Loading the Language: Thought Reform in Trump’s MAGA, Part 7

Redefining RINO, Trump's manipulative nicknames and more

Arizona’s Rusty Bowers was a conservative Republican, taking pro-gun and pro-life stances, and supporting the completion of Donald Trump’s border wall and Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign. But Bowers had a problem. As state Speaker of the House, he was in charge of certifying the electors for Joe Biden 2020 victory in the Arizona Presidential election, and Trump and Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani wanted Bowers to swap in Trump electors. Bowers would not capitulate, Arizona’s electors were cast for Biden, and Bowers testified what had happened to a January 6th committee hearing. The week after the hearing, Trump endorsed Bower’s opponent in a 2022 State Senate primary that Bower would lose. Trump appeared at a rally for the opponent and called Bowers a “RINO coward.” 

Donald Trump did not invent the term “RINO” (Republican in Name Only), which conservatives had used for years to criticize politicians who disagreed with certain Republican positions. Trump had redefined the word for MAGA. Rusty Bowers told the Desert News, “nowadays [RINO] just means you don’t agree with Donald Trump.” When Dick Cheney, who for eight years was one of America’s most powerful and conservative Vice Presidents in history, endorsed Kamala Harris for President in 2024, Trump posted on Truth Social, “Dick Cheney is an irrelevant RINO…” One can wonder, if Dick Cheny isn’t a Republican, who is?

Trump’s use of RINO evokes Robert Jay Lifton’s theme of thought reform called loading the language:

The language of the totalist environment is characterized by the thought-terminating cliché. The most far-reaching and complex of human problems are compressed into brief, highly reductive, definitive-sounding phrases, easily memorized and easily expressed. These become the start and finish of any ideological analysis….

To be sure, this kind of language exists to some degree within any cultural or organizational group, and all systems of belief depend upon it. It is in part an expression of unity and exclusiveness: as Edward Sapir put it, “‘He talks like us’ is equivalent to saying 'He is one of us.’" The loading of language is much more extreme in ideological totalism, however, since the jargon expresses the claimed certitudes of the sacred science. Also involved is an underlying assumption that language-like all other human products—can be owned and operated by the Movement (Lifton, pp. 81, 82).

Trump’s campaigns have been fully aware of the power of language. Trump 2016 campaign chief executive Steve Bannon later said, “We got elected on Drain the Swamp, Lock her Up, Build the Wall…Anger and fear is what gets people to the polls” (Lewis, 2018). 

Loading the language in Trump’s movement

Here is a list of terms Trump has “loaded” for MAGA…

Fake News – any news that is not favorable to Donald Trump. This logic denies the possibility that Trump could himself create “fake” news (see Milieu Control). The phrase discourages supporters from seeking news from other sources. 

Stop the Steal – also, Stolen Election – like Fake News, these phrases assumes Trump has been wronged, without reflection.

Truth Social – the name of Trump’s social media platform is similar to the official newspaper of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union Pravda, which means “Truth” in Russian. 

Democrat Party - this term (predating Trump) for the opposing party evades positive associations people may have with the word “democratic.” 

Green New Scam - assumes a Green New Deal must be fraudulent.

Enemy of the People - declares the press is the adversary of Americans. See also The Enemy Within (in The Demand for Purity). 

Witch Hunt - any investigation or prosecution of potential wrongdoing by Trump. As one article said, this phrase bypasses discussion of Trump’s own conduct.

Unselect Committee – Trump called the United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, “The Unselect Committee of political Hacks & Thugs.” Labeling this group as bad discourages supporters from considering its findings about January 6th.

Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) – a disorder supposedly affecting anyone who strongly opposes Trump. Explains away vehement opposition by blaming the opposer.

No collusion – Trump repeatedly said Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation found “no collusion.” Yet Mueller’s report says investigators were looking for conspiracy, not collusion (US Department of Justice, pp. 180-181), and still found 140+ Russian contacts with Trump and associates, six of whom were convicted in related cases.

Make America Great Again (see Sacred Science). 

More examples: Hoax, Deep State, Radical Left, Stable Genius, Patriots (see Purity of party in The Demand for Purity).

Trump nicknames

Trump also loaded the names of people he is critical of with negative associations via nicknames¹…

Trump political opponents – Crooked Hillary, Low Energy Jeb (Bush), Crazy Nancy (Pelosi), Pocahontas (Elizabeth Warren), Comrade Kamala.

Investigators of Trump – Shifty Schiff (impeachment prosecutor Adam Shiff), Deranged Jack Smith (Special Counsel).

Expired nicknames (for people who won their way back into Trump’s favor)  – Sloppy Steve (Bannon), Little Marco Rubio, Lyin’ Ted Cruz.

Lifton describes the impact of loading the language:

For the individual person, the effect of the language of ideological totalism can be summed up in one word: constriction. One is, so to speak, linguistically deprived; and since language is so central to all human experience, one’s capacities for thinking and feeling are immensely narrowed (pp. 82-83).

While supporters may enjoy the feeling of connection with others who use similar language, it may also make them less likely to think outside of MAGA’s stark linguistic lines. 

Navigation within this article series:

Thought Reform in Trump’s MAGA - Intro
Milieu Control in Trump's MAGA, Part 2
Mystical Manipulation in Trump's MAGA, Part 3
The Demand for Purity in Trump's MAGA, Part 4
The Cult of Confession in Trump’s MAGA, Part 5
Sacred Science in Trump’s MAGA, Part 6
Loading the Language in Trump’s MAGA, Part 7
Doctrine over Person in Trump’s MAGA, Part 8
The Dispensing of Existence in Trump’s MAGA, Part 9
Conclusion: Thought Reform in Trump’s MAGA, Part 10

References:

Lewis, Michael (2018). Has Anyone Seen the President? [Audiobook], Simon & Schuster Audio.

Lifton, Robert Jay (2019). Losing Reality: On Cult, Cultism, and the Mindset of Political and Religious Zealotry, The New Press.

US Department of Justice (2019). Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller, III. Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election, Part I of II.

1. Wikipedia maintains a summary of Trump nicknames.