# Who does not have to call POTUS "Mr. President"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 30, 2017, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605 "2017-04-30T22:29:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/1 "2017-04-30T22:29:17Z")
His wife, kids, old friends…? Or they do as well? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/2 "2017-04-30T22:47:27Z")
Canadians. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/3 "2017-04-30T22:49:30Z")
No one HAS to call him anything particular. And any law that said we did would violate the First Amendment. ---
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/4 "2017-04-30T23:02:35Z")
Right, there is no law… but whom of his daily associates would not be calling him Mr. President ? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/5 "2017-04-30T23:13:25Z")
> [@bardos](#): > > Right, there is no law… but whom of his daily associates would not be calling him Mr. President ? Anyone. It depends on the president. Most if not all presidents bring a certain amount of cronies along that they have known for a while. It wouldn’t surprise me if there are always a certain number of people who call the president by his first name behind closed doors. Why wouldn’t there be? ---
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/6 "2017-04-30T23:27:34Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Anyone. It depends on the president. Most if not all presidents bring a certain amount of cronies along that they have known for a while. It wouldn’t surprise me if there are always a certain number of people who call the president by his first name behind closed doors. Why wouldn’t there be? I agree… just checking on who would call him Donny ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/7 "2017-04-30T23:29:44Z")
Me. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/8 "2017-04-30T23:58:48Z")
> [@bardos](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > Anyone. It depends on the president. Most if not all presidents bring a certain amount of cronies along that they have known for a while. It wouldn’t surprise me if there are always a certain number of people who call the president by his first name behind closed doors. Why wouldn’t there be? > > I agree… just checking on who would call him Donny Since I doubt anyone here can give a factual answer, my speculation is that Melania and some others will call him Donald, but not Donny. ---
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/9 "2017-05-01T00:04:08Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Since I doubt anyone here can give a factual answer, my speculation is that Melania … So, not snookems? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/10 "2017-05-01T00:05:25Z")
No. I can categorically state that Melania does not call him snookems. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/11 "2017-05-01T00:10:10Z")
Protocol dictates that foreign diplomats address him as “Your Excellency” as opposed to “Mr President”. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/12 "2017-05-01T00:10:12Z")
Miss Manners told the story that at one major gala given by JFK, people in the receiving line would call him “Jack”, in an attempt to show that they were “in” with the President. Then the Attorney General came up and said “Good evening, Mr President.” Miss Manners commented that it was an excellent example of how formality can be used to show one’s own social and political status. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/13 "2017-05-01T00:26:39Z")
I’m sure Ivanka, and possibly Jared, call him “Dad.” ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/14 "2017-05-01T00:38:08Z")
> [@bardos](#): > > Right, there is no law… but whom of his daily associates would not be calling him Mr. President ? Nitpick: “who … would … be calling … him”. It’s subjective case. The hint is that the clause already has an object, “him.” ---
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/15 "2017-05-01T00:42:47Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Nitpick: “who … would … be calling … him”. It’s subjective case. The hint is that the clause already has an object, “him.” I agree… saw it afterwards and was too lazy to change. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/16 "2017-05-01T01:30:40Z")
Look, if I was President, I confess that I’d be milking it. My wife would never come around, but heck, I would have someone would train my dog to address me that way: “Rood rorning, Rister Resident!” ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/17 "2017-05-01T03:03:04Z")
I wouldn’t, even if I had to. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/18 "2017-05-01T03:15:44Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Miss Manners told the story that at one major gala given by JFK, people in the receiving line would call him “Jack”, in an attempt to show that they were “in” with the President. > > Then the Attorney General came up and said “Good evening, Mr President.” > > Miss Manners commented that it was an excellent example of how formality can be used to show one’s own social and political status. Given who JFK’s [attorney general](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy) was, if this is a true story, it’s particularly amusing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/19 "2017-05-01T03:24:14Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Look, if I was President, I confess that I’d be milking it. My wife would never come around, but heck, I would have someone would train my dog to address me that way: “Rood rorning, Rister Resident!” From what I’ve heard, he _is_ milking it. Supposedly there’s a button on his desk. When he presses it, a butler appears with a Coke. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605/20 "2017-05-01T03:44:34Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > From what I’ve heard, he _is_ milking it. Supposedly there’s a button on his desk. When he presses it, a butler appears with a Coke. I’m wondering what [Robot Chicken](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfiaGungQsg) will do with Trump. If they have a chance to get anything done for Season 9, depending on their lead times. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-does-not-have-to-call-potus-mr-president/785605.md?page=2)