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Trump’s Strange Canine Insults
Why invoke man’s best friend to insult someone?
Donald Trump is hypocritical about dogs.
This week, he praised a U.S. special forces German Shepherd for its work in the raid that killed Isis leader Bakr Abu al-Baghdadi. The dog, named Conan, was wounded in the raid, but is recovering. Trump announced that Conan will soon visit the White House.
Later in the week, when Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke withdrew from the 2020 race, Trump characterized him as quitting “like a dog.”
Most people don’t have mixed emotions about dogs. You either like them or you don’t. You’re either a dog person or you’re not. But even if you’re not a dog person, you usually don’t malign them by comparing them to people you don’t like.
And most people I know wouldn’t turn around and insult other people by viciously calling them dogs. Dog people love their dogs, and they wouldn’t conjure a metaphor which uses a dog to belittle a person.
Most of the dogs I’ve known have been so friendly, so loyal and trusting, that being compared to them is actually a compliment.
Trump’s use of the canine metaphor
Trump’s awkward use of the canine metaphor to describe people he does not like…
