During a recent late-night TV appearance, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) bluntly responded to President Donald Trump‘s frequent attacks on his physical appearance.
“I’m a good Democrat. So my view, of course, is when they go low, we go high, he can go f*** himself,” Schiff told Jimmy Kimmel Thursday evening, making a sharp twist on former first lady Michelle Obama’s 2016 viral phrase on taking the high road.
The profanity-laced comments brought a loud round of applause from the Trump-averse audience.
Yet the remarks were just the latest instance of lawmakers’ jarring choice of words, representing a changing communication style among the broader Democratic Party, which is increasingly turning to profanity in its fractured resistance to the GOP.
It’s a notable turn for a party that has long touted itself as the adult in the room in comparison to the freewheeling Trump and his MAGA acolytes.
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While the X-rated comments that Democratic lawmakers and organizations have lobbed against Trump and the GOP are likely playing to their base, it’s unclear how it could translate to winning back key constituents who defected from the party during the 2024 election.
“I don’t think it works necessarily, but I think they’re in a tough spot. I think that there is a cadre in the Democratic Party from good primary voters up through good donors who wants to do something, anything, and they’re struggling,” said Jacob Neiheisel, an expert on political communication and campaigns at the University at Buffalo. “They’re really struggling with what a response looks like. And when you don’t have any of the levers of power, there’s not a lot you can do.”
In recent weeks, multiple Democrats have stepped up their profanity-laced comments that, in some ways, mimic Trump’s own hostile attitude since he stormed the political world during the 2016 election.
Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), who served as former Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, claimed he could “kick most of their ass” when discussing the MAGA movement. Trump, in return, called Walz a “loser” on Friday.
Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) called Department of Government Efficiency chief Elon Musk “a d***” and “billionaire a**hole boss” after the agency sent out an email requiring federal workers to list five achievements they had done for the week.
Similarly, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) said her message to Musk was to “f*** off” when asked by a reporter last month.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said he had a “tough f***ing day” after 10 Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), voted to allow the GOP-led government funding bill to advance in the Senate before it was ultimately passed by the upper chamber last week to avoid a shutdown.
Schumer’s approval of the funding bill was a severe blow to Democrats’ flailing efforts to resist the Trump administration.
Murphy did not vote for the bill but cautiously embraced Schumer, who is under growing calls to step down as minority leader.
Hey I just got home. Tough fucking day.
I am going to go live on @instagram at @chrismurphyct in about 10 minutes to talk about why I voted NO today on the government funding bill, and to give you some early, candid thoughts about where our movement needs to go from here.
Join…
— Chris Murphy
(@ChrisMurphyCT) March 15, 2025
The Democratic National Committee’s X feed has become punchier in slamming Trump after it was widely panned for graphic posts explaining what Democrats were doing to resist the president.
It shared a graphic of Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) calling “bulls***” on Trump’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education.
When Trump and Musk attempted to boost support for Tesla at the White House after its stock market value plummeted, the DNC called one of the vehicles an “ugly ass truck.”
The DNC X account also reshared another Smith post using profanity against Trump’s efforts to dismantle the Education Department.
“More bulls***,” Smith said. “[Trump] can’t shut down the Department of Education — and you know it. Fox News even knows it. So stop it.”
Not to be outdone, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee shot back against Rep. Harriet Hageman’s (R-WY) comments defending DOGE during a recent town hall meeting that prompted boos from the audience.
“Who the f*** talks to their constituents this way? These people pay your salary!” the DCCC X account wrote Friday morning. “Shame on you.”
Some Democrats stressed that as the party plots to retake power from the GOP in 2026, there needs to be a balance between showing a willingness to fight back and appealing to constituents who drifted away during the elections.
“We are seeing in real time that there is just rising angst and anger among sort of the Democratic base, and so that kind of language sort of matches the moment with the emotions,” said Kate deGruyter, senior director of communications of the centrist group Third Way.
“You can absolutely take it too far or apply it in ways that … are cringe, and that’s something that we’ve got to be thoughtful about how to avoid,” deGruyter added. But “I think that it is appropriate to recognize that the moment, the means of communication, the style of communication, has shifted from a different era.”
Fifteen years ago, then-Vice President Joe Biden caused a media brouhaha when he whispered into then-President Barack Obama’s ear, “This is a big f***ing deal!” just before Obamacare was signed into law.
Almost two decades later, Democrats have ripped the Band-Aid off of public swearing.
DNC Vice Chairman Malcolm Kenyatta bemoaned rulings from the Supreme Court in favor of Trump after the president called to impeach a federal judge who ruled against him.
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“John Roberts could have sent a message to Trump by not giving him f***ing immunity when he was charged with a bunch of crimes,” he wrote on X on Wednesday in response to the chief justice criticizing Trump’s calls for judicial impeachments.
Fellow DNC Vice Chairman David Hogg posted “What the f***” after reports surfaced that the Native American Code Talkers were removed from some military websites.
Trump regularly used “bulls***” on the campaign trail, and Vice President JD Vance claimed on the trail that his predecessor, Harris, should “go to hell.”
Other Republican lawmakers, including firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), have echoed the president’s penchant for colorful language.
“I’m not a doctor, but I have a PhD in recognizing bulls*** when I hear it,” Greene said last year when experts said the COVID-19 vaccine saved 14 million lives globally.
Some Democrats denounced Greene’s comments at the time.
Another GOP firebrand, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), used the curse word during an interview with Texas Monthly.
“If political bulls*** is what’s thrown my way, then that political bulls*** will be thrown back if necessary. But I don’t want it to be necessary,” he said after flying to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump.
Some political studies have shown that swearing in the political discourse can positively affect political candidates or lawmakers, especially if the candidate is a man.
“I think that [swearing] has the effect of bringing a lot of attention to political speech,” Neiheisel said. “I think it does have the effect of mobilizing to some extent and making people excited along those same lines.”
“For Democrats right now, at least among a slice of the base, it has become important to look like they’re really fighting,” Neiheisel continued. “The Democratic donor class, the people who vote in primaries, those who are really plugged in, want Democrats to do something, anything. I think this might be pitched as part of a mobilization strategy, saying we’re taking the gloves off.”
Yet, other Democratic strategists were less than impressed with the turn toward cursing, stressing a need to focus on economic troubles to improve the Democratic brand.
“Nothing either party is saying is as bad as what they are not doing,” said Erick Sanchez, a Democratic strategist. “The congressional approval rating is at 29%, and the current cost of a dozen eggs is $5. Talk is cheap. Omelets are not.”
“I don’t think it’s courageous to be cursing up a storm on social media. I think it’s more courageous to be doing that in places, not cussing, but showing up and doing the work,” added Michael Ceraso, another Democratic strategist. “And getting offline and getting in the faces of legislators that are causing havoc for folks that are trying to do good in the local communities, more so than anything else.”
Democrats have repeatedly pressed lawmakers at town halls to increase the intensity of their fight against Trump.
“I am so angry. I am so scared. I feel our democracy is in danger. … I wish you’d be angry,” Melissa Morgan told Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-CA) during a town hall last week. “I just wish that the Democrats would match my anger and my fear.”
At a separate town hall, Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) was told he was “too calm” as Trump furiously works to slash the federal workforce and transform Washington.
Marva Diaz, a political strategist and California Target Book publisher, told the Washington Examiner that Democrats are still trying to learn lessons from 2024 and why more of their traditional Democratic base voted for Trump.
Trump’s ability to connect with working-class, male, and minority voters through plainspoken word choices could be one indication of why Democrats are turning to cursing in public.
“What we’re seeing out in the world are people trying to figure it out. Well, if it worked for this guy, can I get away with that, too?” Diaz said.
However, she cautioned that the antics seemed “a little bit clumsy” and stressed that Democrats need to connect with voters in real life.
“The more logical way to me is to get off of Twitter and X, or whatever it’s called … and go out and talk to people,” Diaz said. “Get off your computer screen, get off of your phone, and go talk to voters; go see what’s happening.”
But, deGruyter, with Third Way, claimed Democrats could step up their sharp attacks on Trump while also working on ways to reengage voters.
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“It is not accurate to pretend that what the Trump administration is doing isn’t a massive departure from every standard we’ve ever had about how a president should behave,” deGruyter said. “And so we do a disservice to normalize that. And yet we have to be strategic in our answer.”
“We need to be thinking about how we drive a coherent message to the American people,” she said.
