During a conversation with reporters about the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool's current state, President Donald Trump blamed former President Barack Obama, referring to him as "Barack Hussein Obama." The pool, which has taken on a "split pea soup" appearance due to algae after Trump's renovations, prompted Trump to claim that Obama and former President Joe Biden spent a combined $147 million trying to fix it. However, the Associated Press reports that Obama's renovation cost $34 million and was completed in 2012.
Trump's Consistent Use of Obama's Full Name
Trump's use of Obama's middle name is not new, dating back to his pre-presidential days. While "Hussein" is a common Arabic name meaning "small, handsome one," experts say Trump's emphasis serves as a signal to his base. Karrin Vasby Anderson, a professor of communication studies at Colorado State University, explained that the use of the full name functions like a dog whistle, triggering negative associations among conservatives. A 2017 study found that conservatives had a negative reaction to Obama's middle name, while liberals and moderates did not.
From Dog Whistles to Howling
Anderson noted that Trump's rhetoric has evolved from dog whistles to what communication scholar Bradley A. Serber calls "howling" — overt, explicit, and frequent use of prejudice. "Both dog whistling and howling are anti-democratic forms of communication that encourage listeners to scapegoat and expel members of the group the speaker is targeting from the political community," Anderson said. Kari Winter, a professor at the University of Buffalo, added that this encoding of names is deeply embedded in American culture, encouraging Islamophobia, xenophobia, and racism.
Contrast with Previous Republican Leaders
Anderson contrasted Trump's approach with that of previous Republican leaders. During Obama's first presidential campaign, the Republican National Committee and nominee John McCain denounced the Tennessee Republican Party's use of Obama's middle name to suggest he was Muslim or not a U.S. citizen. "The fact that the current head of the GOP continues to use Obama’s middle name in that way underscores the extent to which the extreme right wing of the Republican Party has come to dominate the party," Anderson said.
How to Counter Such Rhetoric
Experts suggest that combating this rhetoric requires a cultural shift. "In order to effectively counter these rhetorical tactics, it’s not sufficient to call out the offending speaker. You have to create a political culture that rewards deliberative communication and rejects demagoguery," Anderson explained. She added that individuals can voice what they will not tolerate, noting, "Trump speaks this way because we let him."
