Donald Trump claims Aretha Franklin 'worked' for him

Donald Trump has remembered the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, as someone he "knew well" and "who worked for me".

"I want to begin today by expressing my condolences to the family of a person I knew well," he began — so far, so good. But then came this: "She worked for me on numerous occasions."

Wait, what?

You're not alone if you have no idea what the president means by that. Media outlets have been scrambling to try and decode it.

Trump claims Aretha Franklin 'worked' for him. Photo / AP

According to the Press of Atlantic City, the Respect singer performed at the now defunct Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in the 90s and according to theNew York Daily News, she attended a private event hosted by Mr Trump to celebrate the grand opening of the Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York in 1997.

Per White House pool, Trump just described Aretha Franklin as a person he knew well and who worked for him.

— Philip Crowther (@PhilipinDC) August 16, 2018

However, it is not known if she actually performed at the event, as Vanity Fair cheekily pointed out: "It's unclear what Trump is referring to exactly when he says that Franklin worked for him, or if he's confusing having someone take a photo with him in 1997 as 'work.'"

Photos from the event see Mr Trump with his arm slung over the shoulder of a grinning Franklin, news.com.au reported.

Either way, "working for me" seems like a bit of a stetch.

.......worked for him?? Does he mean he once paid her for a private performance (which is common with many celebrities; Bruno Mars once performed at a party for $1M)? Because that is the only way this statement would make sense.

— 🦠 I Don’t Know Anymore (@buymetherapy) August 16, 2018

And just when you think it can't get any worse, Mr Trump continued: "She was terrific — Aretha Franklin — on her passing."

The legendary vocalist performed her death well? We will leave that one to you to figure out.