As the election season preceding the 2020 presidential contest heats up, the rhetorical knives are being sharpened on both sides of the aisle in preparation for what promises to be a contentious race. And hot on the heels of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) announcing that he is officially throwing his hat in the ring – and not incidentally, raising over $4 million in small donations within hours of the announcement – President Donald Trump has revamped an old nickname for him – “Crazy Bernie” as reported in the Hill .
Ironically, Trump dusted off that name for Sanders the day after former ethics czar for the George W. Bush administration described Trump as “not well at all mentally,” as reported in the Inquisitr .
It’s a favorite pastime of the president to hand out scathing nicknames to his opponents as he plays to the press for any advantage, whether it be in his real estate business, reality television shows, or in the political arena. And while some have likened his use of demeaning nicknames that may seem like bullying, he is nevertheless still prolific at naming people who seem to have gotten under his skin. If you count media figures, U.S. and foreign politicians, and organizations, Trump easily has a list of over 100 nicknames he has used at one time or another. Here are a few favorites.
1. Crazy Bernie
Certainly, Trump is referencing the imagery of the wild-haired, rumple-suited Vermont Senator here, going as he does against the grain of most carefully-coiffed modern politicians. But while Sanders’ ideas like Medicare for All, a $15 minimum wage, and economic justice were once considered wild-eyed, these days they are polling as more and more sane to the mainstream voter.
2. Crooked Hillary, Nasty Woman
Trump had a field day in 2016 referring to Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton by “Crooked Hillary” and “Lyin’ Hillary,” among other nicknames. But the Clinton camp, in the great American political tradition of taking your opponent’s disparaging name for you and embracing it, latched onto “Nasty Woman,” which ended up on T-shirts and banners.
3. Lyin’ Ted
Wow, Lyin’ Ted Cruz really went wacko today. Made all sorts of crazy charges. Can’t function under pressure – not very presidential. Sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2016
As with any great wordsmith, Trump occasionally repeats himself, and that was the case with his nickname for primary opponent Ted Cruz, or “Lyin’ Ted.” Trump started calling the Senator from Texas by this name in a 2016 campaign ad on immigration.
4. Little Marco
Another of Trump’s ill-fated 2016 primary election opponents, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida found himself in the Trump crosshairs after he riffed on Trump’s small hands during a campaign speech. Seemingly stung, Trump proceeded to tell the nation what hand size absolutely does NOT correspond to on the male body, and he tweeted about “Little Marco, the lightweight from Florida.”
5. Low Energy Jeb
Yet another of Trump’s primary opponents, the genteel former Florida Governor Jeb Bush floundered badly in the unprecedented nastiness of the primary as he tried to stay above the ugliest mud-slinging. For his troubles, Bush was granted the Trump sobriquet “Low-Energy Jeb.”
6. Pocahontas
When Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) started throwing shade at Trump during the run-up to the 2016 election, he quickly went nuclear, calling her “Pocahontas” in reference to Warren’s claim that she has a minute amount of Native American heritage. He also has called her “Goofy Elizabeth Warren.”
7. Little Rocket Man
In the long-ago days before Trump became BFF with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, he broke out the tried and true tactic of making fun of an unstable dictator’s nuclear aspirations, poking fun at failed rocket tests the Communist country fired, by calling him “Little Rocket Man.”
8. Lyin’ James Comey
Robert Mueller and Leakin’ Lyin’ James Comey are Best Friends, just one of many Mueller Conflicts of Interest. And bye the way, wasn’t the woman in charge of prosecuting Jerome Corsi (who I do not know) in charge of “legal” at the corrupt Clinton Foundation? A total Witch Hunt…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2018
The former head of the FBI who was eventually fired by Trump was a particular target of the president, racking up at least seven nicknames, including “Slippery James Comey,” “Leakin’ James Comey,” and “Shady James Comey.” He even garnered a combo plate of a nickname, once being dubbed “Leakin’ Lyin’ James Comey.”
