Obama’s Fishy Explanation for Calling Britain’s Finance Minister the Wrong Name

The president, it seems, committed a minor gaffe during this week’s G-8 meetings in Northern Ireland. According to the Financial Times, the stumble came during a discussion of tax avoidance issues, when Barack Obama thrice interrupted the British chancellor of the exchequer in order to say he agreed with "Jeffrey." The chancellor’s name is George ...

Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for The Jackie Robinson Foundation
Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for The Jackie Robinson Foundation
Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for The Jackie Robinson Foundation

The president, it seems, committed a minor gaffe during this week's G-8 meetings in Northern Ireland. According to the Financial Times, the stumble came during a discussion of tax avoidance issues, when Barack Obama thrice interrupted the British chancellor of the exchequer in order to say he agreed with "Jeffrey."

The president, it seems, committed a minor gaffe during this week’s G-8 meetings in Northern Ireland. According to the Financial Times, the stumble came during a discussion of tax avoidance issues, when Barack Obama thrice interrupted the British chancellor of the exchequer in order to say he agreed with "Jeffrey."

The chancellor’s name is George Osborne.

Obama later apologized, saying, "I’m sorry, man. I must have confused you with my favorite R&B singer." The U.S. leader was referring to Jeffrey Osborne, the soulful crooner responsible for "On the Wings of Love."

But is Osborne really the favorite that Obama claims? Some investigative reporting has raised serious questions about where Osborne ranks in Obama’s hierarchy of musical preferences.

In multiple interviews about music, Obama has never once mentioned Osborne when asked about the songs he listens to, even when mentioning other R&B artists. Consider the following data points:

  • In an interview with Cincinnati radio station WIZF, Obama says he listens to Stevie Wonder, James Brown, the Fugees, and even jazz artist Gil Scott-Heron, among others. But Osborne is never brought up.
  • In an interview with Rolling Stone, he specifically discusses R&B — but again, makes no mention of Osborne (the late classical singer Maria Callas gets a shout out).
  • Asked about his musical preferences by a middle school teacher while campaigning in 2007, Obama again mentions Stevie Wonder, and adds that he enjoys Earth, Wind & Fire — but no Osborne.

So — is Jeffrey Osborne really an artist so close to the president’s heart that he could accidentally blurt out his name when addressing another country’s chancellor of the exchequer? Or did Obama just forget poor George Osborne’s name?

We report, you decide.

Alicia P.Q. Wittmeyer is the Europe editor at Foreign Policy. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and Forbes, among other places. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and master’s degrees from Peking University and the London School of Economics. The P.Q. stands for Ping-Quon. Twitter: @APQW

More from Foreign Policy

A photo collage illustration shows U.S. political figures plotted on a foreign-policy spectrum from most assertive to least. From left: Dick Cheney, Nikki Haley, Joe Biden, George H.W. Bush, Ron Desantis, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Bernie Sanders.
A photo collage illustration shows U.S. political figures plotted on a foreign-policy spectrum from most assertive to least. From left: Dick Cheney, Nikki Haley, Joe Biden, George H.W. Bush, Ron Desantis, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Bernie Sanders.

The Scrambled Spectrum of U.S. Foreign-Policy Thinking

Presidents, officials, and candidates tend to fall into six camps that don’t follow party lines.

A girl touches a photograph of her relative on the Memory Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine in the Russian-Ukrainian war in Kyiv.
A girl touches a photograph of her relative on the Memory Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine in the Russian-Ukrainian war in Kyiv.

What Does Victory Look Like in Ukraine?

Ukrainians differ on what would keep their nation safe from Russia.

A man is seen in profile standing several yards away from a prison.
A man is seen in profile standing several yards away from a prison.

The Biden Administration Is Dangerously Downplaying the Global Terrorism Threat

Today, there are more terror groups in existence, in more countries around the world, and with more territory under their control than ever before.

Then-Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez arrives for a closed-door briefing by intelligence officials at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Then-Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez arrives for a closed-door briefing by intelligence officials at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

Blue Hawk Down

Sen. Bob Menendez’s indictment will shape the future of Congress’s foreign policy.