle: Trump's Typo Sparks A Search For Meaning, And Humor, NPR
• Covfefe kerfuffles, partisan dogs, and Wonder Woman wars, Vox (website) (Aja. Romano. June 3, 2017. September 9, 2019 - subscription.)
• Trump Spells Basic Word So Laughably Wrong Critics Think He’s 'Mentally Incompetent', HuffPost
• Trump’s Twitter typo starts a ‘covfefe’ kerfuffle, Financial Times
• Covfefe kerfuffle: Trump’s fancy keyboard antics couldn’t have come at a worse time, CNBC
• All jokes aside, Trump’s ‘covfefe’ tweet sparks questions too, Los Angeles Times

Most significantly, DJT's mother grew-up in the Outer Hebrides and raised in a Scottish Gaelic speaking household; living in Scotland until she emigrated to the United States, aged about 28. No doubt DJT would have heard his mother use this word spoken countless times; but probably never saw it written and so would probably not know how is is spelled (in any of the spelling variants).
I was tempted to edit the wiki page, but decided it better to seek, comments, feedback and consensus instead.
Enquire (talk) 20:44, 18 August 2026 (UTC)

Another interesting suggestion!

Who knows? I just think my suggestion was a little more, 'interesting'. :-)

I was also bearing in mind - apart from Trump's background with the wrestling business - these comments attributed to Sean Spicer:

Sean Spicer, then White House press secretary, stated: "I think the President and a small group of people know exactly what he meant."

[8] "Sean Spicer says 'covfefe' wasn't a typo: Trump knew 'exactly what he meant'". USA Today. Retrieved September 9, 2019. CatNip48 (talk) 16:28, 21 August 2026 (UTC)

Well, we will never know. Trump, presumably, knew whatever he was intending to convey - even if nobody else did (except for a small, apparently exclusive, group)...

Enquire (talk) 00:58, 24 August 2026 (UTC)

No doubt Trump did know 'exactly what he meant' – even if he had no idea how to spell it.

Enquire (talk) 09:17, 27 August 2026 (UTC)