Tantrump is the most popular word of the year. It is a portmanteau of ‘tantrum’ and ‘Trump’. It is defined as ‘outburst of anger, characterised by an inflated sense of entitlement, denial, narcissism, paranoia, victimhood, and debilitating tribalism’. The definition well suits the character of Donald Trump who is known for throwing a tantrum. If a child throws/has/pitches a tantrum, they lose their temper in a noisy and uncontrolled way. Someone who is not a child can also throw a tantrum by behaving like such a child. The words that are synonymous with ‘tantrum’ include outburst, temper, hysterics, and fit.
While the counting of US presidential election ballots was in progress and when Joe Biden was on the verge of victory, Donald Trump threw a tantrum by making an unsubstantiated claim that any votes cast for Joe Biden were a ‘fraud’. This behaviour is called ‘Tantrump’. The Urban Dictionary defines it as “When somebody who is spoiled and used to having their way throws a tantrum much like Donald Trump”. The hashtag #Tantrump was used in many tweets recently. Here is a hilarious tweet by Cherie Clark @faircher: So, @realDonaldTrump is acting like my ex when I moved out. He threw a fit & broke things & I had to call the police twice to watch while I moved my stuff out. Somehow that was supposed to make me question my decision? #Tantrump
Though Trump will cease to be the POTUS soon, the world will remember him and use these words: Trumpism, Trumpish, Trumper, Trumpist and Trumpflation. Trumpism refers to an ideology, style of governance and policies associated with Trump. The adjective Trumpish means the way Trump behaves and talks. Anyone who behaves or talks like Trump can be described as Trumpish. A Trumper or Trumpist is a person who supports Trump. Trumpflation refers to the expected increase in inflation as a result of his economic policies.
- There was a clash between Trumpers and anti-Trumpers.
- Political commentators say that Trumpism will stay, no matter who’s in the White House.
What is a Trumpish Twitter tantrum? He is so emotionally devastated that he tweets angrily about the imaginary election fraud. Here is one such tweet: “The rate of rejected Mail-In Ballots is 30 X’s lower in Pennsylvania this year than it was in 2016. This is why they kept our poll watchers and observers out of the “SACRED” vote counting rooms!” His behaviour of kicking and screaming like a child is described as a Trumpish twitter tantrum. The word ‘trumpery’ which means ‘something without value’, has no association with Donald Trump. This very old term can be used as a noun and an adjective.
Look at these examples:
- His speech is full of trumperies.
- Don’t waste your money on such gadgets. They are trumpery.
When you’re dealing with frauds and liars, listen more to what they don’t say than what they do — DaShanne Stokes
