When Barack Obama visited Denmark last week, the White House issued a standard press release the previous day to let the media know the presidential itinerary. On foreign trips, those intineraries include the names of officials with whom they will meet. It goes without saying that these should be checked for accuracy — and by the White House before it gets to the media:
The President will arrive in Copenhagen, Denmark in the morning. The arrival at Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup is open press.
The President and the First Lady will then deliver remarks at the Chicago 2016 presentation to members of the International Olympic Committee at the Bella Center. The President, along with other Chicago 2016 panel members, participates in a question and answer session with IOC members. Both events are open to IOC-credentialed media. There will be travel pool coverage.
Later, the President and the First Lady will attend an informal reception with IOC members. There will be travel pool coverage.
The President and the First Lady will then travel to Christiansborg Palace. They will be greeted by HM Queen Margrethe II and HRH Prince Consort Henrik. There will be a travel pool spray. The President will meet Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. There will be a pool spray at the top of the meeting.
The problem here is that the Obamas got the wrong Rasmussen. The current Prime Minister of Denmark is Lars Løkke Rasmussen. What’s more, Barack Obama should know that Anders Fogh Rasmussen isn’t the Danish Prime Minister, since Obama took credit for making Anders Fogh Rasmussen the Secretary-General of NATO earlier this year.
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