President Donald Trump has a penchant for calling out the names of key supporters at his campaign events, and a Friday rally in Ocala, Florida was no different — but he badly botched the name of one of his most vocal fans in Congress, mixing up Rep. Matt Gaetz’s name with that of Rick Gates, a former Trump aide who pled guilty to crimes related to Russian interference in the 2016 election and pro-Putin efforts in Ukraine.
The Florida congressman has been a strong supporter of the president since the 2016 GOP primary. Gaetz’s Twitter profile even includes a Trump quote about him: “He’s a machine…handsome and going places.”
“And then she said it was my fault,” said Trump, about Whitmer. “It was my people that caught them. It was Trump’s fault. It’s always Trump’s fault.”
“Can it ever be, like, Rick Gates’ fault?” Trump continued, as he pointed to Gaetz, who was near the stage to Trump’s left. “I mean, eh? It’s always Trump’s fault, Rick.”
“We are going to win,” said Trump, “that’s why they raise money. I could raise much more money. Every call I make. Every single guy, even though they hated me, they’d all contribute. But Rick, you understand it, I don’t want to make those calls.”
People in the crowd started shouting “Matt” and “Matt Gaetz,” trying to get Trump to say the right name.