In two press conferences this week, Donald Trump mistakenly misgendered two female presidents. The president referred to the presidents of both Venezuela and Ireland using male pronouns, without acknowledging either leader by name.
The first gaffe happened during Trump’s lunch with Kennedy Center board members on Monday, March 16, while he was talking about his relationship with Venezuela, two months after ordering the military to capture Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro. Since then, the country’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, has been acting president, and in recent weeks, the US formally recognized her authority. Despite this, the president accidentally gave Rodriguez a male pronoun.
“Venezuela, who’s been great, by the way, the relationship with Venezuela has been fantastic,” the president said. “The president has done a really good job. We get along with him really well,” he added, believing the president was male.
President Trump on Delcy Rodriguez, the female president of Venezuela:
“The president has done a very good job. I get along with him really well.” pic.twitter.com/4fFQ4Exe2B
— The American Conservative (@amconmag) March 16, 2026
On Tuesday, March 17, President Donald Trump made a similar mistake while speaking of Irish President Catherine Connolly. It was during a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the White House, with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, that a reporter asked Trump about a critical comment Ireland’s president made against him.
Trump responds to a question about Ireland’s president Catherine Connolly and her comments about the Iran war. (Trump clearly doesn’t know who she is as he referred to her as a he) pic.twitter.com/vSMRun7Tbe
— Christina Finn (@christinafinn8) March 17, 2026
“The Irish president has said your war against Iran is illegal and an attack on international law,” a reporter said to the president during the event. Trump then asked for clarification, saying, “Who said that?” “The Irish president,” the reporter said.“Look, he’s lucky I exist. That’s all I can say,” the president added, not remembering that Connolly is also female.
“If you’re going to allow countries that are sick and demented… to have nuclear weapons… Everybody in the whole world should be very thankful and I’m disappointed in NATO,” Trump added. “I’m very disappointed, I’m disappointed in a couple other countries too, but they should be very thankful that this group of people feels the way we do.”
During Trump’s second term as president, his mix-ups in speeches and press conferences have made the headlines. Back in January, while attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he repeatedly referred to Greenland and “Iceland.”
At the time, the president had expressed interest in “ownership” of Greenland, but the island is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark and a NATO member. Neither the Greenlanders nor Denmark was willing to part with the territory.
Meanwhile, the president had reportedly said “Iceland, four times, instead of Greenland.” In a later statement from the White House spokesperson, Taylor Rogers read, “President Trump delivered a historic speech in Davos, laying out America’s compelling national security interests involving Greenland. Mere hours afterward, President Trump announced the framework for a future deal with respect to Greenland. President Trump continues to deliver results while the failing, liberal media melts down.”
