‘Scum’

by

Speaking at a rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday night, our president lamented the fate of his loyal lieutenants Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, both convicted of serious crimes in the course of getting Trump elected. He went after the FBI agents who’d investigated their offenses.

“Their lives were destroyed by scum. Okay? By scum,” said the president of the United States of two FBI agents.

It’s a fool’s errand to chart new Trump lows; they come by the bushel every day. Still, his new terminology for senior federal investigators established a new rhetorical standard for our chief executive, though he has since gone on to ridicule the 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, who is Time’s Person of the Year, when everyone knows that title should have gone to Trump.

“With malice toward none, with charity for all,” one of Trump’s predecessors said near the conclusion of the Civil War. Though if anyone were to claim that Lincoln was a better president than Trump, that person, too, would likely be relegated to the ranks of scumhood by the current occupant of that office.

Unlike many news organizations, the Prospect has remained staunchly committed to keeping our journalism free and accessible to all. We believe that independent journalism is crucial for a functioning democracy—but quality reporting comes at a cost.

This year, we’re aiming to raise $75,000 to continue delivering the hard-hitting investigative journalism you’ve come to expect from us. Your support helps us maintain our independence and dig deeper into the stories that matter most.

If you value our reporting, please consider making a contribution today. Any amount helps secure our future and ensure we can continue holding power to account.

Will you support independent journalism with a donation to the Prospect?