From pints of guinness to parades and green dye, St. Patrick’s Day often gives politicians and those working in Washington ample opportunity to get into the spirit. Although some tried to do so this year, politicians including House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Donald Trump made some blunders.
Here’s a roundup of some of the faux pas and how the reactions unfolded.
President Trump and the proverb (that very likely could have been from a Nigerian poem)
Speaking at a “Friends of Ireland” lunch during a visit from the Irish Prime Minister, President Trump invoked a proverb. ”
As we stand together with our Irish friends, I’m reminded of that proverb — and this is a good one, this is one I like; I’ve heard it for many, many years and I love it — ‘Always remember to forget the friends that proved untrue. But never forget to remember those that have stuck by you,’” Trump said. “It’s a great phrase.”
But, as some on Twitter noted, the quote sounded very similar to the words of a Nigerian man, Albasheer Adam Alhassan.
Alhassan told CNN, “I posted those things when I was back in school, over 10 years ago. I never thought it would get to this level.”
The proverb was originally provided by the State Department as a “building block” for the event, The Hill reports.
Paul Ryan Struggled With a Pint of Guiness
Twitter had a field day after an image of Paul Ryan holding up a pint of Guinness at that same lunch went viral. The beer’s head, which is typically served thick and foamy, appeared to be lacking.
Sean Spicer’s Green Tie
Melissa McCarthy could have more fodder for a Saturday Night Live appearance. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer wore a kelly-green tie to his daily press briefing Thursday, provoking one Twitter, Buzzfeed’s Jesse McLaren, user to transform it into a green screen for a viral video that has been viewed more than a million times.
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