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---
title: Trump Gets Mocked on Twitter for Smocking Gun Tweet
description: After tweeting spelling error &quot;smocking gun,&quot; President Donald Trump got mocked on Twitter by people like Monica Lewisnky and Kathy Griffin.
canonical: https://time.com/5475262/trump-smocking-gun/
author: Ashley Hoffman
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article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2018-12-10T14:08:42.000Z
article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T16:06:35.000Z
og:title: Trump Tweeted &#x27;Smocking Gun&#x27; and the Internet Got Crafty
og:description: Monica Lewinsky and Kathy Griffin are weighing in
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og:image:alt: Trump Mueller
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twitter:title: Trump Tweeted &#x27;Smocking Gun&#x27; and the Internet Got Crafty
twitter:description: Monica Lewinsky and Kathy Griffin are weighing in
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb2e3786eb2fc3462/698940f4bc6cfc6d123e7a4e/trump-mueller.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# Trump Tweeted 'Smocking Gun' and the Internet Got Crafty

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by 

[Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/)


## Ashley Hoffman


Updated: Dec 12, 2023 4:06 PM UTCPublished: Dec 10, 2018 2:08 PM UTC

![Trump Mueller](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb2e3786eb2fc3462/698940f4bc6cfc6d123e7a4e/trump-mueller.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a bilateral meeting with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, on December 1, 2018.

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a bilateral meeting with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, on December 1, 2018. SAUL LOEB—AFP/Getty Images

by 

[Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/)


## Ashley Hoffman


Updated: Dec 12, 2023 4:06 PM UTCPublished: Dec 10, 2018 2:08 PM UTC

The internet is not done schooling President Trump on his [Twitter typos](http://time.com/5371804/chris-evans-on-trump-2/).

President Donald Trump began the week with a missive claiming that prosecutors have been unable to find evidence of collusion between his Russia and his presidential campaign, tweeting:

“Democrats can’t find a Smocking Gun tying the Trump campaign to Russia after James Comey’s testimony. No Smocking Gun…No Collusion.” @FoxNews That’s because there was NO COLLUSION. So now the Dems go to a simple private transaction, wrongly call it a campaign contribution,…”

> [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1072095127894667265)

> [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1072098604599394305)

The pair of tweets from early Monday morning were the latest in his ongoing criticism of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

Suffice it to say the smocking mockery was swift as the commander-in-chief’s frequent critics wasted no time in targeting the word usage.

> [](https://twitter.com/zachbraff/status/1072127313096138752)


> [](https://twitter.com/KevinMKruse/status/1072167680545882114)

> [](https://twitter.com/MerriamWebster/status/1072174100355923968)

> [](https://twitter.com/danieljgay/status/1072166576928030720)


> [](https://twitter.com/MrBrandonStroud/status/1072187367237316608)

> [](https://twitter.com/LibyaLiberty/status/1072188408951435264)

> [](https://twitter.com/kenrudin/status/1072164612043345920)


> [](https://twitter.com/ditzkoff/status/1072116705005133824)

> [](https://twitter.com/kathygriffin/status/1072099881278332929)

> [](https://twitter.com/GlennThrush/status/1072110483124174849)


> [](https://twitter.com/MonicaLewinsky/status/1072108744211861504)

> [](https://twitter.com/CharlesPPierce/status/1072110709121650689)

> [](https://twitter.com/JeffreyGoldberg/status/1072100409618120704)


> [](https://twitter.com/ChuckWendig/status/1072108867453095936)

> [](https://twitter.com/rgay/status/1072104410724163586)

> [](https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1072099875729367040)


> [](https://twitter.com/MalcolmNance/status/1072105509652709376)

> [](https://twitter.com/peterdaou/status/1072101125430611968)

Some suggested the snafu was no mistake.

> [](https://twitter.com/ashleyfeinberg/status/1072118160281735169)


[Merriam Webster](http://time.com/4770763/merriam-webster-corrects-donald-trump-tweet/) defines smocking as “a decorative embroidery or shirring made by gathering cloth in regularly spaced round tucks.”

And while jokes about the administration’s wording and typos have been consistent, a pattern repeated as people took to Twitter to remind POTUS about the importance of one misplaced letter, this was no new misspelling.

Trump has tweeted “smocking gun” before, an error late night hosts like Stephen Colbert couldn’t resist digging into.

> [](https://twitter.com/shaunking/status/1072119091983515649)

> [](https://twitter.com/NumbersMuncher/status/1072117069632684033)


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