printHere, paraphrased, is a collection of Trumpian straight-talk on the Zeitgeist. (Or, Donald’s “most notable insults,” as The Hill would have it):
We are led by stupid people. Media are dishonest. Talking to Anderson Cooper is a waste of time. War-all-the-time Charles Krauthhammer is an overrated, clueless clown. Anthony Weiner is the definition of a perv (or, as one very good Jewish writer put it, the “Weiner Worm is a Poster Boy for Anti-Semitism”). Elizabeth Beck is disgusting (read about her pukeness in “Motormouth Megyn Kelly & The Mad Matriarchy”). The once-great National Review … (the point: NR is no longer great). “George Bush sends our soldiers into combat, they are severely wounded, and then he wants $120,000 to make a boring speech to them?” (Superb insight, shared by the aforementioned excellent columnist, who put it even more bluntly: “G. Bush Screws Soldiers … Again.”) Penn Jillette’s show is terrible. And on the conflict-of-interest riddled, corrupt press: “Shouldn’t George Will have to give a disclaimer every time he is on Fox that his wife works for Scott Walker?”
Donald Trump’s tone is unhelpful, intoned Jeb Bush, one of the deserved targets of Trump’s derision. As someone who’s vested in linguistic accuracy, I think that Trump’s blunt, in-artful language is immensely helpful. The closer the language we use approximates reality—and, by extension, the truth—the greater the likelihood that our actions will follow.