Trump is already brainstorming nicknames for the large 2020 field of Democrats
- Trump is already reportedly developing nicknames for Democratic candidates challenging him in 2020.
- During the 2016 election, Trump berated opponents with comical and sometimes cruel nicknames.
- The nicknames were often used in campaign ads by the Republican National Committee.
President Donald Trump is reportedly brainstorming new nicknames with staff as the field of 2020 Democratic challengers grows larger every few days, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Read more: The most disparaging nicknames Trump used for his political enemies and former allies in 2018
Trump routinely assigns comical, cruel, and sometimes racially-tinged nicknames to political opponents and even Republicans who dare criticize him.
Trump has already given nicknames to some of the Democratic candidates. He has long referred to Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts as "Pocahontas." More recently, Trump attempted to test out a name on Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota during her 2020 campaign announcement.
"Well, it happened again. Amy Klobuchar announced that she is running for President, talking proudly of fighting global warming while standing in a virtual blizzard of snow, ice and freezing temperatures," he wrote on Twitter. "Bad timing. By the end of her speech she looked like a Snowman(woman)!"
During the 2016 Republican presidential primary, Trump developed monikers for several candidates, such as "low energy" Jeb Bush, "lyin'" Ted Cruz, and "little" Marco Rubio.
When former Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee criticized Trump in October of 2017, the president took to his morning Twitter tirade to don the recently retired lawmaker as "liddle" in an apparent reference to Corker's short stature.
"The Failing [New York Times] set Liddle' Bob Corker up by recording his conversation," Trump tweeted. "Was made to sound a fool, and that's what I am dealing with!"
Most infamously, Trump spent the better portion of his 2016 presidential campaign calling his opponent by the nickname "Crooked" Hillary Clinton, which the Republican National Committee went on to use in official campaign ads.
Whether Trump will be able to develop nicknames that stick - or in any way affect public opinion - is still unclear.