The Crude Language of Trump’s Rally

During a recent rally at Madison Square Garden, the atmosphere was charged with a barrage of four-letter words. One speaker brazenly flipped his middle finger at the opposing side, while another made an inappropriate joke about Vice President Kamala Harris that was interpreted as an explicit reference to oral sex. Adding to the crude commentary, someone suggested that she was akin to a prostitute, and yet another individual discussed the intimate habits of Latinos in a rather graphic manner.

This event showcased a shocking level of vulgarity, marking a striking departure from the decorum typically expected at a gathering meant to support a presidential candidate. Former President Donald J. Trump has consistently pushed the boundaries of political propriety, and in his third bid for the presidency, his speeches have become increasingly coarse.

According to a detailed analysis, Mr. Trump has employed words that once would have warranted a kid’s mouth being washed out with soap a staggering 140 times in public appearances this year alone. When including milder four-letter words like “damn” and “hell,” the count rises dramatically to at least 1,787 instances of cursing throughout 2024.

The minimal self-restraint that Mr. Trump once exhibited in his public rhetoric has all but vanished. A recent investigation by the New York Times revealed that he now uses such coarse language 69 percent more frequently than during his inaugural campaign in 2016. At times, he acknowledges that he knows he should temper his language, yet he swiftly adds that he struggles to restrain himself.

During his rally, he recounted an interaction with Franklin Graham, the evangelical leader and son of the famed Rev. Billy Graham, who had previously admonished Trump regarding his choice of words. “I wrote him back,” Mr. Trump explained at a recent rally, where he provocatively discussed the golfer Arnold Palmer’s anatomy and encouraged the audience to shout out a four-letter term to describe Ms. Harris. “I said, I’m going to try to do that, but honestly, the stories won’t be as compelling. You just can’t emphasize it the same way. So tonight, I broke my own rule.”