Update, 12.32pm: US President Donald Trump has deleted the tweet, and posted a response.
Who can figure out the true meaning of “covfefe” ??? Enjoy!
No ad to show here.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2017
Original article: Early this morning, US President Donald Trump set out to tweet something angry about the media to his 31-million followers — only he didn’t quite manage to finish it.
Despite the constant negative press covfefe
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2017
And as Twitter is wont to do, it erupted in jokes and theories about the mysterious “covfefe”. What was Trump trying to say? Who was he contacting? And most importantly: how do I write a thinkpiece about it?
Everything up until now will be known as BC: Before #Covfefe.
— Adam Rucker (@adamrucker) May 31, 2017
What is the correct pronunciation of #covfefe?
— Fusion (@Fusion) May 31, 2017
I did not have #covfefe with that woman pic.twitter.com/AQ2oQKAbHy
— Raych (@racha11e) May 31, 2017
TRUMP: thats it, I’m tired of all this negative press covfefe
AIDES: please dont tweet that
TRUMP: the public must know
AIDES: please dont— Rich Lowtax Kyanka (@lowtax) May 31, 2017
When the tweet hits your eye, and you’re dumb and you lie that’s #covfefe pic.twitter.com/16RFNbmjUP
— Leah-Catherine (@Exxperiment_626) May 31, 2017
All I see is an ocean of #Covfefe tweets. pic.twitter.com/TgbZqdXev8
—
TwiLink (@twilink11) May 31, 2017
“COVFEFE” pic.twitter.com/mzR8pmDSem
— Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) May 31, 2017
#covfefe pic.twitter.com/hlfyPviQ2V — Matthew Summers (@mdsummers) May 31, 2017
You’re all laughing, but perhaps the real Twitter is the covfefe we make along the way. pic.twitter.com/WksVYbYJxA
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 31, 2017
Some were just worried for how big a role “covfefe” will play in our future.
Please don’t name your daughters “covfefe.” Thanks
— quinta b. (@quintabrunson) May 31, 2017
What’s so funny? I’ve got three nieces named Covfefe.
— George Wallace (@MrGeorgeWallace) May 31, 2017
I assume someone is writing one about how Hillary Clinton could have won if she invested more heavily in covfefe
— Jesse Ferguson (@JesseFFerguson) May 31, 2017
Even the Merriam Webster dictionary was not having it today.
Wakes up.
Checks Twitter.
.
.
.
Uh…
.
.
.
Lookups fo…
.
.
.
Regrets checking Twitter.
Goes back to bed.— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) May 31, 2017
Popular Twitter WeRateDogs also got in on the action, capitalising on the president’s mistake almost immediately — though the account has promised half the proceeds will be sent to Planned Parenthood.
I’m screaming
@dog_ratespic.twitter.com/5yiBZ80W64
— Megan
(@megan_e_hayes) May 31, 2017
And some just prayed it never went away.
I sincerely hope #covfefe is his most liked tweet of all time and his narcissism prohibits him from ever deleting it
— Stephanie Savicki (@stephanie_pdx) May 31, 2017
The word even had South Africans weighing in, and as of 8.59am, the word was the fourth most popular trending topic in the country.
I’m crying from laughing. Twitter and #covfefe today. I can’t. pic.twitter.com/HFBN6s2BzY
—
Klea (@Clea_T) May 31, 2017
Me this morning
Best way to start the day#MampintshaChallenge #Covfefe #Uyangthandana pic.twitter.com/8QhYEnZtUz — Koketso Dlongolo (@Kokid8) May 31, 2017
when she no longer wants your #Covfefe pic.twitter.com/yS1VmNMmMs
— Emmah Ngomane (@AfricanFlute) May 31, 2017
#covfefe i’m a big fan pic.twitter.com/oW0obyOQrS
— JUMPINGBACKSLASH (@thisisjbs) May 31, 2017
We’re all laughing now, but we also may have angered the most dangerous man on the planet. So get your covfefe jokes in now before that good old nuclear war.
Feature image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr (CC 2.0 BY-SA, resized)