U.S. President Donald Trump reacts, as he attends a ceremony held to dedicate a 4-mile stretch of road from West Palm Beach Airport to his Mar-a-Lago estate as 'President Donald J. Trump Boulevard', at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., January 16, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
In the past, U.S. politicians would use profanity behind closed doors but were careful to avoid it in public speeches. President Donald Trump, however, isn't shy about using profanity when speaking publicly. And he isn't alone.
Axios' Avery Lotz, in an article published on January 17, reports that more and more U.S. politicians are increasing their use of profanity in public.
"American politics has gotten dirty — and so have officials' mouths," Lotz reports. "The big picture: In the era of politics often defined by the in-your-face style of President Trump, lawmakers are dropping f-bombs like 'The Wolf of Wall Street' went to Washington…. Case in point: In a high-intensity press briefing after a federal agent shot and killed a driver in Minneapolis, the city's mayor, Jacob Frey, didn't mince words as he ripped into ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), demanding officers 'get the f--- out.'"
According to Robert Thompson — founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University in Upstate New York — American politicians operated in "two parallel languages" in the past: the "language of public discourse" and how they spoke behind closed doors. But the Trump era, Thompson says, has brought "new rules."
Thompson told Axios, "One could argue that until these past couple of years, that separation was still pretty extreme."
Michael Adams, an English professor at Indiana University, Bloomington, believes that Fry's recent use of profanity was politically effective for the Democratic Minneapolis mayor.
Adams told Axios, "It was an instance in which I think it's fair to say that swearing was eloquent."
Lotz notes that both Republicans and Democrats are ramping up their use of profanity in public.
"Trump is a top offender," Lotz observes. "In October, he told reporters, as cameras were rolling, that since-captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro didn't 'want to f--- around with the United States' — a profanity-laden punch the administration was quick to promote with its 'FAFO' catchphrase…. Vice President Vance has taken a page out of Trump's book, calling a podcast host a 'dip---- on social media and saying, in a speech to troops, that people who like turkey were 'full of s---.' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also told a room of the nation's top military officials that the department was 'done with that s---," meaning social justice and diversity initiatives…. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has flaunted the f-word: dropping 'No f------ way' in a video shared amid the government shutdown and saying the administration can't 'f--- around' over the Epstein files release."
Read Avery Lotz's full article at this link.