U.S. President Donald Trump’s global tariff campaign stumbled this week after two official letters to foreign heads of state drew criticism for embarrassing protocol errors—misgendering Bosnia’s leader and misspelling the name of Sri Lanka’s President.
In a letter addressed to Željka Cvijanović, Chairwoman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Trump correctly used “Her Excellency” in the salutation, but then opened the body with “Dear Mr. President.” The mistake quickly went viral and was flagged by The Daily Beast on Monday. The post was later deleted and replaced with a corrected version reading “Dear Madam President.”
A similar slip occurred in Trump’s letter to Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, whose first name was mistakenly written as “Aruna.” That letter, too, was removed and reposted with the correct spelling.
Both letters are part of a wave of diplomatic messages sent by the Trump administration ahead of a looming August 1 deadline, warning that the U.S. will impose 30% tariffs on exports from countries that fail to renegotiate trade terms. Trump’s letter to Sri Lanka accused the country of maintaining “very persistent” trade barriers and warned that all goods entering the U.S. would be subject to steep tariffs unless reforms are made.
“We invite you to participate in the extraordinary economy of the United States,” Trump wrote, while adding that companies investing inside the U.S. would face no tariffs.
Though serious in tone, the letters were overshadowed by the blunders—raising concerns about accuracy and protocol at the highest level of diplomatic engagement.
The Sri Lankan government has not yet issued a response to the tariff threat or the corrected letter. (Newswire)