President Donald Trump often coins new terms that are picked up and used widely, not only by his supporters in the public domain but also by the White House in official correspondence.
A prime example of this occurred when Trump coined the insult “Panican” in April, to describe those he said were too quick to panic upon the announcement of his “reciprocal” tariffs being announced on what he called America’s “Liberation Day.” Pushing back against the criticism of his levies, which sparked widespread recession fears, Trump urged Americans not to be a “panican.” The term has since often been used by the MAGA base, and has even featured in official White House announcements.
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Trump’s hankering for assigning new words has been something of a tradition since his first term, during which he caused confusion and amusement when he used the word “covfefe” on social media.
In his latest attempt to expand the vocabulary of the MAGA base, Trump mused over new terms that could be used to describe Republicans who are loyal to him.
“There is a new word for a TRUMP REPUBLICAN, which is almost everyone,” he said via Truth Social. “It is, TEPUBLICAN??? Or, TPUBLICAN???”
In the hours after the post was shared, several of Trump’s supporters used the terms, and even his son, Donald Trump Jr., joined the discourse to suggest the exact word should be “Trumplican.”
While the conversation over the new turn of phrase was seemingly light-hearted, it comes at a time where divisions within the GOP are gaining attention.
This month alone has seen Trump break from one of his formerly most ardent and loyal supporters, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. While Greene has spent years supporting the MAGA cause and aligning herself to Trump’s policies, their relationship was fractured when the Georgia lawmaker refused to follow Trump’s lead over the discourse pertaining to the files of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Although Trump signed a bill ordering the release of the Epstein files on Nov. 19, he had previously dismissed calls for the files to be made public, referring to the discourse as a Democratic “hoax.” Greene notably—and publicly—disagreed with Trump’s stance, and aligned herself as part of a bipartisan effort to have the files released in-full. Her step out of line on that subject—as well as others, such as her vocal disapproval of the government shutdown and her plea for the President to step away from foreign policy—earned her a public rebuke. Trump withdrew his support and endorsement for Greene, calling her a “traitor” and “disgrace” to the Republican Party.
Days later, Greene announced she will resign from Congress in January 2026. Her parting gift consisted of a four-page letter, accompanied by a video address, during which she painted a bleak picture of the political landscape in D.C. “No matter which way the political pendulum swings, Republican or Democrat, nothing ever gets better for the common American man or woman. The debt goes higher. Corporate and global interests remain Washington’s sweethearts,” she said.
And Greene isn’t the only Republican who has incurred the wrath of Trump as of late.
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who goes head-to-head with Trump on various issues, was the sole GOP Senator to vote “no” on legislation to end the U.S. government shutdown. Republican Representatives Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Greg Steube of Florida also voted “no” when the bill reached them. Trump later referred to Paul and Massie as “lowlifes.”
Paul criticized Trump’s recent statements concerning Democrats, after the President called for the arrests of six Democrats who urged troops and the intelligence community to resist unlawful orders. Trump referred to them as “seditious” and said such behaviour is “punishable by death.”
Addressing Trump’s commentary during an appearance on CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday, Paul said: “You know, everybody knows that the President is famous for his unfiltered social media… but if you take it at face value, the idea that calling your opponents ‘traitors’—and then specifically saying that it warrants the death penalty—is reckless, inappropriate, irresponsible.”
The Republican Senator has also been critical of Trump’s authorization of boat strikes in the Caribbean Sea, which the Trump Administration argues are necessary to curb the flow of narcotics into the United States. Paul told CBS he could see a potential “splintering and fracturing of the movement that has supported the President,” should the strikes continue.
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