... as he baffles web with his bizarre ‘covfefe’ tweet

LIKE many of his actions as president, it was either a stroke of madness – or unintentional genius.

Donald Trump baffled the internet on Tuesday night after posting a tweet to his 31million followers which read: ‘Despite the constant negative press covfefe.’

And he then appeared to have gone to bed, without finishing his thought or correcting his mistake.

It was sent just after midnight Washington time and remained on the account overnight. The next morning at 6am it was taken down and replaced by a good-humoured tweet which read: ‘Who can figure out the true meaning of “covfefe” ??? Enjoy!’

But it was too late – by then thousands of social media users had already pounced on the term, mocking Mr Trump mercilessly for the typo.

As ‘covfefe’ trended on Twitter, many commented on the fact that no aide intervened to take the tweet down, while others deliberated on the pronunciation of the new ‘word’.

Some quick-thinking people saw their chance and started selling ‘covfefe’ t-shirts on eBay. Even the Merriam-Webster dictionary account poked fun at the president’s post.

In another apparent communication blunder, Mr Trump has been accused of risking security by allegedly sharing his personal mobile number with world leaders and asking them to call him.

The extraordinary break with protocol could mean that the president’s conversations are being listened to, security experts warned.

Mr Trump has allegedly given his cell number to leaders from France, Mexico and Canada. US presidents are expected to contact their opposite numbers through the secure phone lines in the White House.

Unnamed former and current US officials made the claims to American media.