Rhetoric of Donald Trump

The rhetoric of Donald Trump is deeply problematic for a number of reasons:
*Trump's poor word choice often leads to ambiguity, disagreements, and confusion on whether he actually meant whatever he said. After all, George Orwell in his essay Politics and the English Language has warned against bad English.Politics and the English Language by George Orwell (1946). Horizon volume 13, issue 76, pages 252–265. One must always keep that essay in mind when there is confusion that arises from what Trump actually means when he says things like "they're not sending their best".
*Trump is continually pushing the Overton window to his advantage by constant personal attacks, while exhibiting an "alarming willingness to use fascist themes and styles," according to the father of fascism studies.Interview with Robert Paxton, "Father of Fascism Studies: Donald Trump Shows Alarming Willingness to Use Fascist Terms & Styles", Democracy Now! 3.15.16. (Most infamously, he retweeted and endorsed a quotation from Benito Mussolini, and when confronted about it, said "What difference does it make?").
*Trump frequently makes use of a wide range of logical fallacies.Analyzing Trump: 15 Logical Fallacies in 3 Minutes by Teach Argument (Mar 6, 2016) YouTube.Trump Tweets as Examples of Common Logical Fallacies by Chelsea Nina Ursin (Feb 7, 2017) Medium.Logical Fallacies You and Trump Are Guilty of Committing by Lily Liao (Mar 29, 2018) Medium.The Donald J. Trump Guide to Logical Fallacies Fallacious Trump.Fallacious Trump: The Donald J. Trump Guide to Logical Fallacies by Jim Cliff (2018) self-published. ISBN 1976933927.A reality-based game for Trump watchers: 'Name that Fallacy' By Glenn C. Altschuler (05/16/19 11:30 AM EDT) The Hill.
Analytically, Trump's rhetoric is twice as extreme as every US President from Herbert Hoover through Barack Obama.Trump is twice as extreme as his predecessors in the past century. That's dangerous by Dana Milbank (May 24, 2019 at 6:20 PM) The Washington Post. Using extreme language is a method to circumvent or overwhelm reason according to Yale philosopher Jason Stanley, who wrote How Fascism Works.How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them by Jason Stanley (Random House) 2018. ISBN 0525511830. Regardless of whether Trump's policies are fascistic, Trump's rhetoric is fascistic and is comparable to the rhetoric of Joseph Goebbels. Extreme rhetoric, including vague and incoherent language, has consequences: In general, Trump's rallies have inspired, or outright incited, an uptick in violence from his supporters all over the nation, including from his own security guards and campaign staffers. Protesters and journalists are often the intended targets.Lerner, Kira, "How Trump Has Inspired Violence Across The Country, In One Map", ThinkProgress (3/17/16 at 10:01 am)."Trump's Recent Behavior Is Even More Terrifying Than You Think". ThinkProgress. Characteristically, Trump said he's considering paying legal fees to McGraw. Even when there's no violence, he expresses disappointment at the peace.Kate Sommers-Dawes (12 March 2016). "All the times Trump has called for violence at his rallies". Mashable. "Black woman repeatedly shoved at Trump rally in KY". 2 March 2016 – via YouTube. Trump bemoans that America is too "nice" and "politically correct". It's gotten so bad, Trump actually entertained political assassination of Hillary Clinton to keep her from appointing Supreme Court Justices, prompting the Secret Service to host a private meeting with him over his remarks.Date, S. V. (August 9, 2016). "Trump Suggests Shooting Clinton, Her Supreme Court Picks, Or Both". The Huffington Post. "Trump denies conversation with Secret Service". msn.com.
Guys like Marco Rubio are unable to court Trump supporters, because Rubio would never come out and refuse to condemn the KKK — even though he knows that Klansmen vote Republican. Trump can somehow not condemn the KKK and condemn them in the same day and not alienate anybody in his base.
Psychologists at the University of Texas and Princeton University studied over three million texts dating back to 1789 belonging to political leaders of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, plus news stories, books, movie subtitles, and cable news transcript. They noticed a clear trend of politicians speaking more simply but with greater confidence. Donald Trump accelerated that trend. In fact, he ranks first on confidence but last on analytical thinking compared to all other U.S. presidents. John Quincy Adams topped the U.S. chart with just under 99 points in analytical speech while Trump scored only 16 in a 2015 debate. The average for U.S. presidents is 90, with everyone other than Trump and Barack Obama scoring above 70. In speaking with confidence, Trump's score is 89; the average for U.S. presidents is 64.Trump’s speech: Less analytical, more sure than predecessors. Associated Press. February 11, 2019. Accessed February 14, 2019. 
==Confusion and gaslighting==
Trump changes his mind so often that reporters — let alone the average U.S. citizen — cannot work out what he really intends. This may be his erratic personality or it may be deliberate.
You know the old adage that the Presidency ages you? In Trump's case, his presidency aged the country. His relentless barrage of doubling and tripling and quadrupling down on his statements, his constant lying, his bullying personality, his rejection of facts, his destruction of logic, and his love of spectacle, all have led to cognitive problems developing among Americans who become worn out by his extremism."Beware the Trump brain rot: The cognitive effects of this administration's actions could be disastrous" — Salon, February 25, 2017. Trump is — consciously or unconsciously — basically trying to gaslight whoever happens to hear him or read about him.
==Illusion of expertise==
No, we're not talking about comedian whose comedy routine as "The World's Foremost Authority" mocked "argument from authority" with a pompous word salad. As a rhetorical device, Trump frequently resorts to claiming to be foremost authority practically every topic imaginable despite himself being a dummkopf.After two years Trump is more ignorant on foreign policy by Jennifer Rubin (January 3 at 9:00 AM) The Washington Post. "This strikes me as a typical Trumpian word salad that reveals his sketchy and inadequate grasp of the geopolitics of Afghanistan." — former ambassador to Turkey, Eric S. Edelman Trump has claimed to be the foremost authority on many topics, probably intending the statements to be a totalitarianesque thought-terminating cliché. Trump himself or sometimes Trump referring to his underlings/sycophants has claimed to be the world's foremost authority of:The foremost experts on various topics according to Trump, most of whom are Trump by Philip Bump (January 2 at 1:59 PM) The Washington Post.
==General affection for publicity==
Trump has mastered the technique of False Conviction: you can get away with parodying ultra right-wing opinions if you remain absolutely committed to it. Donald will say things where it's clear he's being deliberately contrarian, but he will sell it as if it's his own full name.
The media blew their load too early. Trump laid the bait and they could not resist: Illegal immigrant rapists, John McCain, disabled reporter, KKK disavowal, Lewandowski, Taco bowl, John Miller, history with women, and so much more. He has systematically made the media attack him on issues which the public sees as minor or deceiving. He's built the armor himself. A great example of this was when he said more British Muslims join ISIS than the British military. The Guardian, in its rush to Stump Trump, reportedEglot, Jessica, "Is Donald Trump right that more British Muslims fight for Isis than the UK army?", The Guardian (12/11/15 at 09.08 EST). that 640 Muslims joined the military but only 440 have joined ISIS (if you don't count the ones that died or came back). While they're back-slapping each other for stumping that plastic American celebrity, everyone who reads that is seeing Trump's actual point being reinforced with hard numbers from a paper that clearly hates him, "so it must be true". This is part of why voters like him and think he “speaks truth to power.”
==Idiocracy and kakistocracy==
According to Rolling Stone, the guy-at-the-end-of-the-bar theory of Trump is increasingly true,Paul Solotaroff, "Trump Seriously: On the Trail With the GOP's Tough Guy", Rolling Stone 9.9.15. Gwenda Blair, biographer: "It's all part of what he does, the bragging and the repetition: It's called branding, and he's relentless at it." in that he will say whatever is the opinion of Ordinary Americans — you know, idiots — sitting in a sports bar. His followers on Facebook were rated as the least grammatical of any candidate (12.6 mistakes per 100 words), barely edging out Rick Santorum (11.5 per 100).Trump supporters have the worst Facebook grammar, study finds by Justin Wm. Moyer (October 7, 2015). Washington Post.
Everyone knows politicians speak in shorthand. Newspapers seldom print whole speeches these days, so speeches are typically anchored around vacuous sound bites. Trump goes one step further by talking at a third-grade reading level.Shafer, Jack, Is Donald Trump Smarter Than a Third Grader?, Politico 8/13/15. Everything is "terrible", "terrific", "fantastic", "horrible", "loser", "yuge", i.e., pure hyperboles. This is coming from a man who literally uttered the words "I have a very good brain" and "I went to an Ivy League school, I know so many words, I have the best words." In a statement bragging about his vocabulary, he used the word "words" instead of "vocabulary". (Sarah Palin again. I read all the best newspapers!) He tends to use a particular set of words or one simple talking point which he repeats mostly unchanged multiple times during the same thought:
This sort of stuff is outlined in Art of the Deal, not to mention they are well-known persuasive techniques (repetition persuasion, social proof persuasion, anecdotes persuasionCudmore, Becca, "How Donald Trump Brainwashes", Brain Decoder 12.8.15.).
===Sound and fury, signifying nothing===
Despite being a fantastic slogan, "Make America Great Again" can mean entirely different things for two people who agree on most issues, let alone for millions of people with much more varied views.
Trump's basically inviting you to pick your own evidence as to how it "isn't great" (tacit agreement) and then to fix your own temporal horizon as to when it was "great." Naturally, people will focus on a time in their own lives when things were great, and so someone who promises to restore them to that position generates a positive reception. Nostalgia is a powerful sales tool; look how many advertisers plug into it.
The missing puzzle piece is not more rhetoric but definite plans, something Trump does not always have.
==="Drain the swamp"===
"Drain the swamp" was a phrase that Trump used and a chant that Trump encouraged during his 2016 election campaign. It was ill-defined and what it meant to people was probably different. The average schmuck probably thought it was firing crooked officials; the laissez-faire fat-cat donor probably thought that it was firing 'regulatory parasites'.For Trump and his cronies, draining the swamp means ousting experts by Catherine Rampell (August 8, 2019 at 5:42 PM) The Washington Post. by 2019, it is clear that what it has actually meant is firing non-partisan experts of all kinds from government positions, and replacing them with partisan hacks beholden to Trump.
*Arguably, the only accomplishment of Rex Tillerson's reign as Secretary of State was to sack the State Department of expertise,The Hollowing Out of the State Department Continues: The agency lost 12 percent of its foreign-affairs specialists in the first eight months of the Trump administration. by Jack Corrigan (Feb 11, 2018) The Atlantic. since his authority was otherwise undermined by his boss.An "Idiot" and a "Dope": McMaster Reportedly Unloads on Trump During a Private Dinner: That would make the National Security Adviser the second member of Trump's Cabinet to covertly question his intelligence. by Tina Nguyen (November 20, 2017 6:38 pm) Vanity Fair.
*The Environmental Protection Agency had its enforcement staff cut, thus allowing polluters to keep polluting.The EPA Can’t Stop Polluters When the Trump Administration Cuts Enforcement Staff by Andrew Rosenberg (September 13, 2018, 6:09 pm EDT) Union of Concerned Scientists.
*The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was sacked by then-acting director Mick Mulvaney, thus allowing predatory lenders to feast upon average schmucks.[https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/16/magazine/consumer-financial-protection-bureau-trump.html Mick Mulvaney’s Master Class in Destroying a Bureaucracy From Within.
*The C.F.P.B. was created to protect Americans from predatory lenders after the financial crisis. President Trump's new chief of staff took it apart on his way to White House.] by Nicholas Confessore (April 16, 2019) The New York Times.
*Various advisory councils have been targeted for sacking.Trump order targets advisory committees by Niina H. Farah et al. (June 17, 2019) E&E News
*The Economic Research Service was effectively sacked because it is being moved halfway across the country on short notice, and most employees will not put up with such abuse.
This rhetoric and the accompanying fraudulent promises were not unique to the Trump administration. It is a tool of other autocrats, starting with Benito Mussolini who used the term "drain the swamps" to apply to both literal swamps near Rome, and to eliminate 'delinquents' from Italy and to replace government administrators with corrupt cronies beholden to himself.Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present by Ruth Ben-Ghiat (2021) W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0393868419.
==Racism==
Although Trump has claimed that Democrats will call anybody racist, he himself has frequently called people and things racist.Trump says Democrats will call ‘anybody’ racist. Here’s a list of people and things he's labeled that way. by JM Rieger (August 9 at 4:44 PM) The Washington Post. This is a form of psychological projection because there is often no more cause for someone to be called racist by Trump other than the fact that they criticized him, particularly if they are African American or Jewish.Trump's racist accusations: As usual, he projects his own sins and crimes onto others: Trump flings wild corruption charges against Baltimore's leaders — it's projection, combined with racism by Amanda Marcotte (August 2, 2019 5:30PM) Salon. Trump has called the following racist:
==="Hispanics love me!"===
During his speech in which Trump announced his bid for the presidency, Trump gained notoriety for saying (among other things):Staff (June 16, 2015). "Full text: Donald Trump announces a presidential bid". Washington Post.
Naturally, such comments produced outrage among most decent people worldwide. When asked to retract his statements following protests against him at the US-Mexico border, Trump refused, saying that "the Hispanics love me!" and that "they were chanting for me at the airport!"Saul, Heather (July 24, 2015). "Donald Trump declares 'the Hispanics love me – they were chanting for me' after being met by protesters at US-Mexico border". The Independent. Like the Muslims dancing on 9/11 that Trump keeps talking about, this did not happen.
The quote directly referenced what Pat Buchanan had said in his speeches during his second campaign for president in 1996, "I'll build that security fence, and we'll close it, and we'll say, 'Listen José, you're not coming in this time!'" and, "They've [Mexicans] got no right to break our laws and break into our country and go on welfare, and some of them commit crimes."Candidate's Patrick J. Buchanan: Speech Is Called Code for Controversy by James Bennet (February 25, 1996) The New York Times.
Ivanka Trump later wrote a letter to Trump in private to "clarify" his position, claiming that "When Mexico sends its people" was referring to illegal immigration and not all Mexicans. When asked what the statement said, Ivanka said that:Miller, Katherine; McDermott, Nathan; Stanton, John (August 13, 2016). "After Mexican “Rapists” Comment, Ivanka Trump Wrote An Unused Clarification". BuzzFeed.'The Ideas Made It, But I Didn’t': Pat Buchanan won after all. But now he thinks it might be too late for the nation he was trying to save. by Tim Alberta (May/June 2017) Politico.
Trump was invoked by the perpetrators of a hate crime in Boston, in which two brothers assaulted a Hispanic homeless man and urinated on him before leaving him to die. While Trump's first tweet condemned the action, he followed it up with:
His campaign manager followed up in an interview:Michael Allen, "Trump Campaign Unaware That Man Shouted 'White Power' At Alabama Rally (Video)", Opposing Views.
Remember, a Mexican guy was beaten nearly to death in Boston last year by folks who said they did it because of Trump. Trump didn't denounce that behavior, he just said his supporters were passionate.Lorenzo Ferrigno, "Donald Trump was right. All these illegals need to be deported.", CNN. Just as he has an "out" when people question him about his comments on Mexicans (I'm just talking about the illegals!) and Muslims (I'll only ban Muslim visitors temporarily!). The general election is months away. Trump will refute these allegations for a week or so, and then people will be tired of talking about it.
==="Look at my African-American over here!"===
The earliest signs of Trump's racism can be found with his father Fred's management of The Trump Management Corporation (TMC), including violating the Fair Housing Act by preventing African Americans from renting at his properties; for Donald, this began at the time he took control of TMC from his father.All the Evidence We Could Find About Fred Trump's Alleged Involvement with the KKK by Mike Pearl (March 10, 2016) Vice.Major Landlord Accused of Antiblack Bias in City by Morris Kaplan (October 16, 1973) The New York Times. When and if this discrimination ceased is a bit murky, but it lasted at least until at least 1975, and possibly as late as 1983.
Trump uses made-up statistics from an alt-right white supremacist group claiming that a disproportionately high proportion of murders are black people killing white people. Trump also cited unfounded statistics based on answers to loaded questions from "a virulently anti-Muslim organization" called the Center for Security Policy to suggest that American Muslims are more violent and more accepting of Sharia than they really are."How Corporations and Politicians Use Numbers to Lie — and How Not to Be Fooled". Alternet. 
Nope, not done yet. During a rally, when his supporters beat up a black protester while chanting "USA!" Trump can be heard demanding "Get him out of here!" while later insisting that the protester "should have been roughed up."Aviva Shen, "Donald Trump: My Fans Were Right To Beat Up Black Protester", Thinkprogress. True to his word, when Trump next sent his security guards to rough up another protester, one of his supporters let his excitement get the best of him and belted a “Sieg Heil!” as the uppity negro was dragged away. (You could also hear another one say "Light the motherfucker on fire!")Benjy Sarlin. "Trump Audience Member Yells Nazi Salute as Protester Removed From Las Vegas Rally". NBC News. 
At another rally, the staff and local law enforcement kicked out thirty black students."Black students ejected from Trump rally in Ga.". USA Today (February 29, 2016). According to the students, they were given no reason to leave, and they were attending the rally as a nondisruptive silent sit-in protest. Trump spokespeople denied that the Trump campaign had knowledge of the incident, and the staff ejected some of the people because of disruption, including profanities, arguing with the Trump detail when they were asked to leave, and trying to cut in line after leaving.
Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer, revealed some racist statements made by Trump directly to him:Michael Cohen Says Trump Repeatedly Used Racist Language Before His Presidency by Emily Jane Fox (November 2, 2018 2:30 PM) Vanity Fair.
====Racists who support Trump====
Excluding Neo-Nazis, who are covered in a different section.
*Trump has retweeted user @keksec_org, a white supremacist who quotes such wonderful people as Geert Wilders just as often as he does Trump, and frequently refers to "the feeble mind of the American Negro" when he is criticised on Twitter.Trump Thanks Self-Described Dutch White Supremacist For His Support by Catherine Thompson (October 8, 2015, 1:57 PM EDT) Talking Points Memo.
*KKK Grand Wizard Emeritus David Duke has praised Trump's supposed fight against "Jewish domination of the media", despite the fact that Trump is professedly pro-Israel and has no problems at all with his daughter converting to Judaism. (Trump disavowed Duke, but didn't seem to think association with an actual Brownshirt was that big a deal.)Brianna Ehley, "Trump: I don't want David Duke's endorsement", Politico. 
*Representatives of the Council of Conservative Citizens, an unreconstructed segregationist outfit that helped to incite the 2015 terrorist attack in Charleston, have also endorsed Trump."White Supremacist Organizations Officially Endorse Donald Trump", Ring of Fire Radio.
*To top off the above: On 2 November 2016, the official KKK newspaper — The Crusader — openly endorsed Trump for president.Tito Ojo-Medubi, "Is Donald Trump in the KKK? The Crusader newspaper endorses him for president", Inquisitr
===Trickle-down===
The frequent and openly-expressed racism of Trump has had the trickle-down effect of what appears to be an increase in racist bullying among children, with an average of two reported incidents in schools per week, and likely many more actual incidents because such incidents are not routinely reported.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/local/school-bullying-trump-words/ Trump's words, bullied kids, scarred schools: The president's rhetoric has changed the way hundreds of
children are harassed in American classrooms, The Post found] by Hannah Natanson, John Woodrow Cox and Perry Stein (Feb. 13, 2020) The Washington Post. This effectively puts the lie to Melania Trump's astroturf anti-bullying "Be Best" campaign.
==Islamophobia==
=== "I love the Muslims!" ===
Trump repeatedly claims without much evidence that American Muslims celebrated 9/11,"Donald Trump Keeps Lying About New Jersey 9/11 Celebrations". The Huffington Post. 29 November 2015. but what Trump advocates would be much worse. Trump argues we should ban all Muslims from heading to America, including Muslim American citizens,"Man Asks Trump: 'When Can We Get Rid' Of All The Muslims In America? His Answer Was Horrifying.". ThinkProgress. something even Dick Cheney ("Here's a guy who did a rotten job as Vice-President..."Donald Trump: Dick Cheney’s Book Is ‘Very Very Angry And Nasty’, ThinkProgress. Wouldn't you expect Trump to congratulate this man on his undeserved path to fortune?) would not advocate.Tierney McAfee, "Speaker Paul Ryan Disavows Trump for Call to Ban Muslims, as White House Says Trump's 'Morally Reprehensible' Plan 'Disqualifies Him' from Being President", People. Joe Scarborough had to cut him off on his show.Scott Eric Kaufman, "Watch “Morning Joe” Scarborough cut to commercial in the middle of an interview because someone won’t shut up", Salon.
Trump supports a mandatory identification database for Muslim Americans. When asked about the parallel of requiring registration of, well, Jews, Trump's ambiguous answer/non-denial was, "What do you think?"Phillip Bump, "Donald Trump backs a federal database to track Muslims — but not gun sales", Washington Post. For what it's worth, Trump's daughter has converted to Judaism, so file this one with "Dick Cheney puts votes ahead of his gay daughter."
==Sexism==
===My demeaning comments towards women were just show business===
In the course of the GOP debates, he openly insulted the looks of his party’s sole female contender, Carly Fiorina,Zimmerman, Neetan, "Trump mocks Fiorina's physical appearance: 'Look at that face!'", The Hill (September 09, 2015, 08:25 pm) the menstrual cycle of Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly,Zimmerman, Neetan, "Trump: Megyn Kelly had blood coming out of her 'wherever'", The Hill (August 07, 2015, 09:51 pm). and suggested Hillary Clinton got “schlonged” in her 2008 Democratic primary loss to Barack Obama.Hensch, Mark, "Trump: Clinton 'got schlonged' by Obama", The Hill (December 22, 2015, 08:10 am). In response, voters live-tweeted their periods to him.Twitter search: #LiveTweetYourPeriod realdonaldtrump (archived from November 22, 2019). 
His followers harassed Kelly with unoriginal and sexist slurs after Trump decided not to partake in the Fox News debate."Donald Trump Fans Attack Megyn Kelly With Sexist Slurs". vocativ.com. Even the media have their role to play: when Kelly cut her hair, everyone knew it was in preparation for her rematch with The Don.Jerde, Sara, "Trump: Megyn Kelly Should Give Me 'Half Of Her Salary' For Helping Her Ratings", TPM (3/21/16, 6:35 PM EDT). Bill Maher was right on the money when he said that if Republicans were smart, they would be running Megyn Kelly.Stern, Marlow, "Bill Maher: Forget Trump, Megyn Kelly Should Be the GOP Nominee for President", Daily Beast (01.29.16 7:50 PM ET).
In response to an ad that slut-shamed his wife, that the Make America Awesome Super-PAC released, Trump proceeded to attack Ted Cruz's wife."Donald Trump’s new low of attacking Ted Cruz’s wife fits perfectly into his campaign strategy". Vox.com. Yes, Trump attacked someone who had nothing to do with the ad. Yes, he couldn't be bothered to read the fine print on the ad that clearly said "not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee."
In late 2016, Access Hollywood released an 11-year-old behind-the-scenes tape of Trump bragging about using his celebrity status to get away with sexually assaulting women, specifically noting that he likes to "grab 'em by the pussy." Trump and other Republicans have defended the tape's comments as "locker-room talk."
One of the women who complained that Trump groped her is suing for defamation and insists she is not a liar.Trump sued for defamation by former Apprentice Summer Zervos As of 2016, as many as 16 women have accused Trump of sexually assaulting them.A Running List Of The Women Who’ve Accused Donald Trump Of Sexual Assault: All their stories in one place by Catherine Pearson et al. (10/13/2016 04:24 pm ET Updated Oct 28, 2016) Huffington Post.President Trump and accusations of sexual misconduct: The complete list by Meg Kelly (November 22, 2017 at 3:00 AM) The Washington Post. Some of these 16 women have corroborating evidence, Trump and Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to the contrary.Trump says sex harassment claims are ‘fake news,’ but there are corroborators by Glenn Kessler (October 27 at 6:14 PM) The Washington Post.
==Antisemitism==
=== "Beautiful Jewish Baby!" ===
But it's not just the crypto-fascists who love him: neo-Nazis of the swastika-waving, Jew-baiting, race war-daydreaming variety have jumped onboard, too!"An Energized White Nationalist Movement Rallies Behind Trump’s Immigration Plan". Southern Poverty Law Center. In a one-week analysis by Twitter analysis firm Little Bird has found out that a whopping 62% of Trump's retweets have been from accounts which believe in white genocide alone, and 58% of the top white supremacist accounts on Twitter follow Donald Trump.Marshall Kirkpatrick (January 26, 2016). "Data: 62% of the people Donald Trump RTed this week follow multiple White Supremacist accounts". Little Bird.
Trump tweeted a picture of Hillary Clinton with what appeared to be a Star of David and a giant pile of cash, accusing Clinton of being the most corrupt politician ever. Trump decided to counter allegations of antisemitism, blaming the "dishonest media" for distortion,Ruth Ben-Ghiat. "With Trump's Twitter history, latest no surprise". CNN News. July 5, 2016. and describing the star used as a "basic star", a sheriff's badge,Jeremy Diamond. "Trump campaign defends tweet as a 'basic star' in wake of criticism". CNN News. July 5, 2016. or a label from a Frozen coloring book.Seth Maxon. "Trump Points Out 'Star of David' on ​Frozen​ Coloring Book No One Ever Noticed". The Slate. July 7, 2016. The fact that the image originally appeared on 8chan's version of /pol/, and contained the watermark of @FishBoneHead1—whose racist, anti-Semitic, and Islamophobic tweets on geopolitics have been in plain sight on Twitter until recently—was just a coincidence.Trump's campaign team are usually so keen to attribute their lifted Twitter memes – why not this one?Anthony Smith. "Donald Trump's "Star of David" Hillary Clinton Meme Was Created by White Supremacists". News.Mic. July 3, 2016.
Trump's final 2016 campaign ad featured a variety of antisemitic dog whistles, with Hillary Clinton and three powerful Jews (financier George Soros, Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen, and Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein) being the targets.Trump Rolls Out Anti-Semitic Closing Ad by Josh Marshall (November 5, 2016 8:22 pm) Talking Points Memo.
====Neo-Nazis that support Trump====
*The chairman of the American Nazi Party loves Trump's racist proposals, but dismisses him as a candidate because he doesn't believe Trump could actually accomplish any of them."American Nazi Party Chairman: Trump's Muslim Ban Is Unrealistic". BuzzFeed.
*(repeat) KKK Grand Wizard Emeritus David Duke has praised Trump's supposed fight against "Jewish domination of the media", even though Trump is professedly pro-Israel and has no problems at all with his daughter converting to Judaism. (Trump disavowed Duke, but didn't seem to think association with an actual Brownshirt was that big a deal.)Brianna Ehley, "Trump: I don't want David Duke's endorsement", Politico.
*According to Andrew Anglin on the neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer, "The Donald has once again proven ... that 'make America great again' is code word for 'race war.'"Andrew Anglin. "The Donald Does the Ultimate Evil and Retweets a Hateful Racist" (archived at archive.is) The Daily Stormer. October 9, 2015. Stormfront founder Don Black has publicly credited him with reviving white nationalism in America, and pledges that the machine set in motion by Trump 2016 will outlast the businessman's candidacy even if he drops out.Ben Schreckinger, "He's sparked an insurgency", Politico. Thanks, asshole. The Anti-Defamation League also thinks Trump stirred up racism and made ugly types of racism more acceptable."Free to say what they really believe". Butterflies and Wheels. Retrieved on 4 August 2016.
*Ironically, although Trump compared his rival Ben Carson to a child molester,Claire Phillips, "Donald Trump likens Ben Carson's 'pathological' temper to child molesting", The Guardian. he himself has won the coveted endorsement of neo-Nazi child molester (and erstwhile al Qaeda-supporter) August Kreis III.Salinger, Tobias. "Neo-Nazi child molester declares support for Donald Trump as he's sentenced to 50 years behind bars" New York Daily News. Friday, November 6, 2015, 9:02 PM.Husband, Andrew. "Trump Endorsed By Ex-KKK Leader, Convicted Child Molester During Trial" Mediaite. 12:26 pm, November 6th, 2015
* A segment of PBS Newshour showing first-time voter Grace Tilly and her family failed to report on some interesting tattoos on their hands: an 88 tattoo (numerical code for "Heil Hitler" in the neo-Nazi community) and Odin's Cross, a white-nationalist symbol.Spargo, Chris. "Donald Trump supporter with multiple white supremacist tattoos on her hands features in news report about the GOP front-runner" Daily Mail (archived 26 March 2016 via archive.is), 17 March 2016. The Anti-Defamation League lists both symbols neo-Nazi hate symbols.Sargent, Jordan. "PBS News Story on First-Time Trump Voters Prominently Displays Longtime White Power Tattoos" Gawker (archived 17 March 2016 via archive.is), 16 March 2016."88" (archived 1 June 2015 via archive.is) and "Celtic Cross" (archived 26 March 2016 via archive.is) on the Hate on Display: Hate Symbols Database at the website of the Anti-Defamation League.
*Birgitt Peterson, a 69-year-old woman from Yorkville, Illinois, appeared in the Chicago Tribune doing a Nazi salute.Jason Wambsgans. "Trump supporter outside UIC" Chicago Tribune. Peterson, born in West Berlin, alleged that she took offense to counterprotestors calling her a Nazi; therefore, she said "If you want to do it right, you do it right" and did a Nazi salute. Remarkably, this stunt backfired, with the image circulating on the internet showing alleged neo-Nazis at Trump's rallies (an allegation Peterson denies).Eli Rosenberg. "Trump Supporter Who Made Nazi Salute Explains Why She Made the Gesture" The New York Times. Donald Trump, Jr., decided to weigh in on the debate, retweeting an allegation that this was the work of Bernie Sanders supporter Portia Boulger (despite Peterson being identified in the original Chicago Tribune report) and alleging that this was part of a vast left wing conspiracy against Trump, Sr., deleting his tweet without apologizing or even acknowledging his mistake. This has led to the hashtag #ApologizeTrumpJr.Clemence Michallon. "Trump fan defends snap of her doing the Nazi salute - saying she was just showing 'rude' protesters how 'to do it right'" The Daily Mail (archived at archive.is on 29 March 2016), 13 March 2016. Trump immediately apologized for his mistake... two weeks after he had posted the picture up originally.
Silverstein, Jason (March 29, 2016). "Donald Trump Jr. apologizes for incorrectly labeling woman as Bernie Sanders-supporting 'Nazi'". NY Daily News.
==Authoritarianism==
===Call to assassinate Hillary Clinton===
Trump made an ambiguous statement which has been interpreted as a call to assassinate Hillary Clinton.
Another day! Another Trump gaffe! As expected, the usual cadre of Trump sycophants were on-hand to explain why a man who speaks his mind and says what every one is really thinking didn't actually mean what he said.Kuns, Karoli. "Trump Runs To Hannity To Shrug Off His Threatening Comments". crooksandliars.com. "Rudy Giuliani Defends Trump's 2nd Amendment Comments on 'GMA'". August 10, 2016. ABC News.
And he did it again! Mirroring a Tweet he'd made all the way back in January,Hillary said that guns don't keep you safe. If she really believes that she should demand that her heavily armed bodyguards quickly disarm! by Donald J. Trump (4:27 PM - 3 Jan 2016) Twitter. Trump once more implied that Hillary Clinton's bodyguards should be disarmed and that she should see what happens to her:Donald Trump Suggests Hillary Clinton’s Bodyguards Should Stop Protecting Her: "Let's see what happens to her." by Mollie Reilly (09/16/2016 07:33 pm ET | Updated Sep 17, 2016) Huffington Post. 
The above quote is also a great example of the way Donald Trump talks.
=== "I will never, ever forgive [the voters]" ===
On August 13th, 2016, Trump coldly stated that he would "never, ever forgive" the voters of Connecticut, Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio if they didn't pull the right levers for him on election day. Sensing the changing mood in the crowd, he quickly blurted out that he loved them anyways and changed the topic; a move that was met with prolonged booing.
=== "If I lose, the election must be rigged!" ===
In 2016, Trump refused to say one way or the other if he would concede the election if he lost. Rick Hasen of the University of California described Trump's comments as, “appalling and unprecedented” and feared there could be "violence in the streets from his supporters if Trump loses."What would happen if Donald Trump refused to concede this election?Adam Kelsey, "What Happens if Donald Trump Doesn't Concede the Election?", ABC News Days before the 2016 election, Trump told the cameras "I will totally accept the results of this great and historic election, if I win," clarifying himself beyond any doubt. He went on to ramble about how maybe kinda sorta possibly he could accept the election as valid, but would reserve the right to file a lawsuit if he felt that... Essentially, "I'll accept the results if I win, and only if I win" was the position he took in 2016.
Trump has made identical statements in 2020, doing his best to allege that the election- especially if mail-in votes are used- will be rigged and rife with corruption, ignoring the fact that he said that the last one was completely rigged, and yet he somehow won anyway. In both 2016 and 2020, this was/is arguably not really something he actually believes, but a safeguard of sorts, a fallback plan. By raging that the election is rigged and everyone is out to get him, Trump sets the stage for whatever righteous shit-fit he'll inevitably want to throw if he does lose, a fallback plan he's pretty much operated on for his entire life. If you think you may not get your way, set the stage, raise hell and maybe you'll get your way after all. Given how Trump has a well-documented history of encouraging/refusing to condemn violence by his supporters against his opponents or anyone he just doesn't like, Trump could also be setting up not just for refusing to concede defeat personally, but for getting his base to somehow bail him out and keep him in power if things go south in November 2020. Both in 2016 and 2020, the irony of a man so loudly proclaimed (by himself more than anyone) to have no weakness and no fear being afraid of/preparing for losing the election is as hilarious as it is terrifying, given what the consequences could be.
===Lashing out against the rule of law===
Donald Trump never had a single kind word for the investigation led by Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III into his ties with Russia, calling it a "witch hunt," and a "total mess" that is "absolutely nuts," and accusing it of being conducted by "hardened Democrats." Trump considers Mueller to be "conflicted" and his team a "gang of Democrat thugs" who are "a disgrace to our nation."Trump attacks Mueller's Russia inquiry as 'absolutely nuts'. BBC News. November 15, 2018. Trump called his first U.S. Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, "very weak" and "disgraceful" and ousted him for recusing himself from the Russia probe.Trump fires Attorney General Jeff Sessions. BBC News. November 7, 2018. He described the numerous charges against his former staff as "peanuts."Trump Russia affair: Key questions answered. BBC News. December 12, 2018. He called former FBI director James Comey, whom he fired because of the Russia investigation, "crazy" and "a real nut job". In a meeting with senior Russian officials at the White House, he said he faced great pressure because of the investigation.Report: Trump Told Russians He Fired 'Nut Job' Comey Because Of Investigation. NPR. May 19, 2017. 
After Mueller and his team concluded their investigation and made recommendations, Trump predictably screamed from the rooftops that he had been vindicated and cleared of all wrongdoing, which is in no way what the actual report said. It was essentially rinse-and-repeat during the impeachment proceedings against him, right up to the Republican-held Senate refusing to follow up on the House voting for impeachment. Claiming victory and vindication after coming out on top one way or another (or at least not completely losing) is a major Trump favorite, as is endlessly demeaning and degrading anything he doesn't like. The consequences of a sitting President of the United States raging that the entire judicial and political process in his own country is monstrously corrupt regardless of any facts or evidence are not especially important to Trump, who just wants to get his way and will do whatever it takes for that to happen.
Trump has displayed plenty of willingness to directly go after the judiciary. He has had some strong words for federal judges who ruled against his immigration policies, calling them biased. In late 2018, Trump called a judge from the 9th CircuitThe 9th Circuit, the largest of federal appellate courts, covers Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. who rejected his migrant asylum policy an "Obama judge." This prompted a response from United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, "We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges." Chief Justice Roberts then added one day before Thanksgiving the statement quoted above. Such a dispute between the heads of the executive and judiciary branches is exceedingly rare, but not unprecedented. President Barack Obama criticized the Supreme Court in his 2010 State of the Union Address. When asked about it, Roberts said the criticisms were very troubling.In A Rare Move, Chief Justice Roberts Criticizes President Trump. NPR. November 22, 2018. However, Roberts has generally avoided dipping his toes into political discourse. Nevertheless, in light of the controversial appointment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Roberts and some of his colleagues have taken steps to combat the perception that the Supreme Court is politically divided between conservatives and liberals and that judges are loyal to the Presidents who appointed them.Roberts, Trump spar in extraordinary scrap over judges. Associated Press. November 21, 2018. 
Trump has suggested sending the military after those who oppose his 2024 US presidential election candidacy (specifically labeling the Democrats as "the enemy within")."Trump Escalates Threats to Political Opponents He Deems the ‘Enemy’" - Lisa Lerer and Michael Gold (October 15, 2024). The New York Times. Archived.
===Ad hominem, tyranny and dehumanization===
Trump has frequently resorted to name calling against his perceived enemies,Trump Is on Track to Insult 650 People, Places and Things on Twitter by the End of His First Term (July 26, 2017) The New York Times. a form of bullying and of the ad hominem fallacious argument style. Particularly concerning is his use the dehumanizing term "human scum" (against 'never Trumpers'), a term that has been associated with various tyrants and would-be tyrants:On "Human Scum" and Trump in the Danger Zone: After Ambassador William Taylor’s testimony, the President is freaking out about impeachment. by Susan B. Glasser (October 24, 2019) The New Yorker.
*Jair Bolsonaro against refugees
*Adolf Hitler
*Kim Jong Un against John Bolton, and against the uncle that Kim had executed
*Vladimir Putin against Sergei Skripal, whom he attempted to have assassinated
*Joseph Stalin
===Desensitization to violence===
Amidst Trump's increasingly shambolic speeches,Is Donald Trump okay? His story about hypothetically being electrocuted is another glimpse into a mind that is unwell. by Eugene Robinson (June 10, 2024 at 6:06 p.m. EDT) The Washington Post. he has been infusing his speeches with code words that reference prior speeches and in some cases are intended to desensitize his followers to forthcoming violence:Trump is already numbing us to the horrific images his plans would create: Outrage never lasts. That’s why Trump wants to show us the worst before he does it. by Philip Kennicott (July 2, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EDT) The Washington Post.
*"The snake", references alleged violence by undocumented immigrants in the US,‘The Snake’: How Trump appropriated a radical black singer’s lyrics for immigration fearmongering by Eli Rosenberg (February 24, 2018 at 10:24 a.m. EST) The Washington Post. and clearly has resonance with the snake in the Garden of Eden story of the Bible.
*"The Woman with Two Beautiful Children" and "the Beautiful Woman with a Good Family" reference the false claim that Trump previously made about immigrants, "You’ll get rid of 10 really bad ones and one beautiful mother." What Trump is claiming by this is that many 'bad' people will be deported but the media will only report about the 'good' mother.
The desensitization that Trump is trying to create with these code words is for his desire to create a massive deportation of undocumented immigrants (or just immigrants), essentially repeating two stains on American history, the internment of Japanese Americans in concentration camps during World War II, and the deportation of over a million Mexican Americans by the Eisenhower administration in 1954.Trump’s deportation plan is modeled on ‘inhumane’ 1950s program, experts say by María Luisa Paúl (February 26, 2024 at 3:01 p.m. EST) The Washington Post.
These obscurantist encodings blur the line between Trump's documented dementia,Trump's cognitive deficits seem worse. We need to know if he has dementia: Psychologist by John Gartner (Published 3:15 p.m. ET April 9, 2019 | Updated 4:13 p.m. ET April 9, 2019) USA Today.Dr. John Gartner on a tale of two brains: "Biden's brain is aging. Trump's brain is dementing": "This is a fundamental breakdown in the ability to use language," the renowned mental health expert says of Trump by Chauncey DeVega (February 23, 2024 5:45AM EST) Salon. and his intended desensitization of his base.
==Argument by gibberish==
As Trump began campaigning for president again in 2023, it became increasingly apparent that his public statements were often even more deranged than before. The mainstream media have often polished up his actual statements, rather than report them verbatim,Following Trump’s train of thought as it derails on a child care question: Trump sought out an applause line as if it were the sole exit in a flame-filled room. by Philip Bump (September 6, 2024 at 10:19 a.m. EDT) The Washington Post. what has been called "sane-washing".The “Sane-Washing” of Donald Trump by David Corn (September 10, 2024) Mother Jones.Lawrence O’Donnell Rips NYT and Other Media for ‘Sane-Washing’ Trump’s ‘Crazy’ Statements by Zachary Leeman (Sep 10th, 2024, 9:06 am) Mediaite. Below is Trump's response to an impromptu response to a softball question at the Economic Club of New York ("If you win in November can you commit to prioritizing legislation to make child care affordable and if so, what specific piece of legislation will you advance?") at the Economic Club of New York in 2024.
The apple-polishing New York Times took this text from Trump and polished it into this headline, "Trump Praises Tariffs, and William McKinley, to Power Brokers".Trump Praises Tariffs, and William McKinley, to Power Brokers by Jonathan Weisman (Sept. 5, 2024, 5:45 p.m. ET) The New York Times. CNN came up with the slightly better headline, "Trump Claims Boosting Tariffs Will Pay For Child Care But Doesn’t Explain How."Trump claims boosting tariffs will pay for child care but doesn’t explain how by Tami Luhby (September 6, 2024) CNN.The Wonderful Trump Headline Machine by Alexandra Petri (September 6, 2024 at 5:05 p.m. EDT) The Washington Post. NBC News however hit the target with this headline, "'Incoherent word salad': Trump stumbles when asked how he'd tackle child care".'Incoherent word salad': Trump stumbles when asked how he'd tackle child care: His response to a question Thursday raised eyebrows. “Trump sounded like the student who hadn’t studied for the test and was making up numbers,” said one conservative economist. by Sahil Kapur & Peter Nicholas (Sept. 6, 2024) NBC News.
==Other cases==
=== John McCain ===
In July 2015, Trump set the tone for the race with an attack on John McCain's military record, declaring:
Trump's Vietnam-era record was one of a series of draft deferments (including studying real estate at the University of Pennsylvania). This was parallelled by a seemingly unusual conversion of his fitness to serve from 1-A (available to serve) before college to 1-Y (only in time of emergency) to 4-F (unfit to serve) after college, citing a bone spur in the foot, though he no longer recalls which foot.Deferments Helped Trump Dodge Vietnam (April 28, 2011; updated July 18, 2015) The Smoking Gun. It never got in the way of his 18-hole golf game.Donald Trump's Own Secret: Vietnam Draft Records by Russell Goldman (April 29, 2011) ABC News. Trump doubled down on his comments,Killough, Ashley, "Trump: No regret over questioning McCain's heroism"], CNN (Updated 5/11/16 at 1:34 PM ET). causing Rupert Murdoch to disavow him, although Roger Ailes hadn't let up (until he was fired). McCain eventually had to apologize to Trump (!) for calling his supporters crazies, which provoked this entire exchange.chat tiest, (20 July 2015). "McCain: 'Term Of Endearment' To Call Trump Supporters 'Crazies'". Retrieved on 4 August 2016 – via YouTube.
He also made other factually inaccurate statements about the late Senator from Arizona. It is not true that McCain graduated last in his class from the United States Naval Academy; he graduated 894 out of 899, at an institution where barely 1 in every 100 applicants get accepted and still less manage to graduate at all. While Trump did sign off a military transport for McCain's body, he did not "give" McCain's funeral, nor was he in attendance at all, in part because McCain's family made it clear Trump was not welcomed. Trump claimed credit for a healthcare reform bill that enabled military veterans to receive private healthcare at public expense that was actually authored by John McCain and Bernie Sanders and signed into law by President Barack Obama. However, it was Trump who signed into law an extension that McCain created in the last months of his life. When Trump signed into law a bill that increased the U.S. military budget, which included the higher salaries for service members that McCain fought for, he avoided mentioning its formal name, the John S. McCain National Authorization Act. Nor did he credit McCain.AP FACT CHECK: McCain can’t respond but his record speaks. Associated Press. March 23, 2019. Accessed March 23, 2019. 
===American healthcare===
Donald Trump is well aware that American patients are subsidizing the affordable healthcare enjoy by the citizens of many other countries, calling it "global freeloading". With this in mind, many Congressional representatives dared him to support their legislative proposal to cut prescription drug prices in the United States by (1) encouraging competition between generic drugs and brand-name drugs, (2) allowing Medicare to negotiate prices directly with pharmaceutical companies, and (3) enabling patients to import drugs from Canada, where prices are lower. Prices are deemed "excessive" if they are higher than the median in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Japan. There was no immediate response from the White House.
===American involvement in the Middle East===
===Bernie Sanders===
===COVID-19 pandemic===
Among Trump's initial responses in the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic was the accusation it was a Democratic hoax and that he accused them of politicizing the pandemic. Once again, his ambiguous, incoherent language as well as a history of such language led to confusion over what is being referred to as a hoax.Palma, B. (March 2, 2020) "Did President Trump Refer to the Coronavirus as a ‘Hoax’?". Snopes. Retrieved March 17, 2020. Was the coronavirus itself a hoax? Or did the Democratic Party overplay the coronavirus's severity? He appeared to do a little bit of both causing Snopes to say that he technically didn't call the germ a hoax, but what he actually meant is really up to interpretation.
==Courtroom antics==
While facing 91 criminal charges and several civil lawsuits in several cases during 2023, Trump has resorted to attacking the judges, prosecutors and witnesses in these cases while he is outside the courtroom. The tactics follow a fairly fixed pattern:A catalogue of Trump’s attacks on judges, prosecutors and witnesses: As the former president faces gag orders, it’s worth emphasizing the scale, similarity and viciousness of his attacks by Aaron Blake (October 5, 2023 at 1:38 p.m. EDT) The Washington Post.
Several of these rhetorical tactics could be considered psychological projection: accusation of racism, fascism, bias, election interference, and crimes.
==Cracked pots for sale==
Trump has promoted at least 23 different conspiracy theories in various attempts to smear his opponents or incite his base, not even counting all of the conspiracies he spread about the 2020 U.S. presidential election:23 bizarre conspiracy theories Trump has elevated by Aaron Blake (August 12 at 11:38 AM) The Washington Post.
==See also==
*Policies of Donald Trump — rhetoric begets action.
*Trump-Russia connection — the tie that binds.
*Fun:Trump synonym generator
*Fun:Trump Insult Generator
*Fun:Trump Tweet Generator
==External link==
*Here is Trump's speech on race — word for word, alas by Dana Milbank (June 10, 2020 at 4:15 p.m. PDT) The Washington Post.
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Alt-right
Category:Anti-intellectualism
Category:Antisemitism
Category:Trumpism
Category:Fascism
Category:Living people
Category:Government incompetence
Category:Islamophobia
Category:Neo-Nazism
Category:Racism
Category:Sexism
Category:United States politics