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3 Feb, 2017 21:00

Twitter greets ‘PM Trumble' after Trump's spox mispronounces Australian minister’s name...twice

Twitter greets ‘PM Trumble' after Trump's spox mispronounces Australian minister’s name...twice

A new hashtag, #Trumble has been trending on Twitter, especially in Australia, after the White House spokesman repeatedly mispronounced the name of the Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, by calling him "Trumble."

"The president had a very cordial conversation with Prime Minister Trumble," spokesman Sean Spicer told the media at a White House briefing when asked to clarify a reported dispute between US President Trump and the Australian prime minister, regarding a refugee deal.

Spicer went on about how "unbelievably disappointed" Donald Trump had been over the deal agreed with Canberra by the previous US administration, leaving the audience in doubt whether they've misheard the PM's name in Spicer's version.

Doubts, if any, were soon laid to rest when the spokesman, who is of Irish descent, then said Trump "has respect for Prime Minister Trumble."

The now viral name has even apparently overshadowed comments by the White House on how the new American president "has agreed to review that deal" out of "tremendous respect for the prime minister and for the Australian people."

Trump is "extremely upset with the deal" to resettle over a thousand refugees, Spicer said during the press conference, adding, "he does not like it."

The simmering issue reached boiling point after the first conversation between Trump and Turnbull, which they had last Saturday. The media described the exchange as extremely hostile, with the apparently furious US leader reportedly having hung up on the Australian PM. After the discussion, Trump called the refugee deal "dumb."

Turnbull however, has insisted his conversation with Trump was "cordial." Trump, known for his misspellings on Twitter, has also disproved the reports on their phone conversation. He described it as a "very civil conversation," notably avoiding to mention the PM by name.

Meanwhile, with Twitter users' obsession with "Trumble" growing, an account of "Parody Prime Minister" has appeared on the social network.

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