President Donald Trump is pulling out all the stops to win over Republicans still on the fence about his massive spending bill – posing for photos, handing out signed swag, and charming holdouts in his party. But the White House still managed to bungle the misspelling of a staunch MAGA lawmaker’s name.
On Wednesday, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) was one of several ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus members invited to the White House as Trump worked to lock down support ahead of a Friday House vote, according to a report in The New York Times. In a social media video shortly after the meeting, Burchett gushed about the experience, calling the president “wonderful, as always."
But Burchett told the Times that when he sat down for a Cabinet Room meeting, the name card in front of him had a typo – a missing “r” in his last name. “So the president scribbled in the letter, signed both sides of the card and gave it to him as a souvenir,” according to the publication.
“He signed a bunch of stuff,” Burchett said in the video on Wednesday. “It’s cool.”
According to the Times, Trump also loaded up the son of Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) with souvenirs of his own – part of what the report called a “blunt-force charm offensive waged with precision.”
“This is a man who spent his entire professional life working in hospitality and show business,” the Times noted. “It is background that has served him well in Washington.” One White House official told the publication that Trump's message to holdouts was simple: "Don’t give the Democrats a win. Don’t play into their hands.”
Despite the typo, Trump appeared to make headway with Burchett, who called the MAGA leader “informative, funny."
"He told me he likes seeing me on TV, which was kind of cool," the Tennessee lawmaker added.