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Trump was “irked” that his D.C. arraignment judge simply called him “Mr. Trump”: report

"He's still referred to by his former title, 'President Trump,' when he's at his Bedminster golf club"

Staff Reporter

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Former U.S. President Donald Trump holds an umbrella as he arrives at Reagan National Airport following an arraignment in a Washington, D.C. court on August 3, 2023 in Arlington, Virginia. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Former U.S. President Donald Trump holds an umbrella as he arrives at Reagan National Airport following an arraignment in a Washington, D.C. court on August 3, 2023 in Arlington, Virginia. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump was particularly “irked” when the magistrate judge overseeing his arraignment Thursday referred to him as simply “Mr. Trump,” CNN’s Kaitlan Collin’s reported Thursday night. “That may not sound odd to anyone else, but he is still referred to by his former title, ‘President Trump,’ when he’s at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey” and at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, she explained.

Not only is Trump not entitled to the title, however, but referring to him as “Mr. President” is incorrect, Tom Nichols, a staff writer for The Atlantic, explained on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: “Some titles — governor, ambassador, certain military ranks and yes, ‘professor’ — are lifetime titles. ‘President’ is not; a president is the ‘presiding officer’ while he presides, which is why Senate Presidents are ‘Mr/Madam President’ only while they hold the gavel.” More to the point, Nichols added, “America has only one president at a time,” and it is not Trump. The former president pleaded not guilty Thursday to all four felony charges in the indictment, which accuses him of leading a conspiracy to remain in power after his 2020 electoral defeat. If convicted the 77-year-old could spend the rest of his life in prison.

By Tatyana Tandanpolie

Tatyana Tandanpolie is a staff reporter at Salon. Born and raised in central Ohio, she moved to New York City in 2018 to pursue degrees in Journalism and Africana Studies at New York University. She is currently based in her home state and has previously written for local Columbus publications, including Columbus Monthly, CityScene Magazine and The Columbus Dispatch.


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