Critics might find themselves reluctant to discuss Donald Trump’s latest social media screed not for any sort of shock value, but because it is, quite literally, hard to repeat.
“There is a new word for a TRUMP REPUBLICAN,” the 79-year-old boldly declared on Truth Social media Wednesday, before asking his followers what exactly the word ought to be.
Scorning the low-hanging fruit of ‘Trumpublican’, the president mused: “It is, TEPUBLICAN??? Or, TPUBLICAN???”
The last of these options would require even more linguistically accomplished MAGA supporters to master an impressive feat or pronunciation, otherwise known to language experts as the “voiceless labial-alveolar plosive.”
To utter a “t” and “p” sound simultaneously, without any intervening vowels, those identifying as “Tpublicans” would need to press their lips together and place their tongue against the ridge behind their teeth.
They would then have to block off the flow of air through their noses as they push their breath forcefully outward, without activating their vocal chords, to produce the desired sound.
This is very hard to do. Perhaps accounting for why the “voiceless labial-alveolar plosive” is ordinarily only heard in the high mountains of the North Caucasus, certain parts of rural Ghana, and on a remote island off the coast of Papua New Guinea.
Trump’s further assertion that “almost everyone” is a “TRUMP REPUBLICAN” comes as his nationwide approval rating hovers at about 38%, and as the embattled president grapples to retain control of his party amid a confluence of simultaneous scandals and crises.
Concern has also continued to mount over the state of Trump’s cognitive health amid frequent memory lapses, difficulty articulating his thoughts and sudden bursts of aggression some experts say may well represent the early stages of dementia.
The post Trump, 79, Has Baffling Plan to Rename the Republican Party After Himself appeared first on The Daily Beast.
