WASHINGTON — As he shook President Obama’s hand and pulled him in for what he thought was a private aside, Vice President Joe Biden delivered an explicit message: “This is a big f——— deal.” The remark, overheard on live microphones at a 2010 ceremony for the Affordable Care Act, caused a sensation because open profanity from a national leader was unusual at the time.
More than 15 years later, vulgarity is now in vogue.
During a political rally Tuesday night in Pennsylvania that was intended to focus on tackling inflation, President Trump used profanity at least four times. At one point, he even admitted to disparaging Haiti and African nations as “ shithole countries ” during a private 2018 meeting, a comment he denied at the time. And before a bank of cameras during a lengthy Cabinet meeting last week, the Republican president referred to alleged drug smugglers as “sons of b——-s.”
While the Biden incident was accidental, the frequency, sharpness and public nature of Trump’s comments are intentional. They build on his project to combat what he sees as pervasive political correctness. Leaders in both parties are seemingly in a race now to the verbal gutter.
Vice President JD Vance called a podcast host a “dips—t” in September. In Thanksgiving remarks before troops, Vance joked that anyone who said they liked turkey was “full of s—-.” After one National Guard member was killed in a shooting in Washington last month and a second was critically injured, top Trump aide Steven Cheung told a reporter on social media to “shut the f—- up” when she wrote that the deployment of troops in the nation’s capital was “for political show.”
Among Democrats, former Vice President Kamala Harris earned a roar of approval from her audience in September when she condemned the Trump administration by saying “these mother———- are crazy.” After Trump called for the execution of several Democratic members of Congress last month, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said it was time for people with influence to “pick a f——— side.” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the administration cannot “f—- around” with the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who on Monday announced her Senate campaign in Texas, did not hold back earlier this year when asked what she would tell Elon Musk if given the chance: “F—- off.”
The volley of vulgarities underscore an ever-coarsening political environment that often plays out on social media or other digital platforms where the posts or video clips that evoke the strongest emotions are rewarded with the most engagement.
“If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at the social media companies,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said Tuesday night at Washington National Cathedral, where he spoke at an event focused on political civility. “It’s not a fair fight. They’ve hijacked our brains. They understand these dopamine hits. Outrage sells.”
Cox, whose national profile rose after calling for civility in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination in his state, approved an overhaul of social media laws meant to protect children. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the state law.
Tough political talk is nothing new
Tough talk is nothing new in politics, but leaders long avoided flaunting it.
Recordings from Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration, for instance, revealed a crude, profane side of his personality that was largely kept private. Republican Richard Nixon bemoaned the fact that the foul language he used in the Oval Office was captured on tape. “Since neither I nor most other Presidents had ever used profanity in public, millions were shocked,” Nixon wrote in his book “In the Arena.”
“Politicians have always sworn, just behind closed doors,” said Benjamin Bergen, a professor at the University of California-San Diego’s Department of Cognitive Science and the author of “What the F: What swearing reveals about our language, our brains, and ourselves.” “The big change is in the past 10 years or so, it’s been much more public.”
As both parties prepare for the 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 presidential campaign, the question is whether this language will become increasingly mainstream. Republicans who simply try to imitate Trump’s brash style do not always succeed with voters. Democrats who turn to vulgarities risk appearing inauthentic if their words feel forced.
For some, it is just a distraction.
“It’s not necessary,” said GOP Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who is retiring next year after winning five elections in one of the most competitive House districts. “If that’s what it takes to get your point across, you’re not a good communicator.”
There are risks of overusing profanity
There also is a risk that if such language becomes overused, its utility as a way to shock and connect with audiences could be dulled. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld has talked about this problem, noting that he used swear words in his early routines but dropped them as his career progressed because he felt profanity yielded only cheap laughs.
“I felt like well I just got a laugh because I said f—- in there,” he said in a 2020 interview on the WTF podcast with fellow comedian Marc Maron. “You didn’t find the gold.”
White House spokesperson Liz Huston said Trump “doesn’t care about being politically correct, he cares about Making America Great Again. The American people love how authentic, transparent, and effective the President is.”
But for Trump, the words that have generated the most controversy are often less centered in traditional profanity than slurs that can be interpreted as hurtful. The final weeks of his 2016 campaign were rocked when a tape emerged of him discussing grabbing women by their genitals, language he minimized as “locker room talk.” His “shithole” remark in 2018 was widely condemned as racist.
More recently, Trump called a female journalist “piggy,” comments that his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, defended as evidence of a president who is “very frank and honest.” Trump’s use of a slur about disabled people prompted an Indiana Republican whose child has Down syndrome to come out in opposition to the president’s push to redraw the state’s congressional districts.
On rare occasions, politicians express contrition for their choice of words. In an interview with The Atlantic published last week, Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa., dismissed Harris’ depiction of him in her book about last year’s presidential campaign by saying she was “trying to sell books and cover her a—.”
He seemed to catch himself quickly.
“I shouldn’t say ‘cover her a—,” he said. “I think that’s not appropriate.”
Sloan writes for the Associated Press.
WTF? Embracing profanity is one thing both political parties seem to agree on
WASHINGTON — As he shook President Obama’s hand and pulled him in for what he thought was a private aside, Vice President Joe Biden delivered an explicit message: “This is a big f——— deal.” The remark, overheard on live microphones at a 2010 ceremony for the Affordable Care Act, caused a sensation because open profanity from a national leader was unusual at the time.
More than 15 years later, vulgarity is now in vogue.
During a political rally Tuesday night in Pennsylvania that was intended to focus on tackling inflation, President Trump used profanity at least four times. At one point, he even admitted to disparaging Haiti and African nations as “ shithole countries ” during a private 2018 meeting, a comment he denied at the time. And before a bank of cameras during a lengthy Cabinet meeting last week, the Republican president referred to alleged drug smugglers as “sons of b——-s.”
While the Biden incident was accidental, the frequency, sharpness and public nature of Trump’s comments are intentional. They build on his project to combat what he sees as pervasive political correctness. Leaders in both parties are seemingly in a race now to the verbal gutter.
Vice President JD Vance called a podcast host a “dips—t” in September. In Thanksgiving remarks before troops, Vance joked that anyone who said they liked turkey was “full of s—-.” After one National Guard member was killed in a shooting in Washington last month and a second was critically injured, top Trump aide Steven Cheung told a reporter on social media to “shut the f—- up” when she wrote that the deployment of troops in the nation’s capital was “for political show.”
Among Democrats, former Vice President Kamala Harris earned a roar of approval from her audience in September when she condemned the Trump administration by saying “these mother———- are crazy.” After Trump called for the execution of several Democratic members of Congress last month, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said it was time for people with influence to “pick a f——— side.” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the administration cannot “f—- around” with the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who on Monday announced her Senate campaign in Texas, did not hold back earlier this year when asked what she would tell Elon Musk if given the chance: “F—- off.”
The volley of vulgarities underscore an ever-coarsening political environment that often plays out on social media or other digital platforms where the posts or video clips that evoke the strongest emotions are rewarded with the most engagement.
“If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at the social media companies,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, said Tuesday night at Washington National Cathedral, where he spoke at an event focused on political civility. “It’s not a fair fight. They’ve hijacked our brains. They understand these dopamine hits. Outrage sells.”
Cox, whose national profile rose after calling for civility in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination in his state, approved an overhaul of social media laws meant to protect children. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the state law.
Tough political talk is nothing new
Tough talk is nothing new in politics, but leaders long avoided flaunting it.
Recordings from Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration, for instance, revealed a crude, profane side of his personality that was largely kept private. Republican Richard Nixon bemoaned the fact that the foul language he used in the Oval Office was captured on tape. “Since neither I nor most other Presidents had ever used profanity in public, millions were shocked,” Nixon wrote in his book “In the Arena.”
“Politicians have always sworn, just behind closed doors,” said Benjamin Bergen, a professor at the University of California-San Diego’s Department of Cognitive Science and the author of “What the F: What swearing reveals about our language, our brains, and ourselves.” “The big change is in the past 10 years or so, it’s been much more public.”
As both parties prepare for the 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 presidential campaign, the question is whether this language will become increasingly mainstream. Republicans who simply try to imitate Trump’s brash style do not always succeed with voters. Democrats who turn to vulgarities risk appearing inauthentic if their words feel forced.
For some, it is just a distraction.
“It’s not necessary,” said GOP Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who is retiring next year after winning five elections in one of the most competitive House districts. “If that’s what it takes to get your point across, you’re not a good communicator.”
There are risks of overusing profanity
There also is a risk that if such language becomes overused, its utility as a way to shock and connect with audiences could be dulled. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld has talked about this problem, noting that he used swear words in his early routines but dropped them as his career progressed because he felt profanity yielded only cheap laughs.
“I felt like well I just got a laugh because I said f—- in there,” he said in a 2020 interview on the WTF podcast with fellow comedian Marc Maron. “You didn’t find the gold.”
White House spokesperson Liz Huston said Trump “doesn’t care about being politically correct, he cares about Making America Great Again. The American people love how authentic, transparent, and effective the President is.”
But for Trump, the words that have generated the most controversy are often less centered in traditional profanity than slurs that can be interpreted as hurtful. The final weeks of his 2016 campaign were rocked when a tape emerged of him discussing grabbing women by their genitals, language he minimized as “locker room talk.” His “shithole” remark in 2018 was widely condemned as racist.
More recently, Trump called a female journalist “piggy,” comments that his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, defended as evidence of a president who is “very frank and honest.” Trump’s use of a slur about disabled people prompted an Indiana Republican whose child has Down syndrome to come out in opposition to the president’s push to redraw the state’s congressional districts.
On rare occasions, politicians express contrition for their choice of words. In an interview with The Atlantic published last week, Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa., dismissed Harris’ depiction of him in her book about last year’s presidential campaign by saying she was “trying to sell books and cover her a—.”
He seemed to catch himself quickly.
“I shouldn’t say ‘cover her a—,” he said. “I think that’s not appropriate.”
Sloan writes for the Associated Press.
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How ‘unapologetic’ Martine McCutcheon is embracing ‘new chapter’ with lucrative big-name gigs after marriage split
MARTINE McCutcheon is grabbing life – and lucrative opportunities – with both hands after splitting from husband Jack McManus.
She and Jack, 41, stunned fans when they announced their separation in August 2024 after 18 years together.
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And we’re told that, after taking some time out to lick her wounds, 49-year-old Martine has decided it’s time for a reset – and to remind everyone of the star she is.
In 1994 the actress and singer joined the cast of EastEnders as Tiffany Raymond in what was supposed to be a minor role.
Instead Tiffany went on to become one of the soap’s most iconic characters and 22 million people tuned in to watch her final scenes, when she was killed off in 1998.
What followed was a whirlwind pop career and her biggest gig to date – starring alongside Hugh Grant in the Christmas classic Love Actually.
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But after she and Jack welcomed son Rafferty, now nine, in 2015, Martine decided to put family first.
PERSONAL STRUGGLES
Martine, who has been living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome since 2011, was then diagnosed with Lyme disease and fibromyalgia in 2017.
And in 2022 she was left heartbroken by the sudden death of her brother in 2022.
But now Martine is finally ready to re-introduce herself to the world.
A well-placed source told The Sun: “Martine hasn’t had it easy – the divorce is in some ways trivial compared to the things she’s been through.
“She needed to put her health first for a while and isn’t in any way resentful for prioritising family over her career, but the simple truth is she’s a natural born entertainer and wasn’t made to be a stay-at-home mum.
“Martine’s marriage ending made her realise you need to live in the moment – and that’s exactly what she’s doing. Friends are even quoting her own hit song to her, saying ‘this is your moment’.”
She’s starring in five big-money Christmas adverts this festive season, working with huge brands including Costa and Google.
And Martine is only just getting started.
COMING BACK WITH A BANG
Our insider continued: “Martine isn’t silly enough to say no to the money she was offered for some of these collaborations but adverts aren’t enough for her.
“This is a woman who was a household name in the 90s, has had number one singles and won awards for West End roles – she finally feels confident enough to start acting like it.
“She’s a national treasure so booking meetings with directors hasn’t been a problem, it’s choosing the right role she’s finding difficult.
“If she gets this right, it’s going to be the comeback of all comebacks.
“Unlike many people who got their big break in a soap, Martine is genuinely talented and one of the gigs she’s considering will show her in a whole new light.”
Martine’s confidence resurgence was highlighted when she posted a very clear message on social media – insisting she’s not going to apologise for prioritising herself.
She said: “I feel excited about this next chapter because I know myself so much more.
“I’m so not sorry for my own opinions, my own voice, my own limitations and being able to say, always with the most respect, ‘No, no, no’.
“I just want to have fun. I want to find out, away from career and family, what just brings me fun.”
And as she approaches her 50th birthday, we’re told that, not only does Martine look better than ever, she finally feels like she’s taken back control of her life.
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This rebellious arts festival in Orange County is embracing its inner Santa Claus
The Sawdust Art Festival started in the mid-1960s as a reaction to — or a “rebellion,” as one of the participating artists put it — Laguna Beach’s more uppity Festival of the Arts, home to the long-running living-pictures show known as the Pageant of the Masters. Today, it’s a professionally-run affair, a place to hang and drink and dine as much as it is to explore handmade art.
And in the winter, its hippie edge is arguably softened a little more. For that’s when Santa Claus moves in for five weekends throughout November and December.
Children explore the gingerbread house at Sawdust Winter Fantasy.
Millie Johnson, 5, and Gunner Johnson, 9, fifth-generation Laguna Beach residents, sit on Santa’s lap.
But no matter, if Sawdust is no longer a feisty little upstart it once was, it’s still a home for anything-goes, left of center art. More enticing: To step into Sawdust is to wander into a theme park-like world of winding paths covered in wood chips, one where artists booths are fashioned as mini cottages and every turn is full of surprises — psychedelic ceramic mushrooms nest around one bend, a waterfall and a concert stage around another.
Sawdust is an artist-filled wonderland, and never is that more apparent than during its Winter Fantasy event, which will wrap Dec. 21. Christmas lights glisten, a communal tree beckons to be decorated and a marionette handler wanders the grounds. Artist booths place an emphasis on smaller, gift-ready items — think ornaments, colorful candy dishes, mini plates designed to nest a wine bottle — but Sawdust’s Winter Fantasy stops just short of going full holiday party, as this is still an art-driven event where one can join a pop-up ceramic class or crowd around a table and connect with strangers for a painting session.
“Sawdust is an experience,” says the festival’s President Jay Grant, noting that even today it conjures a different vibe than the concrete grounds of the nearby Festival of the Arts. “You walk through the front gate and you’ve got sawdust-strewn paths. You’ve got a rustic village. You’ve got waterfalls. You’ve got three stages, and you’ve got demonstrations going on. There’s an excitement to watching artists create their art.”
And if one is too shy to bring out their inner artist, they can hang with a spiced wine in the dining alcove.
Sawdust’s winter edition launched in 1991, although the team had been talking about it since the ’70s, says Grant, who has been involved with the festival for 52 years, first as a sales manager but occasionally as a participating artist selling ceramics and wind chimes. As for why a holiday event took about two decades to get off the ground, Grant cops to being a “canyon hippie” and says, “We took it one year at a time.” It’s shifted over the years — there were stilt walkers for a bit, and Sawdust’s historical site notes there was once a mascot in “Jelf,” part jester, part elf.
Petey the dog peeks out as his owners, Erick and Natasha Blaha, not pictured, buy artwork from artist Tim Hahne.
Jelf didn’t stick around long, and when asked why there’s no formal mascot today, Grant laughs. “We have enough characters just in the artists themselves here,” he says. “We don’t need to hire any characters. They’re some of the most eclectic, interesting ex-hippies.”
Muffin Spencer-Devlin may not be an ex-hippie, but she is a former pro golfer, once an outspoken celebrity persona on the tour. Today, she’s a Laguna Beach resident and a full-time glass artist, her work experimenting with dashes of color trapped throughout her creations. I met Spencer-Devlin while eyeing her tiny glass angels with multicolored hearts.
Glasswork started as a passion project, but then became a second career for Spencer-Devlin. “I wish it was a hobby,” she says with a laugh. “I have to make a living somehow. I didn’t save all that money that I made, but I’ve been really good at spending it.”
She’s been attending Sawdust since the mid-2000s, and worked as an apprentice glass artist before eventually starting to sell her own work around 2009. The event has been a refuge, she says.
“I felt like I had found my peeps,” she says, “the people that I resonated with. Anytime I had a chance in those days, I was talking glass with somebody, and there were all kinds of people to do it with here, so it was an education for me.”
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1. Shamus Skoch, a found object artist, displays his work. 2. Gabe Sullivan is a fine art photographer and director. 3. Michelle Burt, an expressive impressionist artist based in Laguna Beach, stands in her booth. 4. Artist Lupe Blanton makes ceramic garden art.
Folkloric and whimsical ceramic artist Lilia Venier has been exhibiting at Sawdust’s winter fest for 22 years. Sawdust’s main summer event allows only Laguna Beach residents to have a booth, but in the winter, the festival is open to those from other cities. Venier, based in La Crescenta, has found it welcoming, so much so that Sawdust Winter Fantasy is the most successful show the full-time artist presents at.
“The people who go there are very loyal,” says Venier, who also teaches at the Creative Arts Group in Sierra Madre. “Every year, people come to see me and say, ‘What do you have this time?’ I have customers in Laguna that have 40 to 50 pieces of mine. It’s very important that festival. It’s people who get what I do.”
Sawdust is on the verge of turning 60, which it will do when it returns to Laguna Beach next summer. It continues to evolve.
“Sawdust was a kind of rebellion from the Pageant, which was first. That’s very high-end and classy,” says Venier, when asked how the festival has changed in her two decades of coming. “The Sawdust is more crafty. When I started, there were a lot of artists who were hippies. They were having fun, selling surfing clothing. You know, hippies on the beach. There’s not many anymore — a few.”
David Zhang holds his granddaughter Zoey Huang, 5, while viewing Santa.
A concern among many artists was the cost of living in Laguna Beach, which has Grant wondering how to get younger artists involved when they can’t afford to live within city limits. As Sawdust heads into its sixth decade, Grant acknowledged they may need to relax some rules for the summer exhibition, such as allowing non-Laguna residents to present.
“There’s all kinds of ideas,” he says of trying to recruit younger artists.
But no major changes are yet on the docket for next season. Sawdust is still, after all these decades, taking it one year at a time.
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