A routine policy announcement at the White House took an unexpected turn on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, when former President Donald Trump publicly scolded a member of his own Cabinet over a pronunciation error.
A Policy Announcement Derailed
The incident occurred during a presentation by Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy. Duffy was outlining a new proposal to weaken vehicle mileage standards for the auto industry, a move positioned as a reversal of policies from the Biden administration. In his remarks, Duffy referenced the handling of transportation issues under President Joe Biden and his former Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg.
It was during this comparison that Duffy pronounced Buttigieg's last name as "Boot-uh-judge." The misstep prompted an immediate and sharp correction from Trump, who was present for the announcement. The former president insisted the correct pronunciation was "Boot-edge-edge."
The Tense Exchange and Reaction
Video of the moment captured Duffy quickly correcting himself and offering an apology. Trump, meanwhile, shook his head in a display of mock disgust, eliciting laughter from others in the room. The brief but pointed interaction highlighted the former president's focus on minute details, even during official government business.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Pete Buttigieg himself had not publicly commented on the exchange regarding his surname. However, the incident did not go unnoticed by the public.
Social Media Weighs In
The Trump-Duffy back-and-forth quickly became a topic of discussion online, with many users offering critical analysis of the dynamic. One user suggested Trump "needs everyone around him to sound as ignorant as he does," comparing the behaviour to that of a schoolyard bully.
Other comments pointed to a pattern, with one observer noting, "Trump’s ability to pronounce names is directly correlated to the number of times he has publicly disparaged that person." The forced laughter from the room also drew criticism, with one Canadian-based user describing the scene as having "Dr. Evil energy."
An interesting point of contention arose from the pronunciation itself. While some outlets noted that Duffy's initial attempt was phonetically closer to the name's traditional pronunciation, Trump's version—"Boot-edge-edge"—was the simplified pronunciation championed by Buttigieg during his 2020 presidential campaign.
The episode served as a reminder of how quickly official proceedings in the Trump White House could shift from policy to personal correction, often becoming immediate fodder for the national discourse.
