In his 2024 State of the Union address, President Joe Biden mentioned his presumptive challenger Donald Trump: 15 times – but never by name.
Instead, Biden referred to him as “my predecessor” 13 times. He also called him a “former Republican president” and a “former American president.”
These weren’t errors or lapses in memory – the paraphrases appeared within the presidential letter prepared remarks provided by the White House.
Instead, Biden employed a rhetorical tactic wherein politicians do anything but use their opponent's actual name. In doing so, they subtly deprive their opposition of equality or legitimacy.
'He Who Shall Not Be Named'
Biden's penchant for avoiding Trump's name is an example of what political activist Majid Nawaz called “Voldemort effect.”
Nawas recycled the term from JK Rowling's Harry Potter universe, wherein wizards use phrases equivalent to “You Know Who” and “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” to discuss with it Lord Voldemort.
The Voldemort Effect is just one other name for a Cardinal principle of promoting: Never mention your competitor by name. This gives rivals a certain level of visibility and legitimacy.
A study of this phenomenon found that half the time television ads contain comparisons between products. However, only about 5% actually mention the advertiser's competitor by name.
So when Biden calls Trump “my predecessor” or “the former man” – as he did during a… Town Hall 2021 – he avoids recognizing his rival as an equal and equal.
The illusory truth effect
Trump, alternatively, uses a special technique to disparage his political opponents: his infamous nicknames.
Politicians on either side of the aisle have been given shameful nicknames.
Trump branded Jeb Bush a “Low Energy JebTed Cruz as “Liar Ted” and Mitch McConnell as “Broken old crow“Adam Schiff became”Pencil neck“Biden was baptized”Sleepy Joe“, and Mike Bloomberg was mocked as “Mini Mike.”
By using nicknames – and repeating them ad nauseum – Trump is exploiting a phenomenon called ” illusory truth effectin which repeated information is accepted as fact, no matter if it's true.
In on a regular basis life we often must quickly distinguish between truths and untruths. And if we’ve got seen or heard something repeatedly, It's often easier for us to recollect. Because accurate information tends to be more common than the occasional fabrication, this rule of thumb is beneficial.
But politicians can exploit the illusory truth by repeatedly branding someone a liar or a danger or, as Trump is wont to do, “crooked.” And Biden has taken a page from Trump’s playbook by branding the Republicans as “the Republicans.”MAGA Republican Party.”
Othering in motion
Trump also uses one other technique to humiliate his political opponents: othering.
During his 2016 campaign, Trump made a degree of highlighting Obama's middle name: Husseinto link him to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
He often mispronounces things the primary name of Vice President Kamala Harris, and through the 2024 Republican primary, Trump referred to Nikki Haley as “Nimbra“, a corruption of her Punjabi first name Nimarata.
By drawing attention to the seemingly exotic names Obama, Harris and Haley, Trump portrays them as foreigners, tapping into the xenophobia that animates a few of his supporters.
Dale Carnegie, writer of “How to Win Friends and Influence People” wrote that “A person’s name is the sweetest and most important sound in any language to that person.”
But political campaigns are anything but sweet, and voters will likely must endure more ramblings and derogatory nicknames in the approaching months because the battle between “the ex” and “Sleepy Joe” heats up.
image credit : theconversation.com