October 17, 2019 - 10:16am
The letter from Donald Trump to President Erdogan of Turkey that emerged on Twitter last night is so bafflingly childish that even his most ardent supporters are stuck for words. The White House had to confirm its authenticity as so many people presumed it was a fake:
White House confirms authenticity of Trump letter to Erdogan, dated 10/9: āHistory… will look upon you forever as the devil if good things donāt happen. Donāt be a tough guy. Donāt be a fool! I will call you later.ā
First reported by Fox Business. pic.twitter.com/lImxfhb2j1— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) October 16, 2019
āDonāt be a tough guy. Donāt be a fool! I will call you laterā. It sounds like a WhatsApp message between sixteen-year-olds. Political Twitter was beside itself.
But when everyone is laughing at The Donald itās usually worth pausing for thought.
In a piece published in the Washington Post yesterday, just before the letter emerged, Allison Jane Smith points out that using childish language seems to have served Mr Trump quite well:
A presidential candidate wants to be understood by all voters, from immigrants whose first language isnāt English to those with advanced degrees in linguistics. Trump rarely uses speechwriters, yet heās grasped one of their principles: It is more important to be understood than to use $10 words. The simple way Trump speaks does not make his supporters think he is speaking down to them. The opposite, in fact, appears to be true. āHeās .ā.ā. talking to us not like weāre stupid,ā one supporterĀ said in a focus group conducted in December.
Obviously Donald Trump is not deploying an elaborate ruse and dumbing down his otherwise highfalutin patter: this is how he thinks, and how he speaks. But that letter didnāt have to be released ā the White House must calculate that fancy Democrats laughing at Donaldās stoopid language is a net political positive.
Freddie Sayers is the Editor-in-Chief & CEO of UnHerd. He was previously Editor-in-Chief of YouGov, and founder of PoliticsHome.
freddiesayers
Join the discussion
Join like minded readers that support our journalism by becoming a paid subscriber
To join the discussion in the comments, become a paid subscriber.
Join like minded readers that support our journalism, read unlimited articles and enjoy other subscriber-only benefits.
Subscribe