Talking About Republican Hypocrisy: Why do some people say Mr. Trump instead of President Trump?

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Why do some people say Mr. Trump instead of President Trump?

In everyday usage, or in journalistic reporting/editorial writing?

Since I studied journalism and mass communications in high school and college, I’ll start with how mass media refers to presidents and foreign leaders.

Although newspaper and news magazines’ stylebooks allow for local variations when dealing with honorifics and titles (the New York Times usually places honorifics such as Mr., Mrs., or Ms. before a person’s last name upon second reference), the general style rule is:

Use a government official’s title and complete name on first reference, e.g. “President Donald Trump.”

After that, use the person’s last name only, e.g. “When Trump was asked about the issue, he said, ‘Fake news!’”

In print media, page space is like real estate: a valuable commodity that is measured in column inches. Newspapers especially have only so much space on a page, and there is a limit on how many articles you can fit into your average layout, especially when you factor in headlines, illustrations (photos, charts, maps, etc.), and advertisements.

That’s why page or section editors tell reporters, “Alex, I need a 500-word article about Trump’s speech at a campaign rally in Miami for tomorrow’s issue.”

When word-count is a prime concern, honorifics and job titles are usually tossed out the window. Sometimes, reporters will say “The President said” rather than, “Trump said,” but that’s basically a matter of journalistic shorthand rather than a token of respect.

As for everyday usage…..

In most casual conversations, hardly anyone bothers to talk about sitting Presidents using their full names and titles, unless one is a total sycophant. Even when I was a kid, all Presidents were either referred to by their last names or, in some cases, by their initials (in my lifetime, JFK and LBJ were commonly used to refer to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson).

Thus, “Kennedy committed Americans to land a man on the Moon by the end of the Sixties,” “LBJ escalated the war in Vietnam and doomed his chances for re-election,” or, “Nixon said he was not a crook.”

Only rarely did you hear, in casual conversations, people say “President Carter” or “President Reagan.” And if you did, honorifics were usually uttered by extremely devoted loyalists.

It’s ironic and somewhat sickening to see that (in social media, anyway), Trump supporters seem to be demanding that “their” President be referred to as either "President Trump” or “Mr. Trump” at all times. They love to be outraged, outraged, I say, by the apparent lapse of decorum when the public and the press alike don’t call him “President Trump” all the time.

Seriously?

That Trump supporters seem to be having fits over honorifics and lack of respect toward the current President is a classic application of a double standard.

I mean, look at how many Trump supporters still talk about Barack Obama, the previous President of the United States.

Most of them simply say “Obama” when they refer to the 44th Chief Executive, even on the first reference. Which is fine, because that’s general usage.

But the more ardent Trump supporters often opt for slurs and insulting nicknames for Obama, especially in the comments sections of Quora answers or on other social media.

Here are some of the more common ones I’ve seen:

• “Barry”
• “Barry Otero”
• “Hussein”
• Barack HUSSEIN”
• “O’Bummer”

Meanwhile, the same people who show such disrespect for one President now wring their hands when their “Chosen One” gets the same treatment from Americans who are not fans of “the best President EVER.”

Pure hypocrisy, I call it.