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Press Secretary Sean Spicer
The press staffer tasked with putting together the newsletter clearly did not read beyond the headline, "Trump's budget makes perfect sense and will fix America, and I will tell you why."
The op-ed's author, Alexandra Petri, criticized the administration's proposed boost in military spending and cuts to federal agencies, including the state department and the environmental protection agency, and to arts and anti-poverty programs.
She wrote:
"This budget will make America a lean, mean fighting machine with bulging, rippling muscles and not an ounce of fat. America has been weak and soft for too long. BUT HOW WILL I SURVIVE ON THIS BUDGET? you may be wondering. I AM A HUMAN CHILD, NOT A COSTLY FIGHTER JET. You may not survive, but that is because you are SOFT and WEAK, something this budget is designed to eliminate."
And:
"Environmental Protection Agency: We absolutely do not need this. Clean rivers and breathable air are making us SOFT and letting the Chinese and the Russians get the jump on us."
Upon noticing the mistake, Twitter users immediately attacked the White House, calling the incident an example of the administration's "sloppiness":
Petri, alerted to the mistake, tweeted, "REAL NEWS REAL NEWS" and:
White House press sloppiness extending beyond typos: included biting satire piece in daily brief bc didn't read beyond its headline...yikes. https://t.co/dhigzurjrv
- Rose Foran (@roseforan) March 17, 2017The White House just promoted @washingtonpost's Alexandra Petri's article about the budget in the daily email
No one is proofing over there pic.twitter.com/CPZb6p8zjT
- Sam Barnes (@samrdbarnes) March 17, 2017*sigh* no one reads any more
- Alexandra Petri (@petridishes) March 17, 2017