Political potty mouths: How cursing became common in politics

"Robert Thompson, the founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, told Axios the U.S. long operated in "two parallel languages": How we spoke with one another and the "language of public discourse." "One could argue that until these past couple of years that separation was still pretty extreme," he said. The Trump era, in some ways, has set "new rules.""

"Context: Trump is a top offender.In October, he told reporters as cameras were rolling that since-captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro didn't "want to f-ck around with the United States" - a profanity-laden punch the administration was quick to promote with its "FAFO" catchphrase. He's publicly used a plethora of profanities during his political career, including confirming the infamous incident where he called Haiti and other nations "s--thole countries" and calling other nations (and U.S. cities) "hellholes.""

U.S. public discourse has long operated in two parallel languages: casual speech among people and a more restrained language of public politics. That separation has narrowed in recent years, with the Trump era establishing looser norms for profanity in political settings. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey publicly told ICE officers to "get the f-ck out" during a high-intensity briefing, a moment praised by a profanity scholar as "eloquent." President Trump has repeatedly used coarse language, including threats toward Nicolás Maduro, calling countries "s--thole countries," and labeling locations "hellholes," further eroding taboos.

Read at Axios