President Donald Trump welcomed his “honored” guest, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the White House recently, but forgot one important thing: how to pronounce his visitor's name.

In a joint press conference with the Turkish president, Mr Trump repeatedly mispronounced Mr Erdogan’s name, saying it with a hard “g” instead of the soft “w” sound used in many Turkish words.

Reporters covering the press conference quickly took note.

“Has no one told POTUS how to pronounce Erdogan?” tweeted NBC’s Katy Turr.

“Someone should have told @realDonaldTrump that Erdogan is pronounced ‘Er-do-wan’, not ‘Air-da-gahn,’” said Boston Globe reporter Kimberly Atkins.

The meeting was controversial for other, more substantial reasons, however.

Mr Erdogan is seen by many as an increasingly authoritarian ruler, extending his control over Turkey past the bounds of their democratic system. Former President Barack Obama maintained a strained relationship with the Turkish leader, which further deteriorated after the failure of a violent coup attempt last summer.

In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: Turkey coup attempt In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Erdogan attends the funeral service for victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul at Fatih mosque on July 17, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey Burak Kara/Getty Images In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge with their hands raised in Istanbul on 16 July, 2016 Gokhan Tan/Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A civilian beats a soldier after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 REUTERS/Murad Sezer In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Surrendered Turkish soldiers who were involved in the coup are beaten by a civilian Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wave flags as they capture a Turkish Army vehicle Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People pose near a tank after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Brigde Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A Turkish military stands guard near the Taksim Square in Istanbul Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Pierre Crom/Twitter In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul's Taksim square AP In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People demonstrate in front of the Republic Monument at the Taksim Square in Istanbul Murad Sezer/Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers detain police officers during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish Army armoured personnel carriers in the main streets of Istanbul Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Chaos reigned in Istanbul as tanks drove through the streets EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media in the resort town of Marmaris Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of President Erdogan celebrate in Ankara following the suppression of the attempted coup Reuters

Mr Edogan recently lead a country-wide referendum to cement his rule and consolidate much of the government’s power under his office. Mr Trump called to congratulate him on the referendum’s passage last month, even as independent experts disputed the vote’s authenticity.

However, the US president also drew Turkey's ire by election to arm Kurdish militias in Syria in order to push Isis out. Mr Erdogan's government sees the Kurdish forces as terrorists.

The day of Mr Erdogan’s visit, nine people were injured in protests outside the Turkish embassy in Washington, DC. They were said to be protesting Mr Erdogan's policies in Turkey, Syria and Iraq.

Neither leader mentioned these issues in their joint press conference. Instead, both stuck mainly to comments about terrorism and the fight against Isis.