Thursday, December 19, 2019

“We”

From last night’s Trump* rally:

“It doesn’t really feel like we’re being impeached,” the president said. “The country is doing better than ever before. We did nothing wrong. We have tremendous support in the Republican Party like we’ve never had before.”
It’s the presidential plural. Cf. “I would like you to do us a favor though.”

comments: 7

Anonymous said...

In using "we" is this an attempt to expand impeachment to not a person but the country as a whole? Are we all now being dragged into the bad behavior, i.e., that all of us agreed to this at the time and are responsible also?

Or is it referring to the R party as being responsible also? That they would have wanted him to do this.

How did the R's get so off track? This isn't even Nixon's R party!

Kirsten

Michael Leddy said...

There’s probably a touch of identifying his “base” with himself, as in his pinned tweet today: “They’re not after me / They’re after you.” But I hear it primarily as someone talking about himself in the plural.

It’s really something to have a president who makes Richard Nixon look good, as I’d say Trump* does.

Pete said...

I’m not sure which is more narcissistic: referring to yourself in the third person singular (a favorite of pro athletes everywhere) or the first person plural. I suppose he saying that when you impeach him, you impeach everyone who voted for him. (Which brings to mind our great cultural touchstone, Animal House: “...And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn't this an indictment of our educational institutions in general? I put it to you, Greg - isn't this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but I for one am not going to stand here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America. Gentlemen!”)

Michael Leddy said...

Trump* sometimes uses that third person too. I just found a Washington Post article that has him doing both: “Trump should come in third or fourth, and we came in easily at number one.”

Fresca said...

Is this really happening?

Fresca said...

Or am I dreaming?

Michael Leddy said...

If you find out, let me know. I often feel that reality has turned into really bad satire.