Brands savage president Trump over mystifying ‘Covfefe’ tweet
President Donald Trump has made a very unique addition to the lexicon after posting a seemingly incomplete tweet that reads “Despite the constant negative press covfefe”.
Brands drive understanding of covfefe
The post sparked confusion – and then ridicule – from social media users, including brands that were keen to get in on the trending action.
Throughout the history of the office of the president of the United States of America, leaders have been known to coin a phrase or two in their time. George Washington is credited by the Oxford Dictionary as being the first president to use the term “administration” when referring to team Potus. Franklin D. Roosevelt was a champion of the word “iffy” and Thomas Jefferson has been credited with the introduction of some 110 words including “mammoth” and “aptly”.
Now Trump’s "covfefe" has captured the imaginations of the public, tweeted to his 31 million followers in the dead of night. Good Morning Britain presenter and Trump friend Piers Morgan speculated that Trump fell asleep half way into a tirade assumedly about press coverage.
While The Guardian’s coverage captured much of the commentary from journalists and social media users, The Drum has delved into the brands that dared utter the new word, covfefe.
Virgin Trains
Euston to #Covfefe in less than an hour pic.twitter.com/ZRv6Rovhxt
— Virgin Trains (@VirginTrains) May 31, 2017
Waterstones
Please bear with us as we get to work on this problem... because it must mean something, right? #covfefe pic.twitter.com/JVTYSIjoqd
— Waterstones (@Waterstones) May 31, 2017
AirFrance
Breaking - our newest destination is sunny #Covfefe! Maybe. pic.twitter.com/i73MIjeJzt
— Air France UK (@AirFranceUK) May 31, 2017
Channel 4
I love the smell of #Covfefe in the morning! pic.twitter.com/gKF96jEidO
— Channel 4 (@Channel4) May 31, 2017
Oxford Dictionaries
#covfefe #COTD pic.twitter.com/03Em8ipHDD
— Oxford Dictionaries (@OxfordWords) May 31, 2017
Zomato
#covfefe pic.twitter.com/tMB3SFqUiL
— Zomato (@Zomato) May 31, 2017
Paddy Power
Quick guide to using Twitter. #covfefe pic.twitter.com/Mjemh5Adkw
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) May 31, 2017
Need For Speed
Well, that's ruined that surprise! Guess we'll be back later in the week with a new name #covfefe pic.twitter.com/gfdJUgKHKu
— Need for Speed (@NeedforSpeed) May 31, 2017
TalkSport
#Covfefe City pic.twitter.com/koTrAmDgAI
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) May 31, 2017
KFC
I can't believe it. The final secret ingredient has at last been revealed... A sprinkle of #Covfefe
— KFC UK & Ireland (@KFC_UKI) May 31, 2017
Costa Coffee
Did someone say #covfefe
— Costa Coffee (@CostaCoffee) May 31, 2017
Copa 90
Dad! You've sat on your phone again! #covfefe pic.twitter.com/i5mrTxVJpD
— Copa90 (@Copa90) May 31, 2017
Potus, almost 12 hours later, acknowledged the tweet, challenging commentators to derive its meaning.
Who can figure out the true meaning of "covfefe" ??? Enjoy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2017