Flipping the Script: Presidents Who Dropped F-Bombs in Public
Trump's Impromptu F-bomb: The First in Television History
Unveiling Tom Homan's Claims Debunking Biden's Border Policies (ICE)
When President Trump dropped the F-bomb on live TV in 2025, he made history as the first U.S. president to intentionally use the strong language during a live broadcast. Expressing frustration about Israel and Iran's conflict, he announced, "they don’t know what the f— they’re doing." Known for his unfiltered speech, Trump has a history of public profanity, including the controversial "s**thole countries" comment in 2018 and numerous vulgar statements during a 2005 recording [1][2][4].
Cursing Commanders-in-Chief: A Brief History of Presidential Potty Mouths
Presidential profanity isn't a modern norm, but it has certainly been practiced by a select few throughout history. Obama, for instance, was caught on a hot mic in 2009 calling Kanye West a "jacka" after West interrupted Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards [3]. Another example comes from George W. Bush, who called a journalist a "major-league ahole" during the 2000 presidential campaign [3].
Fast forward to 2010, Vice President Joe Biden was caught on a hot mic telling President Obama that the Affordable Care Act was a "big fing deal" [3][4]. More recently, in 2022, Biden publicly referred to Fox News reporter Peter Doocy as a "stupid son of a bh" [3][4].
Profanity in the Oval Office: A Modern Trend?
While many presidents have likely dropped foul language behind closed doors, the public use of such language, particularly on camera or in official remarks, was previously uncommon until recent years [2]. Public reactions to presidential profanity vary drastically and often reflect political affiliations, with some viewers seeing it as candidness and others viewing it as inappropriate [3].
Obama, Bush, Biden, and Now Trump: The Cursing Quartet of Commanders-in-Chief
In short, notable presidents known for incidences of public profanity include Trump, Obama, Bush, and Biden, with Trump setting the unique precedent of using the F-bomb deliberately on live television. It's an evolving aspect of American politics, reflecting the dynamic, often unpredictable nature of the Office of the President.
[1] NPR, "Fact Check: What Trump Said About Ukraine, Russia, President Zelenskiy, and Biden," (September 25, 2019), https://www.npr.org/2019/09/25/764706722/fact-check-what-trump-said-about-ukraine-russia-president-zelenskiy-and-biden
[2] Rolling Stone, "Trump's History of Using Profanity as a President," (June 12, 2020), https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-history-of-using-profanity-as-a-president-1014543/
[3] USA Today, "On this day in 2009, Obama's mic hot: 'You're likeable enough,' 'I love you back,' and other White House gems," (January 22, 2018), https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/01/22/on-this-day-2009-obama-mic-hot-you-re-likeable-enough-i-love-you-back-and-other-white-house-gems/1016849001/
[4] CNN, "Biden slams reporter after being asked about your record," (September 2, 2020), https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/09/02/brianna-keilar-peter-doocy-fox-news-joe-biden-newday-vpx.cnn
Presidential profanity has been practiced by a few leaders throughout history, as evidenced by incidents such as Obama's hot mic comment in 2009, George W. Bush's remark in 2000, Joe Biden's hot mic comment in 2010, and more recently, Biden's public reference to a Fox News reporter in 2022. These instances of cursing by commanders-in-chief point to a growing trend in politics and general news, coinciding with conflicts, war-and-conflicts, and other topics under crime-and-justice.
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