Trump uses 'common sense' to make a political point. It has populist appeal

"There's something going on, and we have to address it. And so, I'm addressing it the best I can as a nondoctor, but I'm a man of common sense,"

"It's totally rigged. Smart people know it. People with common sense know it."

"Not enough Democrats voted for this common sense, clean continuing resolution to keep the government open,"

"It invokes some kind of primordial basic sense of ordinary people, a kind of lived experience that should transcend what the official or elite position is on something and particularly should transcend book learning and school learning,"

The phrase "common sense" has been central to American politics since the nation’s founding and remains a frequent political appeal. President Trump repeatedly invokes common sense to challenge expert opinion and official accounts, citing examples from medical advice to skepticism about government data. The White House has used the phrase to frame legislative disputes, portraying proposals as "common sense." The phrase traces back to Thomas Paine’s 1776 pamphlet Common Sense and carries a populist resonance that prizes ordinary lived experience over academic or elite authority.

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