Donald Trump found himself tongue-tied as he attempted to pronounce Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s last name.
The president, 79, hosted multiple professional athletes, including golfer Bryson DeChambeau and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, at the White House Thursday for an executive order signing that will reestablish the Presidential Fitness Test.
Trump unveiled a number of sporting stars who will form a newly-created council of professional athletes to help with the reinstatement of the test, including Tagovailoa as well as Super Bowl winner Saquon Barkley.
However, he hit a stumbling block when he came to praise the Dolphins passer during his address as he tripped up over his last name, which is pronounced ‘Tun-go-val-oa.’
The Commander-in-Chief sounded out the last name of the signal caller, who is of Samoan descent, before butchering it anyway and pronouncing it ‘Ta-go-valiah.’
‘ Tua… Tag-o-valiah, the quarterback who has really been fantastic,’ Trump said. ‘When he’s not injured, he’s great. He’s got to stay healthy. But he’s a great guy.’
Donald Trump hosted multiple professional athletes at the White House on Thursday
The president struggled to pronounce the last name of Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa
The president was referring to Tagovailoa’s lengthy spells on the sidelines over the past fews seasons through concussion scares.
Tagovailoa suffered a concussion – the third-known head injury of his NFL career – during the team’s loss to the Buffalo Bills in September 2024.
He slammed to the turf following a hit by Damar Hamlin during the third quarter of the Week 2 matchup and appeared to go straight into the fencing response.
The terrifying scenes sparked a flood of calls for the signal caller, who has suffered with multiple head injuries dating back to 2022, to retire from the game.
However, he returned to the field in October, suiting up against the Arizona Cardinals for Mike McDaniels.
Trump’s praise for Tagovailoa comes as no surprise as the the Alabama product appears to be close to the president’s extended family.
Earlier this year, Tagovailoa and his former Dolphins teammate Braxton Berrios spent time with First Daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Ivanka, the eldest daughter of President Donald Trump, shared an Instagram carousel in March to give her 8.3 million followers a glimpse at her family’s dad with the NFL stars, which included her son Theodore, passing the pigskin around.
Tagovailoa’s wife Annah sparked controversy by endorsing Trump last October
Tagovailoa and Braxton Berrios posed for a photo with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s son
Ivanka shared a snap of the Miami Dolphins quarterback playing chess with the eight-year-old
In one photo Ivanka’s youngest son and her husband posed with the quarterback and the wide receiver, who is dating TikTok star Alix Earle. Meanwhile a video in the next slide showed Theodore showing off his arm with the NFL players, while another snap showed the youngster playing chess with Tagovailoa.
Furthermore, Tagovailoa’s wife, Annah, sparked backlash when she re-shared a flattering post about the now-president ahead of last November’s election.
‘President Trump is housing 275 Florida linemen free of charge at his Doral Miami resort ahead of hurricane Milton’s landfall,’ read the original X post from conservative YouTuber Benny Johnson. ‘My President.’
‘Linemen,’ in this case, has nothing to with football, but rather the utility workers who helped prepare the region for last fall’s historic storm – which has caused catastrophic damage in Florida.
Annah went on to share the post, which sparked a meltdown from liberal users on the platform.
An outspoken evangelical Christian, Tua Tagovailoa met Annah at the University of Alabama and the couple has two children: A son, Ace, and a daughter, Maisey.
