President Donald Trump has become a frequent presence in the news, as are most presidents, but how he’s referenced is the subject of today’s Fact Check.
KRIS 6 News has received a number of emails from viewers concerned that referring to the president as "Mr. Trump," may be disrespectful.
So the question remains, is the use of "Mr." appropriate when referring to the president?
The Verdict: No. It is not disrespectful.
On the contrary, the use of "Mr." is a long-standing journalistic practice used even by the White House itself. All 45 presidents have been referred to as "Mr.," right back to President George Washington.
Grammatical rules and the practices of the Associated Press and other organizations instruct the first reference made in a report to refer to the president as "President," but the use of "Mr." is appropriate in all following references.
It’s a standard practice. The White House itself employs it on Mr. Trump’s official bio page. On that page, the first mention uses "President" but the following references use "Mr.," in line with traditions long employed by writers, journalists and the government itself.
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