In his latest pearl-clutching performance, Mike Johnson is scandalized by Democrats using the F-word. Which is adorable, considering his party leader uses it like punctuation. Ever heard of selective outrage?
On the 30th day of the government shutdown, senators again gathered for a press conference to play a blame game. But Speaker Johnson seemed to have taken inspiration from Rep. Lisa McClain’s speech from the day before. He stood on the podium and scolded Democrats for using the F-word on the Senate floor against John Thune. But, he conveniently forgot that his standard-bearer, Trump, has been workshopping the word on live TV like a catchphrase.
Johnson huffed that Democrats “like to drop the f-bomb now for fun,” as if Capitol Hill just discovered profanity yesterday. He also added how the Republicans are “just fed up with it.” But on Oct. 17, during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump used the word live on camera while riffing about Venezuela. Newsrooms clipped it, the White House social team leaned into it, but nobody said a word. Isn’t Johnson fed up with that?
And it’s not even a once-in-a-blue-moon thing for the President. Trump has tossed the word around at rallies and gaggles for years, including South Lawn scrums aired live. He also lobbies profane words almost every day on his social media towards a new victim twice a week. So, if Mike Johnson wants to police language, he should start with the man who runs his party’s mouth.
Users reacted to his tone-deaf schooling with a sharp sword. One simply asked, “Has he met the president?” Which is not snarky, it is more of a wellness check on reality at this point. Another added, “Wait. Trump said it in an Oval Office press conference and on camera on the lawn on his way to his helicopter.” Besides, lecturing the opposition about decorum while his own party leader posts crown memes, childish AI videos, and “FAFO” captions is the height of hypocrisy.
So, spare Americans the civics cosplay, please. Washington has seen sharper tongues and saltier language than one syllable ending in “k.” What matters is whether they can pass a clean bill, keep health care flowing, and fund paychecks on time. Which is clearly not happening.
Johnson’s larger point was that Democrats are not serious about governing. But the math on the shutdown is not solved by trying to school a room of grown-ups on using the right words. The House GOP walked off the job for a long weekend instead of voting. And now they’re blaming the Democrats.
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