He’s going to need a little respect after that flub! President Barack Obama accidentally misspelled the word “respect” while paying tribute to Aretha Franklin during a Women of Soul concert at the White House on Thursday, March 6.
“When Aretha first told us what . . . R-S-P-E-C-T meant to her,” Obama, 52, looking slightly confused, said at a podium. The audience immediately erupted with laughter, but the President continued. “She had no idea it would become a rallying cry for African Americans and women and anyone else who felt marginalized because of what they looked like, who they loved. They wanted some respect.”
In Franklin’s 1967 classic “Respect,” of course, the singer famously spells out the word to a catchy tune, singing, “R-E-S-P-E-C-T/ Find out what it means to me/ R-E-S-P-E-C-T/ Take care, TCB.”
According to CBS News, Franklin, 71, performed twice during the Women of Soul concert, but not the song Obama mentioned. Other performers included Patti LaBelle, Ariana Grande, Melissa Etheridge, and Janelle Monae.
The concert — and presumably Obama’s spelling snafu — airs on PBS April 7. For now, watch the POTUS’ flub in the video clip above!
