Donald Trump's 'disrespectful' tribute to Aretha Franklin has not gone down well

'She worked for me on numerous occasions'

Donald Trump never fails to be controversial, and from his greeting the Queen with a handshake to making friends with Putin, the past few months have been no exception.

This week the 72-year-old caused a storm, after he paid a controversial tribute to the late Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, who it was announced had tragically died this week.

The Respect singer was the embodiment of 60s female empowerment. A mother at 12 and Queen of Soul by the time she was 24, she belted out powerful inspirational lyrics about feminism, while proudly telling it how it is. She was an icon - even going on to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

But when Donald Trump came to make his tribute to the late feminist icon, he seemed to focus on something else, crediting the late Queen of Soul for ‘working for him on numerous occasions’.

Yes, that’s right. Donald Trump thanked the legend that is Aretha Franklin for working for him - and no one's happy about it.

‘I want to begin today by expressing my condolences to the family of a person I knew well. She worked for me on numerous occasions. She was terrific – Aretha Franklin – on her passing,’ Trump reportedly opened a White House cabinet meeting.

He then continued: ‘She’s brought joy to millions of lives and her extraordinary legacy will thrive and inspire many generations to come. She was given a great gift from God – her voice, and she used it well. People loved Aretha. She was a special woman. So just want to pass on my warmest best wishes and sympathies to her family.’

‘In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart,’ Aretha’s family announced in a statement, released to CNN. ‘We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds.’

The statement continued: ‘We have been deeply touched by the incredible outpouring of love and support we have received from close friends, supporters and fans all around the world. Thank you for your compassion and prayers. We have felt your love for Aretha and it brings us comfort to know that her legacy will live on. As we grieve, we ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.’

Our thoughts are with Aretha Franklin’s loved ones.