'Covfefe': Trump Lights Up Internet With Late-Night Tweet
In an audio-only White House briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters: "The president and a small group of people know what he meant"
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President Donald Trump’s first trip abroad since taking office has been filled with viral moments. Here are five that had people talking and tweeting.
"Covfefe." It was the word that rocked the Twitter world just after midnight on the East Coast.
President Donald Trump wrote the word in a late-night message from his personal account that mystified much of the rest of Twitter: "Despite the constant negative press covfefe."
It wasn't clear what he meant, though some suspected the word was supposed to read "coverage." But many others had fun with the tweet, as the hashtag #covfefe quickly began to trend.
In an audio-only White House briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters: "The president and a small group of people know what he meant."
Comedian and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel got in on the debate. "What makes me saddest is that I know I'll never write anything funnier than #covfefe," Kimmel tweeted.
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President Donald Trump, right, talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May in Taormina, Italy, May 26, 2017. Leaders of the G-7 meet including newcomers Emmanuel Macron of France and Theresa May of Britain in an effort to forge a new dynamic after a year of global political turmoil amid a rise in nationalism.
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President Donald Trump, second to the right, and British Prime Minister, Theresa May at right during a photo opportunity of leaders as they arrive for a NATO summit meeting on May 25, 2017, in Brussels, Belgium. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is made up of 28 countries. This year's summit is held at their new headquarters in Brussels.
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US President Donald Trump, second left, and his wife Melania, right, pose with Belgium's King Philippe and his wife Queen Mathilde at the Royal Palace in Brussels on Wednesday, May 24, 2017. US President Donald Trump is in Belgium for a two day visit which will include a meeting with EU officials and a NATO summit.
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US President Donald Trump stands with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel during the playing of National Anthems during arrival at Melsbroek Military Airport in Melsbroek, Belgium on Wednesday, May 24, 2017. US President Donald Trump is in Belgium to attend a NATO summit and to meet EU and Belgian officials.
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President Donald Trump walks with Italian President Sergio Mattarella to a meeting at Quirinal Palace, Wednesday, May 24, 2017, in Rome.
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President Donald Trump stands with Pope Francis during a meeting, Wednesday, May 24, 2017, at the Vatican.
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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump meet Pope Francis, Wednesday, May 24, 2017, at the Vatican.
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U.S. President Donald Trump, right, meets Pope Francis, Wednesday, May 24, 2017, at the Vatican.
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President Donald Trump and his wife Melania arrive at the San Damaso courtyard for his private audience with Pope Francis, at the Vatican, Wednesday, May 24, 2017.
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President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake during then visit to the Israel museum in Jerusalem, Tuesday, May 23, 2017.
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President Donald Trump arrives to deliver a speech at the Israel Museum, in Jerusalem, Tuesday, May 23, 2017.
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President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump lay a wreath at Yad Vashem to honor the victims of the Holocaust, in Jerusalem, Tuesday, May 23, 2017.
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President Donald Trump shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after making statements to the press, Tuesday, May 23, 2017, in the West Bank City of Bethlehem.
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President Donald Trump speaks with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin during a joint statement on May 22, 2017, in Jerusalem.
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President Donald Trump visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem on May 22, 2017.
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President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, May 21, 2017, in Riyadh.
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President Donald Trump shakes hands with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani during a bilateral meeting, May 21, 2017, in Riyadh. From left, Al-Thani, Trump, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.
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President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Sunday, May 21, 2017, in Riyadh.
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Saudi King Salman presents President Donald Trump with The Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal at the Royal Court Palace, May 20, 2017, in Riyadh.
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Prince Faisal bin Bandar, left, the governor of the Saudi capital Riyadh, listens on as Ivanka Trump talks to an unidentified Saudi official during a ceremony where her father President Donald Trump received the Order of Abdulaziz al-Saud medal from Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud at the Royal Court in Riyadh on May 20, 2017.
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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania arrive for a welcome ceremony at the Royal Terminal of King Khalid International Airport, May 20, 2017, in Riyadh.
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President Donald Trump meets with Saudi King Salman after a welcome ceremony at the Royal Terminal of King Khalid International Airport, May 20, 2017, in Riyadh.
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First Lady Melania Trump distributes books as she speaks with students on a visit with Saudi Education Minster Ahmed al-Essa, right, to the American International School in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 21, 2017.
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President Donald Trump walks with Saudi King Salman during a welcome ceremony at the Royal Terminal of King Khalid International Airport, May 20, 2017, in Riyadh.
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Ivanka Trump, left, and Melania Trump waits for the start of a speech by President Donald Trump to the Arab Islamic American Summit, at the King Abdulaziz Conference Center, May 21, 2017, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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In this May 21, 2017 photo released by the Saudi Press Agency, from left to right, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, Saudi King Salman, First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump, visit a new Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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President Donald Trump is seated at the Arab Islamic American Summit at the King Abdulaziz Conference Center in Riyadh on May 21, 2017. Trump tells Muslim leaders he brings message of "friendship, hope and love."
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Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud welcomes President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump ahead of a dinner given in honor of him at Murabba Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 20, 2017.
Many people turned the word into a meme and some users started their own "Covfefe" Twitter accounts.
Even Merriam-Webster sounded off, though its tweet didn't specifically mention "covfefe" or Trump.
The ambiguous tweet stayed online for more than five hours, gaining thousands more retweets than Trump's other recent messages before being removed shortly after 5:30 a.m.
Trump then sent another message to address what many people thought was a typo.
"Who can figure out the true meaning of "covfefe" ??? Enjoy!" the president wrote.
Who can figure out the true meaning of "covfefe" ??? Enjoy!
The White House has not responded to a request for comment. The tweet came the day White House communications director Michael Dubke announced he was resigning from his position.
