When President Trump was inaugurated for his second term, many were already familiar with his long-winded and often incomprehensible Twitter rants. While the media readied themselves for another four years of low blows, it was difficult to imagine a world in which he could go much lower. However, Trump has still seemed to become frustrated with a major aspect of his job, talking to reporters, causing him to lash out recently.
President Trump, in his first term, was known to post difficult-to-understand things. Famously, he once tweeted, “Despite the constant negative press, covfefe” (sic). Instead of clarifying what the not-yet-discovered term “covfefe” meant, he chose to delete the tweet after six hours and simply tell people to “enjoy!”
In contrast to his earlier, slightly more innocent statements, Trump has begun to respond to minor criticism with harsh insults.
Often, these attacks aren’t warranted, such as in the case of Katie Rodgers. In late November, in a post on his personal social media site, Truth Social, the president referred to reporter Katie Rodgers as “ugly, both inside and out,” an attack following an article she’d written about signs that he was aging.
In early November, President Trump responded to a reporter’s question about his connection to Jeffrey Epstein by saying, “Quiet, piggy.” Again, in both of these cases, there was little to no provocation from either reporter towards the president.
These insults have also been extended to people not actively questioning anything about Trump. Following the shooting of two members of the U.S. National Guard, Trump blamed the Biden administration for allowing the shooter into the country. When a reporter tried to ask why he thought that, Trump answered, “Because they let him in. Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person? Because they came in on a plane, along with thousands of other people that shouldn’t be here, and you’re just asking questions because you’re a stupid person.”
President Trump’s pattern of insults coupled with phrases and rants that are near impossible to decode have led many to question his health, with many people suspecting a form of Alzheimer’s in particular. Trump’s administration has continuously denied any sign of health issues, with Trump himself bragging that he’d “aced” multiple cognitive exams.
Regardless of why Trump is doing it, it seems likely that his insults will continue for the foreseeable future. At this rate, he’ll run out of reporters to insult and have to go back to saying words like “covfefe.”