By Richard Thomas
(Credit: Public Domain)
During a recent rally held in Hebron, Kentucky on March 13, President Trump declared his love for “Keen-tucky,” as he called it, while declaring that only real Keen-tuckians called the state Keen-tucky. He was promptly dragged by comedians and on social media, with many personalities who are also native Kentuckians or current Kentucky residents stating they’ve never heard anyone ever describe their home as “Keen-tucky.”
Doubling down on the mispronunciation, Trump declared on Truth Social that he would sign an executive order to rename Kentucky as Keentucky, the same way he had done with the Gulf of Mexico and the Department of Defense:
Keentucky is Keentucky. It’s always been Keentucky and that is the way real Keentucky people say it. Only radical left Democrats call it Kentucky. I’ll make Keentucky great again by respelling the name to what real Americans actually say it. MAKA!
The Truth Social post was missed amid news that Trump had also compared his attack on Iran to the infamous Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 while meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister. However, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear did not overlook the post, immediately informing the White House they had no authority to rename his state or any other on a whim, and the state would sue if it was tried.
So, at 9 am today, April 1st, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Bureau (TTB) announced that they would formally change the labeling designation of Kentucky Bourbon to Keentucky Bourbon, so as to “better reflect the native vernacular.” The agency’s spokesperson cited a 1964 resolution naming bourbon “America’s Native Spirit” and the agency’s own regulatory authority as sufficient to force a more accurate labeling of all of the state’s bourbon going forward.
Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY) was present at the TTB press conference, and was quoted as saying, “I’ve always pronounced it Keen-tucky, and only carpetbagging phonies like my woke opponent Nate Morris would pronounce it ‘Kentucky.’ You can hear the DEI in the way he says it. ‘Kentucky.’ It’s revolting.”
The White House followed the TTB announcement an hour later with a press statement, declaring ICE agents would be deployed into bars and liquor stores around the country to enforce the new pronunciation. “Patrons who fail to declare what is in the bottle is ‘Keen-tucky Bourbon” will not be allowed to complete their purchase. We have the authority to enforce President Trump’s will, and won’t hesitate to do so.” Furthermore, ICE agents are authorized to force bar patrons to drink bourbon on the rocks (with ice) at their discretion.
Many news pundits have already described the effort to use the TTB as a way for Trump to get his way rather than admit to making a bad joke, and without suffering another setback in court. The state of Kentucky responded by filing suit in Federal court against the TTB before noon on the same day.
