The “Trump bump”
I’m not referring to the possible effect of Trump’s presidency on the economy, which is the way the expression has sometimes been used. I’m using it more like a sort of speed bump in the narrative—that little obligatory hiccup in which the speaker on any given topic must pause to make a pejorative reference to Donald Trump before going on, in order to establish his or her bona fides as a good person.
I have encountered this, or similar behavior, in context that is almost absurd. For example, recently while shopping for household items, I was greeted by a store employee when I walked in the store, which is fine. Moments later, the same employee materialized and started up a conversation in which one of the first things this person said to me (a total stranger, encountered only because I walked into the employee’s store to buy towels, or whatever it was) was to prove this person’s lefty bona fides. WTF? I thought, while making some kind of generic, civil small talk.
I guarantee that if I worked in a retail store and started chatting up customers along the lines of, “Hi! Welcome to Towel-a-Palooza! … Oh, hey, there you are. You know, this reminds me of all the reasons I was glad I voted for Trump…” a typical lefty would be outraged.
and then something went BUMP!
how that bump made us jump!
we looked!
then we saw him step in on the mat!
we looked!
and we saw him!
the cat in the hat!
There was a similar Bush-bashing moment in just about everything public, sometimes in the most inappropriate contexts, which I twice experienced personally (I don’t get out much, and wasn’t reading blogs at the time).
The first time was a general kind of “don’t we all hate George” comment during a musician’s rambling monologue between songs, and the second — also an almost off-hand complaint about some Bush policy — at a book-signing by a locally-resident world-famous author.
I was most disappointed in their clear assumption that no one in the audience disagreed with their views, because I particularly liked both of their works (CDs and books). The blatant bias tainted my enjoyment henceforth.
Had I known then that this was a pervasive meme of the Left, instead of just an irritating faux pas of the two performers , I think I would have been more willing to get up and leave, which is what I would do now.
On the Bump as shown in the linked article, The Donald has always taunted the media about its Hate-Hate relationship with him: they hate him personally, but also hate to give up the money they make off of talking about him.
It is a supreme irony that the Left, once the foremost champion of “free thinking’ has abandoned that proposition in exchange for a dogma every bit as rigid as any religion’s that ever was…
Trump, was just a joke, never happen, what the hell is he doing filing for the office of President. Then it was Trump, the easy target, the man the left would love for the opposition, what a joke. Then is was Trump, the Mad Tweeter, funny beyond funny and one hell of a fun target and greatest talk show target, ever.
Then he got the nomination of the Repubs and the Dems knew they had it made, in the shade. A few Bumps and Lumps in the throat for some as he started turning out crowds in flyover land but really who’s to worry about that because the USA of was going to have the first woman president, following the first black (1/2) president so no need to really be concerned because the whole world was watching and waiting to Crown the First Woman President.
I told some friend who were so damned excited about the First Woman President, professional female friends that there might be a lot of regular conservative people who don’t answer phones and respond to polls and they told me I was nuts because we were going to have the Smartest Woman in the Country elected to be the First Woman President and the clown man would take down his tent and leave town.
And then the impossible, to them, happened and the Smartest Woman in the Country lost on November evening to the man who could never win. So, how to fix it, even old Republicans, especially those who knew their roles and how to play their parts thought, he will be gone in a month or two, he really doesn’t want the job, he has no background for the job, and the sooner we all get together and run him off the sooner we will settle for Pence to play this charade out and then elect a good insider who knows how the world really works, how to sail along smoothly and not make waves.
And then…… the stock market did not crash, the Trump kept on tweeting….. every day there was (inside information) that he had no idea what he was doing and nobody really liked him and he should just go home.
And then…. Trump started actually doing things, the rumors did not run him off, he made and corrected mistakes and George Bushes statement at the inauguration made even more sense when he said, “This is some crazy shit.”
No one but Trump could do all the stuff that he has done to undo what the 1/2 white guy did which was unprecedented with regulations and deals. I have no idea how long the current deal maker will be in office but he did make changes and looking at the stock market today, America is Great.
Old Texan,
“The Man Who Could Never Win.” This sounds for all the world like the title of a children’s book. I could mentally hear the meter in your sentences as I was reading your post.
OldTexan Says:
May 11th, 2018 at 7:52 pm
…
I have no idea how long the current deal maker will be in office but he did make changes and looking at the stock market today, America is Great.
* * *
Very nice essay on the Great Trump Bump — as in, things that go bump in the night and scare the little people.
OldTexan-
That pretty much sums it up.
As I said in a previous thread on academia, this bump happens every time you get 3 or more faculty together. Any public lecture it also must happen. And as I said before, it’s like some rigid church liturgy….a prayer that must be recited to show how faithful one is to the cause and holy tenants of Leftism
The Trump Bump isn’t really new to me. It is just the same old, tired, worn-out, stanza I’ve been putting up with for years.
When it happens in person I try to just give a “funny” look as if I’m shocked or something. That usually shuts up all but the most clueless of them.
What I do find most disagreeable is when reading a book that has nothing, and I mean nothing, to do with politics and out of the blue the author takes a stab at something like the Trump Bump.
Case in point, I was reading a very interesting book a few years back in which the author had hitched up a mule cart and followed the old Oregon Trail with his brother. It was quite interesting and enjoyable until out of nowhere in the middle of the book he started bashing the Tea Party. What the heck? While I managed to finish the book it wasn’t quite as enjoyable after that.
The worse though is when co-workers do stuff like that and don’t even realize how they come across.
Old Texan: Take a look at this. This is what passes now for journalism in Germany? Expat how do you go about your daily business bombarded by these images everywhere you look?
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/editorial-trump-deals-painful-blow-to-trans-atlantic-ties-a-1207260.html
Unfortunately leftists seem to have an unhealthy need to virtue signal at all times. I have recently asked a couple of them whether it was time for their “two minute hate”, and at least the one that got the reference did shut up.
Ooooh, Freddo, I have GOT to use that reference next time.
Maybe they could just offer a shorthand “Heil Hillary”.
I tend to get annoyed by a possibly related version of the “Trump Bump”. Its when, in a social conversation, during an event that has a Trump mention, a latent or ‘down low’ conservative, will reflexively have to, as a courtesy, qualify anything positive about PDT, with a pejorative of some kind, eg. “yes, he is a vulgar, hateful, racist, barbarian, etc but it is pretty amazing what he has done with x, y, & z”.
I have none of that. I was always sick of how so many of the enlightened cooed about the greatness of the ‘amazing’ President Obama. He was much less than that.
If in polite company President Trump gets mentioned, I break the break the glass of contemporary social norms and say something supportive without the damned feint praise, “I love the Guy!” “He cracks me up!” “What amazing energy”. “How in the hell does he have the physical and mental stamina to do what he does?”. “His sense is so uncommonly Common! A politician who admits and professes common sense rather than postmodernism is so anomalous in this media frenzied time.”
I hope President Trump sets a new norm for GOP politicos going forward.
Is that anything like the “global warming” bump in any article about nature?
“The Man Who Could Never Win,”
… who just kept on winning, Winning, WINNING!
I’ll defend the “bump”. Trump is crass, rude, obnoxious and shoots off his mouth more than he should. But I can separate the man from his policies, which I generally agree with. If I’d known he would be this strong on the Tea Party platform, I would have voted for him. As it is, I voted third party as I could not stand Hillary, and I could not vote for this crass, obnoxious person for the Presidency. And no, I never voted for Obama, my initial perception of him was that he was just another dirty politician from Chicago. That perception hasn’t changed. Rather than attacking the “bump” folks, you should be encouraging them for having recognized that his policies are good, far better than Obama’s.
A particularly irritating example of this for me is the obligatory placement of a Trump-Bump in an otherwise 100% approving article … so it feels like it was cut and pasted in or has its own keyboard command.
I rarely visit National Review any more except for the rare Andy McCarthy or Victor Hanson piece. I find McCarthy will write a very long article crushing the special counsel but somewhere in the 10,000 words will be a totally out of place, “needless to say Trump’s vulgar and offensive behavior make these illegal actions I’m describing almost understandable if not completely justified.”
The bump is required to maintain social acceptability.
It’s as if a member of Bushwood has to write something that might be construed as approving of Rodney Dangerfield.
Living where I do, eastern MA, I am surrounded by Leftist TDS sufferers. This group includes family and friends. The BUMP phenomenon happens all the time in conversation. In the interest of harmony I purposely refuse to acknowledge and respond to this, often pretending that it wasn’t even said. I like to leave the comment unremarked upon in the hopes that the one that said it will hear how hateful and foolish they sound. Alas, this rarely works.
I don’t have a desire nor interest in leaping to Trump’s defense – he doesn’t need me to. I am quite content to reflect on and enjoy his accomplishments as POTUS. MAGA.
Anthony: good point! No doubt a liberal perspective on this would be that, yes, today every statement about anything, from gardening to golf, must contain an obligatory “this is why Trump is so bad” reference, like Homer invoking the Muse. But in the Obama days, practically every statement included a genuflect in the direction of The Great One, so see, they’re not biased! They did it then too!
OldTexan: I agree, you SHOULD write a children’s book… if only to watch liberals foam at the mouth to think that such a book could ever exist. You’d also get some proto-fascists to self-identify, in their efforts to ban it and/or burn it. (Rest assured, children’s books promoting Obama and Hillary, and trashing Trump, already exist aplenty.)
Neo: it might be amusing to replace appearances of the Trump Bump with a filler word, e.g. “Isn’t it nice that the economy is doing well! Of course, TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP… but then my husband said…”
I suspect the percentage of filler in some articles will approach 100%.
Spot on.
My simple response in these situations is to paraphrase Lincoln’s remark about Grant under similar circumstances: “We can’t spare this man. He fights!”
First time commenting here but could not resist. My son works in policy development at the DOE. I am very proud of him as he is a terrific son, husband and father as well as being smart as a whip. You should see the pitying looks I get when I mention he works for Betsy DeVoss. Like I should be ashamed. The total irony is that he is typical DC resident in that he really really doesn’t like the President. As for me, I also live in Massachusetts and I have just stopped talking politics. We have the most popular governor in the country and you still can’t talk about him in front of a democrat.
I will never forget one of the first times I saw this.
In W’s first term I was reading The NY Times. In a RESTAURANT REVIEW, there was a slam against Bush. That’s the point I realized where this country is headed. I was right.
Rollerball is doing the “policy ok, but …” Trump Bump:
“Trump is crass, rude, obnoxious and shoots off his mouth more than he should.”
Today, and since he got elected, I don’t think this is particularly true.
He certainly IS willing to insult those who insult him first — ya, he’s fighting insults with insults. Today, I think this is OK neutral — and far far better than GW Bush “above it all” acceptance. Most Trump haters are more crass, rude etc — and the obligatory “Trump is terrible” T-Bump is very much a shooting off of the mouth by those who say this, or write this.
Like me, before. It’s true, without actually reading his tweets, I’d previously said I don’t like them (depending on Dem Fake Media). Now I read them daily, and mostly like them:
—
Why doesn’t the Fake News Media state that the Trump Administration’s Anti-Trust Division has been, and is, opposed to the AT&T purchase of Time Warner in a currently ongoing Trial. Such a disgrace in reporting!
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Donald J. Trump
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Big week next week when the American Embassy in Israel will be moved to Jerusalem. Congratulations to all!
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The American people deserve a healthcare system that takes care of them — not one that takes advantage of them. We will work every day to ensure all Americans have access to the quality, affordable medication they need and deserve. We will not rest until the job is done!
—
These crass, insulting Dems do NOT deserve better than Trump’s insults in return, and he does it far less than they do.
I’m glad I voted for him.
In Slovakia, there’s a lot less TDS, but if I’d be in America more, I’d be interrupting those insults:
“wait – you mean you don’t want America to be Great??”
In particular, “privately” saying locker boasting about how young girls allow famous men to do anything … kiss them… grab them by the p*ssy… The whole #MeToo movement is pretty much showing that his statement was true.
It’s kind of good that TDS on real treatment of women, as well as just words, is likely to lead to better treatment. Possibly less treatment, too, tho.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
The phenomenon described by the author is invariably an invitation to engage in group moral masturbation in public. That’s the main activity whenever leftists get together and start talking politics. When they look my way for affirmation I tell them that in just twelve months my humble retirement income has gone up by about $10,000 and it looks to be going up by another $10,000 in the next twelve months. I ask them if there’s anything else I should give a rat’s ass about. They start whining about what’s good for society. I tell them I’m a member and I’m fine, thanks.
I recently had a tooth break, and set an appointment with a new dentist. While he was working on said tooth, he rambled on and on about how “people don’t need those AR-15s to hunt” and that the guns needed to be banned. I could hardly respond because, you know, my mouth was blocked open. What a jerk! I kept thinking, “Just shut up and fix my tooth. I did not hire you for your stinking opinion.”
He put a temporary cap on. I won’t be back for the permanent cap.
“My simple response in these situations is to paraphrase Lincoln’s remark about Grant under similar circumstances: ‘We can’t spare this man. He fights!’”
When I voted for Trump, I was thinking of this exact same quote! Great minds think alike, eh? 🙂
For the past 4 decades I have not voted for either a Democrat nor a Republican. I thought nothing could push me from that. I may have been wrong. At the rate the Insane Left is going I will probably find myself voting for Trump in 2020. If the Second Civil hasn’t broken out by then and I’m busy with that.
I loved this and loved the comments.
I’ll have to remember when Trump Bump happens in my presence to say, “I think President Trump is the greatest president we’ve ever had”. I love Pres. Trump, it’s a privilege being with like-minded folks.
” … that little obligatory hiccup in which the speaker on any given topic must pause to make a pejorative reference to Donald Trump before going on, in order to establish his or her bona fides as a good person. ”
Interesting thought. I hadn’t thought of it that way but I think you are right. Maybe it happens because Trump doesn’t act like a good person.
DRJ Says:
May 12th, 2018 at 12:54 pm
… Maybe it happens because Trump doesn’t act like a good person.
* * *
Maybe it happens because some people are self-centered virtue-signaling jerks who take no interest in the actual diversity of views of the people they talk to or write for.
The disconcerting part is not the hiccuping in political conversations, where it is to be expected, but in the middle of manifestly non-political venues — indicating that it is reflexive rather than reflective in nature.
(dkb123: I think Andy McCarthy’s interpolations are fundamentally different in being more like anguished attempts to maintain his personality preferences for decorum and order while trying to steer a foundering boat in a hurricane.)
As amply noted above, the same hiccupping happened with: George Bush, Tea Party groups, and local politicians. I suspect it happened with Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, and others.
For Obama (FDR, JFK) it happens in reverse, with the obligatory Praise Be Unto Him, instead of the Cursed Be He for the GOP — if we had someone in need of a PhD research thesis, there you go.
* * *
JimK Says:
May 12th, 2018 at 7:09 am
Is that anything like the “global warming” bump in any article about nature?
* *
Exactly so.
I’m still watching 2016 election night reruns on YouTube. Trump’s election and performance have been major thrills for me. My trust in America and the future is restored. I’m so happy, I feel guilty about it–considering others unfortunate misery.
Great comments& some good take a ways too must remember them. Just to share the opposite happened to me !
After the SC primary ( which Trump won after a landslide primary in NH to start the ball rolling ) I was in McDonald’s in
Clearwater fl. Sitting there staring at the screen a senior lady came out of the BR & glanced at what was engaging me.
We had never laid eyes on one another & without missing a beat she says to me. “He won huh ? Isn’t that wonderful?”
I was stunned for a nano second but knew I had to positively affirm, “You are darn right” A moment of zen !
BTW the SNL Alums led by Joe Piscopo have finally called out the current show! Piscopo was probably inspired by that other alum who spoke up the week before, who was it ???
Anyway I thought Piscopo was spot on asking? Isn’t maxine waters a do able character ? Isn’t Adam Schiff one?
Good for him . I don’t watch the show, Baldwin hating on Trump is a drag
Think last time I did tune in was bush & perot stuff. Liked Mike Myers too. Sprocket lol like butter lol
JimK Says:
May 12th, 2018 at 7:09 am
Is that anything like the “global warming” bump in any article about nature?
* *
Exactly so. — but they call it Climate Change now, remember.
AND the GW (now CC) Bump also shows up in non-nature and even non-science articles all the time — it’s reflexive, I tells ya.
MollyNH: Link for one article on SNL – which I have never watched regularly, and even less so now.
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/05/07/joe-piscopo-blasts-stormy-daniels-on-snl-joins-alums-critical-left-leaning-shows-trump-treatment.html
“…a good person….”
Given the circumstances, I didn’t care (and I don’t care) what kind of person Trump is.
Fact is, he ran against a bunch of smooth-talking, Constitution-trampling, Federal-Department-suborning, race-baiting (and in Hillary’s case, gender-baiting), constantly-lying thugs and criminals—AKA, “the good guys” (if one were to believe the MSM and the holy Narrative).
And we’re supposed to really be concerned if Trump is a “good person”?!!….
Well, sure, it would be great if the man were an angel in shining armor.
But one should never forget what Orwell said about a similar issue:
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/george_orwell_159448
Me? I’ll stick with Orwell.
Barry Meislin Says:
May 13th, 2018 at 4:17 am
…
And we’re supposed to really be concerned if Trump is a “good person”?!!….
* * *
We tried going the “good person” route before, and this was the response from the Dems:
https://static.pjmedia.com/trending/user-content/51/files/2018/05/racist-republican-scumbag.jpg