A flurry of expletives from Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s lips as she responded to President Donald Trump’s joint speech to Congress on Tuesday evening: “Somebody slap me and wake me the fuck up because I’m ready to get on with it.” A few days ago, when questioned about her message for Elon Musk, she essentially ordered him to “Fuck off.”
The new Democratic National Committee head, Ken Martin, adopted a more moderate stance: “Go to hell,” he declared, later adding on X: “I said what I said.” At the same time, Democrats in the Senate released coordinated social media films debunking Trump’s assertions, with each senator describing Trump’s statements as “shit that ain’t true.”
Democrats have flitted aimlessly, frequently ineffectively, in response to Trump in the first weeks of his second administration. But one thing they’ve all done in their efforts to reawaken their connection with American voters is reach for vulgarity.
The Democrats are yelling profanities.
“Oh my, could you please tell me who initiated that?” said Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, who was known for his frequent use of foul language.
Of all, politicians have a long history of using profanity. It is a tried and true method of establishing immediate camaraderie among principals, operatives, and journalists. Also, the Democrats have dealt with this before, especially in their opposition to Trump: Tom Perez, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee, used profanity regularly in his 2017 campaign speeches. He said things like, “Trump doesn’t give a shit about health care.”
However, the extensive use of profanity is clearly popular among members of a struggling party seeking ways to appeal to people’ anger without sacrificing authenticity.
Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego recently stated his desire to have the “intern” from the National Republican Campaign Congressional Committee dismissed for posting “racist shit” on X. In his assessment of Trump’s America, Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz made the observation that, although the stock market may be down, “at least everything is more expensive and services are getting shittier.”
The late Andrew Breitbart made the astute observation that politics follows culture. And Democrats are in a pickle when it comes to language.
Trump used profanity more frequently on his way back to the presidency, beating them to the punch. However, for other Democrats, it is a native language.
“Well, I was cursing even before Trump took office, so I guess I can’t really hold him responsible,” Gallego told AWN. “It was more my time spent serving in the Marines,” he said.
The Democrats are now trying to stifle their rude language before it sucks up an even more uncivilized and foul-mouthed public.
“Some of it is genuine, some of it is people trying to seem faux-edgy authentic,” commented Lis Smith, a Democratic consultant whose infamous f-bombs contributed to the “R” classification given to Amazon’s otherwise respectable 2021 documentary on Pete Buttigieg. Reading from a script is likely not real and something you shouldn’t do if it’s your first time using a curse word in public.
The Democratic Party’s expanded use of social media now includes this tactic as well. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer created a video “breaking down the BS Trump told” during his joint speech, adding to his collection of “shit that ain’t true” films that he shared on social media. (The leading Democrat in the Senate chose to use the word “bull” instead of “bullshit” in the video.)
The results are inconsistent. Pronunciation levels at last month’s AFGE event, where Democrats joined federal workers in protesting DOGE cuts, were almost as high as those present.
“Please don’t tell my children that I just did that,” Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.) added, her voice tinged with a hint of embarrassment as she uttered the words “fuck Trump.”
The clumsy expression, which came off as more of a suggestion than an insult, was severely criticized.
Democratic campaign veteran Caitlin Legacki said, “The key to doing it and doing it well is that you can’t overdo it and you can’t force it.” Legislators must be serious when they swear if they want to be believed. People will likely be alright with it and even find it relatable if it’s true to their feelings and identity. “But nothing is more cringeworthy if it isn’t authentic.”
The Democrats’ appeal to an incredibly uneasy base, however, has a more primal quality.
“The truth is that we’re driven by the same things most people are — like anger at honest folks being denied a fair shot – and we need to prove it by showing fight,” said Andrew Bates, who was an aide to the infamously foul-mouthed private Joe Biden. “One way to do that is to point out that Trump campaigned on a platform of lower costs—his words—but now he’s using tariffs to increase those costs in order to pay for a tax cut for the wealthy. That’s ridiculous and exposes his real colors, and we should not hesitate to say it.”
The Democrats have finally admitted that they can’t be pure rhetoric.
At this crucial juncture, the Democratic base does desire to witness its leaders taking a stand. An anonymous Democratic wordsmith evaluated the party’s rhetoric and stated, “But at the end of the day, that means successful legislative and legal maneuvers — not just the occasional f-bomb on a podcast.” I believe this.
Some of it is a manifestation of genuine indignation at Trump destroying Democratic standards and institutions,” this individual said, confirming the “mad as hell” atmosphere within the party. Part of the problem is that public expectations for public officials’ behavior have been reduced due to Trump and his followers.
Even more fundamentally, public profanity is seen by some Democrats as a fundamentally immoral act.
According to Michael Wear—former adviser to Barack Obama on faith outreach, founder, president and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, and author of “The Spirit of Our Politics”—”Democrats who think that vulgarity and dehumanization are reliable, appropriate, or beneficial ways to advance their political interests profoundly misunderstand what has happened in our politics and what is required in this moment.” You can’t put these to use for your political ambitions. The irresponsible, confrontational politics that Democrats—and the rest of us—ought to oppose are fostered by these very things: mistrust, alienation, and hostility.
The people in her district took notice of Crockett’s f-bomb. At Thursday’s Capitol event, she said that someone had contacted her church pastor in an effort to “tattle” on her. (Although Crockett mentioned that her pastor had given his blessing to her message: “He’s not going to be the one to try to rein me in.”)
She has no regrets at this time. She insisted her response was “real” and an expression of her displeasure with Trump and Musk’s behavior.
She described herself as having a “potty mouth,” particularly when she was angry. We’re addressing the matter. We will take it to prayer.