US president’s tweet aimed at British PM was initially directed at a woman from Sussex with six Twitter followers

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

When Donald Trump pressed send on a tweet to @theresamay, he thought he had aimed it at the prime minister of one of Washington’s closest allies. He wrote: “Don’t focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!”

But it was sent to the wrong Theresa May.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Screenshot of Trump’s deleted tweet addressed to the wrong Theresa May Photograph: Twitter.com/realDonaldTrump

Trump subsequently deleted that tweet and tried again 20 minutes later, this time using the correct handle, @theresa_may.

The owner of @theresamay is Theresa May Scrivener, a 41-year-old woman who lives in Bognor and has six Twitter followers. She slept through the excitement.

“I wasn’t really sure what to make of it,” she told the Press Association. “I was in bed by half 10 last night and oblivious to it all. It has been very surreal. I haven’t been able to leave my house. I’ve been bombarded and been contacted by press from around the world.”



Scrivener said she had received thousands of messages about Trump’s tweet. “It’s amazing to think that the world’s most powerful man managed to press the wrong button. I’m just waiting for a call from the White House with an apology.”

The first she knew about Trump’s mistake, she said, was when she woke at 4am to find her phone swamped with messages from people trying to get in touch with her.

Many of the messages directed to her Twitter account apologised for the behaviour of the president. One user wrote:

Rogue Tortoise (@whisky5ho) Dear non-PM @theresamay,

On behalf of sane Americans (slim majority, but not in the rigged electoral system) I'd like to apologize for the illegitimate White House Resident being such a blathering, insufferable, ignoramus and as his cabinet will confirm, total #effingMoron.

Sorry

Trump has been the subject of much criticism in the UK after retweeting videos posted by Jayda Fransen the deputy leader of the far-right extremist group Britain First, and then criticising the prime minister for rebuking him over it.

'Evil racist': how the UK reacted to Trump's Theresa May Twitter attack Read more

For her part, Scrivener said she had no plans to change her Twitter name. “Why should I? It’s my name. He [Trump] needs to think before he tweets. We – Theresa May and I – are so different. She runs the country, I’m a mum from Bognor. I hope now I’ve said my piece I will be left alone.”



It has been an unusual route into the public eye. “If I wanted to be famous,” Scrivener said, “I would have gone on X Factor.”