It蘑菇视频 no time for nicknames
President Trump is hard at work.
He’s made giving people nicknames a full-time job.
He’s a septuagenarian stuck on a grade school playground.
Trump seems to think that by tacking nicknames onto people, he owns them in some way.
He engages in that kind of nonsense more than you may imagine.
There’s an entire Wikipedia page devoted to the hundreds of nicknames he’s arrogantly given domestic political figures, foreign leaders, media figures and organizations.
The winner of Trump’s Most Nicknamed Person Award goes to former FBI director James Comey.
Comey got a whopping seven nicknames from Trump.
“Leakin’,” “Lying,” “Leakin’ Lyin,” “Sanctimonious,” “Slime ball,” “Slippery,” and “Shady” Comey, seems to have really gotten under Trump’s thin skin.
There are three runners-up for second place among Trump’s Most Nicknamed Persons — Speaker of the House Nancy (“High Tax, High Crime,” “MS-13 Lover,” “Nervous” Nancy, and “Crazy” Nancy) Pelosi, Chuck (“Cryin'” Chuck, “Fake Tears” Chuck,” “Head Clown” Chuck and “High Tax” Chuck) Schumer and Joe (“Sleepy” Joe, “SleepyCreepy” Joe, “One Percent” Joe, “Swampman,” and “Crazy” Joe) Biden have each been given four nicknames.
Have you noticed a pattern here?
I haven’t!
He just fires off nicknames at will, and in any direction — with the hopes that they’ll produce volleys of applause at his frequent campaign rallies.
The mere mention of “Crooked” Hillary sets his ardent rally-goers into fits of applause.
Nowadays, he gets the same effect when he refers to Elizabeth Warren as “Pocahontas.”
I might not know why he does it, but I sure know it’s all too predictable.
In the words of one of Hillary Clinton’s former advisors, Phillippe Reines, “He’s about as complicated as an amoeba.”
Trump discounts any information that doesn’t show him in a favorable light.
So, to him, the Washington Post, New York Times, CNN, ABC News, and NBC are all “Fake,” according to Mr. Trump.
He also extends the nickname “Failing” to the New York Times.
He seems to think anybody who disagrees with him is “Crazy.”
That’s why, at various times, he’s called former NBA player, Dennis Rodman, former Fox News reporter, Megyn Kelly, CNN’s Jim Acosta, author Maureen Dowd, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Nancy Pelosi and Congresswoman Maxine Waters “Crazy.”
Of course, he could suspend calling any of them “Crazy” if they decided to do one thing — agree with him about ANYTHING!
Heck, “Little Rocket Man,” has graduated to Leader Kim Jong-un, since he’s met twice with Trump.
And Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has been promoted from “Lyin” Ted, to “Texas” Ted, to “Beautiful” Ted since he’s no longer a political opponent who now (mostly) agrees with Trump.
Recently Trump has played the nickname game with somebody who is oh so quick-witted — South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg.
During a 15-minute telephone interview back in May, Trump was asked about the rising Democratic presidential candidate.
“Alfred E, Neuman (meaning Buttigieg) cannot become president of the United States,” Trump told the interviewer.
Trump was unaware that by trying to make fun of Buttigieg’s looks, he was comparing him to a humor magazine character that many people of a certain (much older age) might understand.
Buttigieg, who is 35 years younger than Trump — but probably far wittier — responded with, “”I’ll be honest. I had to Google that,” he said. “I guess it’s just a generational thing. I didn’t get the reference. It’s kind of funny, I guess. But he’s also the president of the United States and I’m surprised he’s not spending more time trying to salvage this China deal.”
Trump has since abandoned that Alfred E. Neuman thing.
Besides, “Mayor Pete” as many people respectfully call him, added a cautionary note aimed directly at Mr. Trump.
“You can’t get too worried about the name-calling and the games he plays.” He then quoted a Chinese proverb, “When the wind changes, some people build walls and some people build windmills,” said Buttigieg.
Recent Quinnipiac polling Buttigieg is among a growing list of Democratic presidential candidates who would beat Trump in a general election.
It’s no time for nicknames.
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight and 20-year TV news veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.