When Donald Trump's critics compare his two presidencies, many of them argue that the second is much worse. Trump got a lot of pushback from traditional GOP conservatives he appointed to his first administration; this time, he is surrounded by MAGA loyalists who are more likely to praise him than challenge or question him. Now 16 months into his second presidency, Trump is, according to Salon's Chauncey DeVega, becoming even more brazen with his power grabs.A Washington Post report published on May 21, DeVega notes in Salon, demonstrates that "Trump's use of profanity, insults and combative language has grown much worse since his return to power in January 2025.""In Trump's first term, about 40 percent of his speeches contained at least one use of vulgarity," DeVega explains. "During just the first 16 months of his second term, that figure stands at 93 percent. The president's profane or insulting posts on social media have also tripled as compared to his first term. The barrages are coming much later; most of his posts are made between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., indicating the president, who has always been nocturnal, is even more so as he approaches his 80th birthday in June."DeVega continues, "His Truth Social posts are more self-referential and egomaniacal: in 2026, half of his posts have used first-person pronouns — sometimes more than 12 times in a single post. That is up from 30 percent from 2018. But this goes beyond numbers."The Salon journalist emphasizes that Trump's "vulgar behavior and cruelty are not incidental," but rather, are "structural and a defining feature of his policies." "Empowered by the Supreme Court's right-wing majority," DeVega warns, "the president has been elevated as America's first de facto king and aspiring dictator. His apparent desire to end real democracy and the rule of law — replacing it with competitive authoritarianism through the Big Lie, voter nullification, voter suppression, and the threat of the Insurrection Act and martial law — are accelerating features of his political project. Trump launched a war of choice against Iran and has repeatedly threatened to destroy its civilization — actions that are crimes against humanity."DeVega adds, "His administration is transparently corrupt and ethically compromised, with his personal and family wealth estimated to have grown by billions of dollars. The president is a crude racist who has shared an artificial intelligence-generated video of the Obamas as apes."Trump's actions, DeVega stresses, shouldn't be dismissed as simply "bad behavior," but rather, are "attacks on basic principles and norms of democracy.""Fascism and other forms of authoritarianism are, at their core, vulgar political systems and forms of crude power that rob entire populations and societies of dignity and agency," DeVega writes. "It is not a coincidence that Trump's language and behavior has coarsened in direct proportion to the acceleration of his authoritarian project."
