Latest news with #Fbomb
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Trump's F-bomb broke another presidential taboo - but here's why Americans don't give a you-know-what
Ever had one of those days when you're just, like, 'F%#K!!!'? The word that has become part of most Americans' vocabulary is popping up in contexts where swearing used to be verboten. That includes the White House lawn on Tuesday where Donald Trump dropped an F-bomb that echoed around the world. 'We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f**k they're doing, the president said about Iran and Israel, venting his frustration with both countries for bombing each other in the hours after he prematurely announced a ceasefire in their 12-day war. Although Trump is the first U.S. president to say 'f**k' to reporters on live TV, he has plenty of company among public figures – including comedians, rappers, and social media influencers – who have normalized the word. Joy Reid and Charles Barkley recently made headlines for saying the word on live news and sports broadcasts. Even Paris Hilton's two-year-old son, Phoenix went viral for repeating it several times in a home video. In a nation bitterly divided by politics, rattled by Trump's much-debated decision to bomb Iranian nuclear sites last weekend, and sweating through this week's heatwave, one linguistic expert says it's time to stop clutching our pearls over language that has become common parlance. Why, he asks, should we feign surprise over politicians and other public figures uttering a word that, for more than 20 years now, polls have found most Americans use in conversation? '"F**k" is here to stay,' Professor Timothy Jay, who has researched the science of swearing for more than 40 years, tells 'To pretend otherwise seems out of touch with reality.' WHERE THE F%#K DID IT COME FROM? Etymologists are quick to debunk a popular myth that the f-word derives from a British royal law under which commoners needed to post a 'F.*.*.K.' sign – an acronym for 'Fornication Under Consent of the King' – on their doors in order to have sex. Although there is some disagreement in academic circles, most scholars believe the word instead has roots in Germanic languages. The German 'ficken' and the Dutch 'fokken' mean to copulate and to breed, respectively. The word is believed to have first appeared in English between the 14th and 15th centuries to mean sexual intercourse, and to have morphed into a derogatory synonym for, say, 'screw' as both a noun and a verb in the 16th century. It took on taboo status in the late 1800s when it came to connote casual sex frowned upon in the buttoned-up, morally strict Victorian Era. And it gained linguistic legitimacy in 1966 when Penguin became the first publisher to include it in an English dictionary. Literally and figuratively a four-letter-word, f**k can be described both as a curse, meaning an expression wishing violence or harm on someone, and as a swear word, one considered profane or offensive to some people. Meanwhile, it has over the decades made its way into all kinds of acronyms. Military terms such as SNAFU (Situation Normal: All F**ked Up) and FUBAR (F**ked Up Beyond All Recognition), for example, were coined among soldiers in World War II. And the letter 'f' has become a common component in internet shorthand such as the faux directive 'STFU' for 'shut the f**k up,' the exclamation 'OMFG' for 'oh my f**king god,' and perhaps the two most existential questions put forth by English-language texters – 'WTF?' meaning 'what the f**k?' and 'WTAF?' meaning 'what the actual f***?' for emphasis. Although moralists have come up with alternatives – effing, farking, flipping, fracking, freaking, frigging, fricking and fudge – f-word purists say those words don't scratch the same itch as the original. A century ago, the word f**k, words for female body parts, along with anti-religious words like damn, hell, god, and Jesus, were considered the most indecent words of all. Today, studies show that, at least in the U.S., the f-word ranks behind slurs for racial, ethnic, religious, and sexual identity groups in terms of offensiveness. 'Swear words change over time,' says Jay, 75, a professor emeritus of psychology at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. 'When I was in high school, we had dress codes and acceptable ways of eating and acting in public that most people now don't worry about anymore.' Grammarians note that the f-word has taken on an especially flexible role in the English language, functioning not only as a transitive and intransitive verb, but also as a noun, adjective, adverb, and interjection. A celebrated testament of its many uses and meanings – and also of its expressiveness and, some might say, poetry – came in the fourth episode of the first season of HBO's The Wire, considered one of the greatest scenes in television history. PRESIDENTIAL PROFANITY Colorful language is nothing new in politics, including among presidents. Andrew Jackson had a parrot who reportedly repeated his swear words during his 1845 funeral service. Harry Truman once referred to General Douglas MacArthur as 'a dumb son of a b***h.' Lyndon Johnson – remembered as by far the country's most vulgar commander-in-chief – once referred to his wife, Lady Bird, as 'the best piece of a** I ever had.' Johnson's successor, Richard Nixon was a regular user of racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic slurs. Tricky Dick became notorious for recording nearly every conversation he had in office. Once those recordings were made public and transcribed, they were filled with expletive-deleted redactions. In a precursor to Trump's comments on Tuesday, Jimmy Carter was reported to have said, 'F**k the Shah' in response to pressure to allow the deposed Iranian leader into the U.S. His successor, Ronald Reagan, famously pounded his fist in anger at Canada's prime minister, saying, 'God damn it, Pierre.' This century, George W. Bush described New York Times reporter Adam Clymer as 'a major a**h**e.' His vice president, Dick Cheney, told Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy to 'Go f**k yourself' on the same day in 2004 that the Senate passed the Defense of Decency Act. Barack Obama described Kanye West as a 'jackass' and Joe Biden was caught on a hot mic calling Fox News reporter Peter Doocy 'a stupid son of a b***h.' Trump became the first president to use the f-word on television in 2020 when preparing to speak to the nation from the Oval Office about the country's response to the coronavirus pandemic. 'Oh f**k,' he said in a hot mic when realizing he had a pen mark on his shirt. C-SPAN inadvertently included the comment in its livestream, but edited it out after. Vulgarity has always been a signature part of Trump's schtick. He infamously referred to Haiti and African nations as 'sh**hole countries.' He simulated performing oral sex on a malfunctioning microphone at a pre-election rally in November 2024. And his first election in 2016 was nearly tanked by a leaked recording of his conversation with Access Hollywood host Billy Bush about pushing himself on beautiful women. 'I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the p***y.' POWER, PAIN, AND PROFANITY Coarse language can serve several different purposes, says Jay, the swearing expert. One is harassment, discrimination and abuse, as he categorizes Trump's 'p***y' comment. He describes the president as a 'pejorative swearer' and 'master at name-calling and insulting.' 'He didn't pioneer bullying. But he has certainly furthered the use of purposely offensive language in our country. That's the political moment we're in, and it's too damn bad,' he says. Similarly, he adds, swearing can be a mark of power – 'a luxury among people unafraid of being fired for doing it.' He notes that Americans at the top of professional and cultural hierarchies can say what they want with impunity, while people at the bottom don't enjoy the same latitude. 'Loose speech can be a sign of wielding power,' he says. Although swearing can be a mark of fluency with language and a tool to emphasize a point, it also, conversely, can be indicative of what he calls impoverished or lazy language. 'People with poor vocabularies tend to swear a lot,' he says. Some scientists say swearing may actually be good for you. Jay, for his part, lauds it as a form of self defense that's far safer than shooting guns or throwing punches. 'In my research, some people said that expressing anger and frustration at people abusing them makes them feel better,' he says. Other experts see swearing as a form of catharsis, a harmless emotional response that lets off steam and lowers cortisol levels. British psychologist Richard Stevens argues that swearing increases one's tolerance for pain. And in his book, 'The F-Word,' writer and slang expert Jesse Sheidlower asserts: 'F**k, is one of the few words in the English language with true medicinal qualities.' Jay's read on Trump is that he swears partly as a political strategy – a way to connect with average Americans and convince them of his authenticity. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt espouses that theory when asked about his profanity. 'One of the things the American people love the most about this president is he often says what they were thinking but lack the courage to say themselves,' she has said. Jay also sees Trump's language as the mark of an emotional and at times impetuous leader who at times lacks a reliable edit button and sense of self-control. He describes the president's F-bomb on Tuesday as an unconscious response to the chaos of the Middle East conflict. As he sees it, Trump broke from presidential norms on Tuesday less through his word choice than through his obvious stress over a high-stakes foreign-policy situation. Psychologically, he adds, it's no coincidence that the president dropped the F-bomb in the hours after he prematurely announced a ceasefire between Iran and Israel and asserted, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, that the three nuclear sites he unilaterally decided to bomb in Iran 'obliterated' that country's nuclear facilities. Officials familiar with a classified intelligence report said Tuesday that the bunker-buster bombs that Trump ordered in the attacks sealed entrances to two of the three targets but did not collapse their underground structures. The report also showed that much of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was moved before the strikes, indicating that Iran's nuclear program has been set back only by a few months, not indefinitely as Trump and his circle claimed. By saying those countries 'don't know what the f**k they're doing,' Jays says Trump's subliminal message is really that he doesn't know what the f**k they're doing. If the president knew, he adds, he would say so. 'What became clear is that he doesn't know, and the people around him don't understand the complexities. 'It's a sign that he has as little clue about what's going on as the rest of us, even though he has more information than we do,' says Jay. As he tells it: 'You could see the confusion in his face and hear it in his words.'
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Seth Meyers Has Pitch-Perfect Response To Donald Trump's White House F-Bomb
'Late Night' host Seth Meyers said Tuesday that despite 'having zero standards of expectations' for President Donald Trump, it was 'still surprising to see the president drop an F-bomb on the White House grounds.' Trump earlier in the day slammed Israel and Iran for violating a newly announced ceasefire when he claimed 'they don't know what the fuck they're doing.' While conservatives loved Trump's profane language, Meyers pointed out one particular time when they weren't as pleased about a curse word. 'Remember when Biden whispered it to Obama and everyone on the right lost their fucking minds?' the comedian asked, referring to then-Vice President Joe Biden's 'big fucking deal' 2010 hot mic moment with then-President Barack Obama when signing the Affordable Care Act into law. 'Sorry, I should have bleeped that,' Meyers joked, adding that 'from now on, we're going to use the Trump clip as our bleep.' Watch here: NATO Chief Drops 'Daddy' Remark During Trump Chat On Iran-Israel Trump Makes 'Super' Awkward Gaffe While Ranting About Iran 'Big Balls' Quits: 19-Year-Old Musk Protégé Leaves U.S. Government Post
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fox News Host Mocked After Being Caught In The Middle Of A Glaring Hypocrisy
Fox News host Emily Compagno seems to have two very different standards when it comes to dropping the F-bomb. A new video shows her praising President Donald Trump's 'salty language' when he said Israel and Iran 'don't know what the fuck they're doing' amid reports of ceasefire violations on Tuesday. 'Looks like the F-bomb diplomacy worked,' Compagno said, noting that the ceasefire held in the hours after Trump's comments. But she wasn't pleased when Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) used that same word when criticizing Trump's decision to bomb Iran without congressional authorization. 'I'm the one that's supposed to make the fucking decision, or at least get a vote,' Crockett said. Compagno said she was 'particularly repulsed' by Crockett, first saying she was wrong on the Constitution but then going after her language, saying she had a 'pretty foul mouth... for someone that went to a tidy little all-girls Catholic school.' Her comments on Crockett's 'pretty foul mouth' came on the same day ― and the same show ― as her praise of Trump's 'f-bomb diplomacy.' Fox on Trump using the f word: Salty languageFox on Crockett using the f word: foul mouth for someone who went to catholic school — Acyn (@Acyn) June 24, 2025 CNN also noticed the difference. 'It seems there is a lot of pearl-clutching over at Fox whenever the swearing is done by liberals,' host Abby Phillip said on Tuesday. She showed the video evidence, then added: 'But when Donald Trump does it, zero Fox given.' CNN put together a collection of clips of Fox hosts upset over liberals cursing — Acyn (@Acyn) June 25, 2025 Critics called out Fox and Compagno for the glaring double standard: It's almost like conservatives have no actual principles. — Hemant Mehta (@hemantmehta) June 24, 2025 Fox tone depends entirely on skin tone. — Ryan @ (@FamilyManAI) June 24, 2025 Hypocrisy is their favorite virtue. — Sophia A. Nelson (@IAmSophiaNelson) June 25, 2025 The hypocrisyyyyyy — Teri Workman (@TeriWorkman) June 25, 2025 I am particularly repulsed by @EmilyCompagno's histrionic antics — Bad Fox Graphics (@BadFoxGraphics) June 24, 2025 Typical double standard in 2025 — Michael Cook (@Cookster74) June 24, 2025 tfg is the reason the word 'fuck' has become a major word in my daily repertoire. — Rita 💙 🟧 🌈ally Tribal: @ritao3 (@rvo1115) June 25, 2025
The Independent
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Trump just became first US president to drop the F-bomb on live TV. But he's not the first to be caught cursing
President Donald Trump on Tuesday became the first US president to intentionally drop an F-bomb on live TV when he told reporters that Israel and Iran 'have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f— they're doing.' His agitated comments followed a ceasefire between the two countries, which Israel claimed Iran violated just hours afterward. But while Trump might be the first president to drop the F-bomb in official comments to reporters on live TV, he's no stranger to public foul language. Before a national address on the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Trump was caught on a hot mic saying 'oh, f—' over a pen mark on his clothing. In 2018, he infamously called Haiti and African nations 's–thole countries' during an Oval Office meeting. In 2016, Trump dropped an F-bomb during his campaign rally, telling his supporters, 'We're gonna have businesses that used to be in New Hampshire that are now in Mexico. Come back to New Hampshire, and you can tell them to go f–k themselves.' He also faced backlash after a 2005 Access Hollywood recording surfaced before the 2016 election in which he claimed that when you're a 'star,' you can grab women 'by the p—y.' However, Trump isn't singular as a U.S. president caught cussing. Joe Biden During a January 2022 briefing, a hot mic picked up former President Joe Biden calling Fox News reporter Peter Doocy a "stupid son of a b—h.' Near the end of the event, Doocy called out, 'Do you think inflation is a political liability going into the midterms?" "No, it's a great asset," Biden snarked. "More inflation. What a stupid son of a b—h." It is unclear whether Biden realized his whisper was picked up by the microphone. Regardless, Doocy said the president called to apologize shortly after the briefing. And in 2010, as Barack Obama 's vice president, Biden whispered at his historic health care signing, 'This is a big f–king deal.' Barack Obama In 2009, a hot mic caught President Barack Obama calling rapper Kanye West a 'jacka–' after he interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards. Obama also used profanity in a 2012 Rolling Stone interview, referring to his presidential opponent Mitt Romney as a "bulls–er." After being approached by a young fan, Obama joked that he did well with the younger demographic. "Thoughts on lowering the voting age?" the interviewer asked. 'You know, kids have good instincts. They look at the other guy and say, 'Well, that's a bulls–ter, I can tell,'' Obama replied. Obama later admitted he likely swore more than he should, especially after becoming president. George W. Bush During his 2000 campaign, former President George W. Bush told his running mate, Dick Cheney, around an unknowingly hot mic that New York Times reporter Adam Clymer a 'major-league a–hole' Bush later joked about the incident, referring to Clymer as a "major-league in a taped message played at a press corps dinner. He also used the F-bomb multiple times in a 1999 interview with Tucker Carlson for Talk magazine. Bill Clinton After Obama's 2008 South Carolina primary win over Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton compared it to the Rev. Jesse Jackson's 1980s wins, which Obama saw as racially charged. "I don't think I should take any s–t from anybody on that, do you?" Bill Clinton responded, reportedly not knowing anyone could hear him. John F. Kennedy When information leaked that the Air Force spent $5,000 on Jackie Kennedy's maternity suite at Otis Air Force Base in 1963, President John F. Kennedy predicted political backlash and angrily called it 'a f–k-up' during a phone call with a general. Harry Truman Known as "Give 'Em Hell Harry," President Truman's folksy language reflected his rough upbringing. He once called General Douglas MacArthur a "dumb son of a b—h" and Richard Nixon a "shifty-eyed godd—ed liar." Andrew Jackson President Andrew Jackson gifted his wife an African gray parrot named Poll, who picked up his foul language. At Jackson's 1845 funeral, Poll shocked attendees by loudly cursing. 'Before the sermon and while the crowd was gathering, a wicked parrot that was a household pet got excited and commenced swearing so loud and long as to disturb the people and had to be carried from the house,' funeral attendee Rev. William Menefee Norment once wrote. Abraham Lincoln President Abraham Lincoln famously shared a story about Ethan Allen shocking English hosts with a crude joke involving a portrait of George Washington in an outhouse, as depicted in Spielberg's Lincoln. "There is nothing to make an Englishman shit quicker than the sight of General George Washington,' Lincoln reportedly said.
The Independent
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Listen as BBC presenter swears live on air whilst in ‘agony'
Listen to the moment a BBC radio presenter drops the F-bomb whilst live on air, with the star issuing an apology just moments later. Ian Skye was on BBC Radio Derby on Friday (13 June) when he suddenly screamed 'ahh, f***ing hell!', just seconds after telling listeners to message in if they had any requests. After realising his expletive outburst was heard to the public, he joked: 'I went on a course yesterday to learn how to be better on the radio.' "I don't think they suggested suddenly getting unbearably agonising cramp and shouting really loud on the air.' He went on to 'profusely apologise' for the incident which occurred just as the show's jingle began playing.
