Study Finds Presidents Trump and Biden Account for Most Modern Presidential Swearing
A recent analysis shows that 87% of presidential profanity since 1919 has been spoken by Donald Trump and Joe Biden, who together used 538 of the 692 recorded curse words.
A Welsh scholar examined every recorded instance of profanity used by U.S. presidents since Woodrow Wilson’s 1919 remark and found that the overwhelming majority—87%—occurred in the past ten years. Donald Trump and his successor Joe Biden together accounted for 538 of the 692 documented curse words, representing 78% of the total. The research notes that modern politicians may employ profanity to appear more genuine as public confidence wanes.
Trump has repeatedly used strong language in foreign-policy contexts, including recent comments about Iran, while Biden’s swearing tends to be milder, though he has also slipped expletives in private moments. The phenomenon extends beyond the White House, with Senator Bernie Moreno and Representative Susie Lee also going viral for their foul-mouthed remarks. A YouGov poll indicates that younger voters are more accepting of such language than older cohorts.
Why it matters
The rise in presidential profanity reflects changing norms in political communication and public expectations of authenticity.
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