Donald Trump shouts out Tua Tagovailoa, but butchers pronunciation
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
President Donald Trump had more than a little trouble pronouncing the last name of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa during a speech on Thursday.
Trump, alongside Vice President JD Vance, WWE icon Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and others in attendance, signed an executive order re-establishing the Presidential Fitness Test. It was replaced by the Presidential Youth Fitness Program in 2013 during the Obama administration, before Trump’s executive order.
During the signing, the President took a second to give a shoutout to Tagovailoa, who is on his Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. The only problem was that it didn’t go as smoothly as it should have. Take a listen:
In fairness, Tagovailoa isn’t the easiest name in the world to pronounce. For the record, it’s TUNG-oh-VAI-loa. And fans who have watched Tagovailoa in the pros or in college may have noticed broadcasters simply call him “Tua” for simplicity’s sake.
As for Tagovailoa, he’s had a history of concussions throughout his NFL career, including in 2024 when he missed several weeks after suffering another one in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills. We’ll see if 2025 is any different and if the former Alabama quarterback can remain healthy on what could be a pivotal year for the Dolphins.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
