US President Donald Trump has revealed the name his wife, Melania, uses to address him in private. The disclosure of this form of address has sparked a flurry of discussion and criticism on social media.
On Wednesday (October 7), while speaking at a campaign rally in Texas, Trump attacked Democratic State Representative candidate James Talarico by labeling him a “vegan”—even though Talarico is not actually a vegan. Trump has made this claim about him on several previous occasions.
Trump typically pronounces the word “vegan” as “vay-gan.” TV host Jimmy Kimmel had mocked him for this pronunciation earlier in the week. However, on Wednesday, Trump pronounced it correctly, crediting his wife, Melania, for the correction.
Trump recounted, “My wife said to me, ‘Sir, do me a favor. I need to help you out a little. It’s not vay-gan, it’s vee-gan.'”
Trump then added, “How would I know? I love eating steak!” A report by The Independent noted that this was not the first time Trump has mentioned Melania addressing him as “Sir.”
Last year, Trump stated that he likes to call his wife “First Lady” because it reminds him that he is the President.
Trump frequently shares anecdotes in which others address him as “Sir.” In many of these stories, he claims that people are moved to tears of emotion upon seeing him. However, the story involving Melania did not include any mention of tears.
Trump’s remarks drew sharp reactions from critics on social media, with some even making light of the fact that Melania addresses her husband as “Sir.”
