Tom Phillips, Lady in Red? Trump Told to See China President as Woman to Help Pronounce Name. Daily Guardian, Jan 4, 2018 https://www.theguardian.com/us-n ... man-name-xi-jinping
("Not known for his linguistic talents, Trump was instead prone to call the leader of the world's No 2 economy 'Mr X-i' ")
(2) additional reporting:
Christina Zhao, Trump Told to Imagine Chinese President Xi Jinping Was a Woman to Help Pronounce His Name, Book Claims. Newsweek, Jan 5, 2018. www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-pr ... nce-his-name-771669
Quote:
"President Donald Trump is not known for his linguistic talents—and he doesn't seem to care: In the past, he has proudly pronounced China as Ch-eye-na, Tanzania as Tan-zayn-ia and Beyonce as Beyonc-ee.
"Before the advice [to pronounce Xi as she], Trump struggled with pronouncing the family name of China's leader and used to call him 'Mr X - I,' reported The Guardian, who obtained the book this week, ahead of its scheduled release.
My comment:
(i) There is no need to read the rest of the Newsweek report.
(ii) pronunciations:
(A) Beyoncé https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyoncé
("was born in Houston, Texas, to Celestine 'Tina' Knowles (née Beyincé), a hairdresser and salon owner, and Mathew Knowles, a Xerox sales manager.[24] Beyoncé's name is a tribute to her mother's maiden name")