Donald Trump drew attention at a recent White House event after he appeared to misspeak while addressing a senior Justice Department official. The moment happened as he discussed legal action involving Harvard University. The speech quickly circulated online and prompted reactions on social media.
Donald Trump uses wrong name for his own official
President Donald Trump used the wrong name for Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon during a Black History Month reception in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday. While addressing her across the room, Trump referred to her as Harmeet “Diller.” He asked, “How are you doing with Harvard?” referencing ongoing legal action between the federal government and the Ivy League school.
Trump nominated Dhillon in December 2024, and the Senate confirmed her on April 3, 2025, as assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. An Indian-American immigrant, she has worked on civil liberties cases for a number of years and has championed First Amendment rights. She has overseen multiple investigations into U.S. colleges, including Harvard, over alleged civil liberties infringements, including accusations of antisemitism.
Last week, the Department of Justice sued Harvard for admissions records as part of its ongoing investigations into potential discrimination. Trump has supported such legal efforts, focusing on institutions he has viewed as counter to his policies or as having allowed antisemitism to go unchallenged following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023. During the event, Trump said of Harvard, “Harvard’s extremely discriminatory…Harmeet is on their trail…You keep suing them. To hell with them.”
The incident prompted reactions on social media platform X. Journalist Molly Jong-Fast posted: “Is she related to barry diller? Or phyllis diller?”
Dhillon later wrote on X: “Pleasure to be in the White House with President Trump for Black History month and to be recognized by him for my work @CivilRights!”
