5 days ago
Trump's authoritarian manipulation of language
To be clear, I'm not some finger-wagging prude when it comes to coarse language. But Trump's public use of profanity without apology or repercussions points to how he has upended language over his decade in the political spotlight — a hallmark of authoritarianism.
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Part of this, of course, is the outrageous behavior of a self-proclaimed king (
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How Trump deploys language is no less insidious.
In 'The Language of the Third Reich: LTI — Lingua Tertii Imperii: A Philologist's Notebook,'
It's no mistake that Trump officially brands his most ludicrous policies with cheery, rah-rah titles. In April, there was '
Whether or not people like it doesn't matter. Repeating 'beautiful' makes even those who recognize it as a lie end up reinforcing the exact opposite of what it is.
Trump loves a catchphrase — the shorter and punchier, the better. I don't know if it was Trump or the show's producers who came up with 'You're Fired' on 'The Apprentice,' which, in retrospect, all but launched Trump's political career. But in the end it didn't matter. He used it often during his first presidential run and its familiarity gave supporters another connection to him. It was an easy slogan for a T-shirt or sign and gifted Trump followers something mean that they could yell at reporters covering rallies.
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MAGA has become an indelible part of the national lexicon. So have 'alternative facts,' 'on both sides' and 'shithole countries.' This also includes the way Trump has bastardized the phrase 'woke' into a slur that has never meant what he and his minions think it means. And his white followers don't know what DEI is, but they understand how Trump uses it — as a threat to white male supremacy that must be eradicated.
When Trump swears, he isn't just coarsening language. It becomes yet another way of torching the decorum once expected of presidents. He erodes the line between public and private speech and infuses our vocabulary with the phrases and expressions he wants us to use.
Authoritarianism leaves its stain on everything, including language. And Trump wants his reach, even down to our usage of words that sound like his own, to be absolute in his obscenity of a presidency.
Renée Graham is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
