Trump Says Melania Corrected His 'Vaygan' Slip as Critics Question Why He Quoted His Wife Calling Him 'Sir'

Donald Trump told a rally in San Antonio, Texas, on 7 October that Melania corrected his 'vaygan' pronunciation, drawing questions online about why he quoted his wife calling him 'Sir'.

The remarks came at the Freeman Coliseum during an attack on Democratic state representative James Talarico, The Mirror reported.

Talarico, who is running against Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton for the US Senate, has repeatedly denied being vegan despite the president's claims about his diet.

Trump Credits Melania With Correcting His Pronunciation

Trump introduced the anecdote while targeting Talarico's alleged eating habits. He had pronounced vegan as 'vaygan' during an earlier rally and now attributed his revised pronunciation to the first lady.

Recounting what he described as his wife's request, Trump quoted her as telling him, 'Sir, do me a favor. You have to do me just a little bit of a favor. It's not vaygan, it's vegan.'

He followed that account with an explanation of his unfamiliarity with the subject. 'I don't know about that stuff. I'm not into it.'

The president then shifted from referring to his wife to using 'he' for the person correcting him. That shift left the identity of the person in his anecdote unclear, despite his initial reference to Melania.

Trump also linked his lack of knowledge about veganism to his own preference for meat. 'I called it vaygan, vaygan. How the hell would I know? I like steak.'

He concluded the anecdote with a greeting on his wife's behalf. 'She says hello to everybody. Melania says hello.'

Critics Question Trump's Use of 'Sir'

The form of address attracted scepticism from social media users. Their comments questioned both whether Melania would address her husband as 'Sir' and why Trump would portray their conversation that way.

One X user wrote, 'Even Melania has to call him 'sir'? SERIOUSLY doubt that but who wants people to think his WIFE calls him SIR? ? I don't even think he knows what he's saying.'

Another posted, 'His wife calls him 'Sir'?'

Those posts expressed the users' doubts about Trump's account. They did not establish what Melania had told him or how she addresses him privately.

Dietary Claims Shape Trump's Texas Attacks

The pronunciation story followed earlier attempts to portray Talarico's alleged diet as incompatible with Texas voters. During a rally the previous weekend, Trump nicknamed him 'Talafreako' and claimed that vegans could not win elections in the state.

At that appearance, he told supporters, 'A vaygan is eating a piece of lettuce all day long.'

Trump also alleged that Talarico attended barbecues to persuade voters he ate meat before vomiting behind a tent.

Talarico has disputed the premise of the attacks throughout the campaign. 'I'm an eighth-generation Texan. I've been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton's first indictment.'

Paxton has employed the nickname 'Tofu Talarico', while Trump has repeated criticism of the Democrat's alleged diet at the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas and aboard Air Force One.

Talarico's campaign has responded with photographs of him eating barbecue and turkey legs at the Texas State Fair. It has also shifted its talking points towards rising beef prices and affordability for working-class Texans.