WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump appeared to mistakenly refer to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as professional golfer Cristie Kerr while he was thanking members of his Cabinet at a press conference on Aug. 5.
The flub occurred before the 79-year-old Trump signed an executive order to create a White House task force that will handle operations and security for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games to be held in Los Angeles. He acknowledged members of the task force, including Noem who was present at the briefing.
“I want to recognize several members of the task force, including our great Vice President JD Vance. JD, thank you very much. Thank you. Our equally great Attorney General Pam Bondi. Pam, thank you very much, Pam. Secretary of Homeland Security Cristie Kerr,” he said.
Trump then quickly corrected himself.
“Cristie Kerr, do you know who Cristie Kerr is?” he said, as Vance and others on stage laughed. “She’s a friend of mine. Great golfer.”
“Kristi Noem, she’s a better golfer than you, that’s the only thing,” Trump added. “But you’re better at a lot of other things, but I want to thank you for being here, and for doing an unbelievable job.”
Noem smiled throughout the moment.
This isn’t the first time Trump has mixed up names. When he ran for president in 2024, he confused former Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, while discussing the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Trump is the oldest president to be sworn into office, and has often mocked former President Joe Biden, 82, over his age throughout the 2024 campaign and to this day. Questions about Biden’s health have come to the forefront in recent months after several books detailed his alleged declining cognitive and physical activity.
In April, White House physician Sean Barbabella released a memo highlighting the results of Trump’s annual physical examination. Barbabella wrote that Trump “exhibits excellent cognitive and physical health and is fully fit to execute the duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump mistakenly refers to secretary Kristi Noem as Cristie Kerr
