Democratic members of Congress have upped their use of profanity in an effort to be more relatable to Americans, Politico reported Sunday.
The upsurge in swearing comes as Democrats face criticism for their conduct during President Donald Trump’s address to Congress, when they remained seated and rarely applauded during Trump’s address, even when Secret Service Director Sean Curran presented Devarjaye “D.J.” Daniel, who is battling brain cancer, with credentials during the speech. One Democratic strategist told Politico that some of the increased use of profanity by Democrats was an affect, rather than being “authentic.”
“If the first time you’ve used a cuss word in public is reading off a script, it’s probably not authentic and not something you should do,” Democratic advisor Lis Smith, who reportedly was responsible for an “R” rating for a documentary about former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign due to her facility for salty language, said after over 20 Senate Democrats read the same script on a video posted to social media that included the word “shit.”
The haughty, out-of-power GOP Establishment types’ new political bedfellows!
‘Potty mouth’ Democrats have some new fighting words we can’t put in this headline – POLITICO https://t.co/AOYcpLauw3
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 9, 2025
Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas unleashed two notable instances noted by Politico. On Feb. 25, she told White House senior advisor Elon Musk to “fuck off” during a media interview, before saying someone should “slap” her to “wake me the fuck up” when talking with a reporter after she walked out of Tuesday’s speech by Trump.
Crockett also posted a contrived dance video to social media before Trump’s address.
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, known for cussing at times, questioned where the profanity came from when asked for comment by Politico. “Goddamn it, tell me who started that?” Fetterman asked Politico.
Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, an ex-Marine, pointed to his military service as a reason for his colorful language. according to Politico.
Democrats have appeared to struggle with messaging since Trump defeated then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5, 2024, presidential election.
Democrats have also made widely-panned outreach on social media. Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Lauren Underwood of Illinois, Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, Judy Chu of California, Jasmine Crockett of Texas and Susie Lee of Nevada took part in an 18-second video similar to the character selection screens of the arcade and console franchise that influencer Sulhee Jessica Woo posted on Instagram Wednesday evening.
A Quinnipiac University poll found only 21% of respondents approved of congressional Democrats, compared to a 40% approval rating for Republicans in Congress.
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