We all needed that shot of 'covfefe'

There's no better way to cut tension than with a collective laugh. Thanks to apparent keyboard fumbling, President Trump provided one Tuesday night with a doozy of a typo that went global on Twitter.

The hearty — and bipartisan — guffaws roundly shared via e-mail and social media Wednesday morning provided a welcome break from mounting divisions over the Russia investigation and policy differences. The puzzling Trump typo — "covfefe" when he likely meant "coverage" — gave rise literally overnight to creative speculation about what covfefe might be.

Perhaps a new Starbucks coffee drink, as in "I'll have a grande covfefe?" Is it what Justin Bieber sings when he forgets the words to his songs? Or maybe the name of the orb that Trump and others put their hands on during the president's visit to Saudi Arabia?

Naturally, new Twitter accounts sprang up with this new, uh, term, in their handle. Mr. President, as you have previously claimed, you really do have the "best words."

To his credit, Trump is in on the joke. The Twitter post containing the typo remained in place all night. In the morning, another presidential tweet urged everyone to figure out what covfefe's real meaning is and urged everyone to "enjoy!"

And that's exactly what the nation did. The laughs were largely lighthearted and in many ways, poking fun at ourselves, too. Who among us has not had an embarrassing typing foible or two? It happens.

To the small number who decried L'Affaire Covfefe as something more sinister: Lighten up. Good-natured comedy can lead to political comity. Let's hope the Typo Heard Round the World provides an opening.