APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) — President Donald Trump may have become the first U.S. president to deliberately drop the F-bomb on live TV on Tuesday morning.
Israel and Iran are pointing fingers at each other, accusing each other of breaking the ceasefire agreement shortly after Trump announced it. While speaking on the conflict, Trump said “We basically have two countries that have been fighting for so long and so hard, that they don’t know what the f*** they’re doing.”
Jerald Podair, a history professor at Lawrence University in Appleton says Trump may have chose his language intentionally to drive his point home.
“When we really want to put an emphasis on something, we have a tendency to use those words,” said Podair. “It’s almost a form of underlining, so it’s more likely that people will pay attention to what you’re saying.”
However, Podair also pointed out that it’s a testament to the state of our culture that there is so much focus on Trump’s language; as opposed to the message he was trying to convey about the conflicting nations.
There have been a handful of incidents where a U.S. president or a member of their staff was heard using the F-bomb or other foul language; but they have been in ‘hot mic’ situations; or if they were in front of the media or were willfully in the public eye, their vulgar language was more subdued.
In recent history, President Trump referred to African nations as “s***hole countries” during a meeting about immigration in 2018. In 2009, footage leaked of then president Barack Obama calling Kanye West a “jacka**” after West interrupted Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards. Also, while running for president in 2000, George W. Bush called New York Times journalist Adam Clymer a “major-league a**hole” while speaking to his running mate Dick Cheney; unaware a microphone was on.
Additionally, then vice president Joe Biden was caught on a hot mic in 2010 telling then president Barack Obama his affordable care act was a “big f***ing deal”.
WTAQ asked Podair, “How does the general public react when a person in high power uses profanity?”
“Trump’s base views that as somebody who speaks what’s on his mind. Democratic opponents are clutching their pearls and saying that this is horrible,” said Podair. “So, if it’s your guy [cursing], you think it’s endearing. If it’s not your guy, you’re horrified.”
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