The Atlantic magazine is well respected for its high standards of journalism and professional integrity. In the autumn of 2016, it published an article titled “Does Trump Know How To Laugh?”
I could not resist reading an article with such a provocative title, and the opening line confirmed my opinions about then-candidate Donald Trump and his lack of critical self-examination: “Among the many remarkable exhibitions of abnormal behavior on stage Monday night, one of the most peculiar was that Donald Trump never once displayed a sense of humor.” The remainder of the article was confirmation that it is doubtful that Trump knows how to laugh.
With the 2020 presidential election approaching, I am revisiting the topic of presidential humor.
Many of our presidents had droll senses of humor. Some enjoyed a good, hearty joke. Others were clearly void of any traditional concept of humor. There are many examples of presidential humor. Here are a few of them.
Abraham Lincoln: “If I had two faces, would I be wearing this one?”
Herbert Hoover: “Blessed are the young, for they will inherit the national debt.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt: “Be sincere, be brief, be seated.”
Harry S. Truman: Republicans “favor a minimum wage – the smaller the minimum, the better.”
John F. Kennedy: “I do not think it altogether inappropriate to introduce myself to this audience. I am the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris, and I have enjoyed it.”
Ronald Reagan: “I never drink coffee at lunch. I find it keeps me awake for the afternoon.”
Jimmy Carter: “My esteem in this country has gone up substantially. It is very nice now that when people wave at me, they use all of their fingers.”
George W. Bush: “I look forward to those dinners where I’m supposed to be funny – intentionally.”
Other presidents have been less successful in their attempts at humor.
Calvin Coolidge: Known as Silent Cal, he was a man of few words and even fewer when it came to humor. A woman supposedly made a bet that she could get at least three words of conversation out of him. He replied, “You lose.”
Franklin Pierce: Our 14th president was reported to have been sociable and affable. He had a troubled and humorless marriage. He was a gaffe-prone speaker and not literarily gifted. His attempt at a humorous presidential political slogan was: “We Polked you in ’44. We shall Pierce you in ’55.” Enough said.
Donald J. Trump: “Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart.” Jan. 6, 2018.
Humor is an important component in an emotionally healthy person. Our ability to smile and laugh is innate. Even infants know how to do it.
Elements of humor can be described in a variety of styles, including anecdotal, blue, droll, dark, farcical, hyperbolic, ironic and satirical. One of the assessments of a person’s sense of humor is their ability to be self-deprecating. If you are unable to laugh at yourself, there is little hope that you can share humor with others. Narcissists rarely engage in self-deprecating humor. It threatens their need for applause, attention, admiration, fame, celebrity and notoriety.
Using humor in a crude and vindictive manner is usually reserved for immature adolescents, loutish comedians and bullies.
If a president of the United States who constantly refers to people he dislikes by using mean-spirited and pejorative sentiments as “Horseface,” “Sleepy Joe,” “Pocahontas,” “Dumbo,” “Mad Dog,” “Miss Piggy,” “Dumb Southerner,” “Pencil Neck” and “Mr. Peepers” to elicit cheap political laughs at someone else’s expense, then you know that president has deep and troubling personality issues.
I am ready for presidential leadership that is mature and respectful. Leadership that understands that shared values of good humor and humility are preferable to boorish narcissism. Leadership that is able and willing to laugh at itself.
President Trump has a variety of communicating techniques available to him when writing and speaking. The use of witty humor is not among them.
(Jim Baer lives in Concord.)