Sensible people on the right say that Donald Trump’s critics should calm down. Trump says crazy things, they concede, but he’s joking. Watch what he does, not what he says.
Here’s my question: How do I know if Trump is joking?
If a Trump supporter can tell me, as Trump says these words, that some of the words are a joke, then that supporter might be right. But the supporter will never be able to do that. The supporter must wait weeks or even months, or some unspecified future date, to find out whether Trump was joking or not.
I never had this problem with Robin Williams.
Consider these examples.
In 2016, Trump announced he would build a wall between the United States and Mexico. Sane Republicans said Trump was speaking metaphorically; he only meant that we would be stricter on border control.
But then he built the thing!
It wasn’t a joke, I guess.
Trump also said Mexico would pay for the wall.
But not Mexico!
I guess he was joking. What a point!
Did you know which joke was and which wasn’t? When did you make your decision – before or after work began?
During the 2016 campaign, Trump said Russia, if it listened, would have to release Hillary Clinton’s emails.
Ha! What a riot!
And then Russia did it.
Was it a joke?
Trump said that only Ted Cruz’s fraud allowed Cruz to win the 2016 Iowa caucuses. According to Trump, the result of the caucuses should have been overturned.
Joke or not?
When Trump says the same thing about the 2020 election outcome, is it still a joke?
This man is a true master of deadpan humor.
Did Trump talk about immigrants from “shithole countries” during his first term? Trump denied saying the words at the time. He now seems to admit that it was true.
What was the joke?
Trump said he would broker peace in Ukraine on his first day in office. Of course he was exaggerating.
But was he joking? Did he believe he could negotiate peace in a few weeks? A few months? At any point during his second term? With Trump’s unwavering support for Russia’s position in the war, is he even trying to broker a peace that would be acceptable to the West?
Or is he joking?
But you can’t wait. Tell me now, before Trump’s second term expires.
Trump said he was going to build a new ballroom at the White House without costing us taxpayer dollars. Congressional Republicans could now authorize a billion taxpayer dollars to build the ballroom.
Was Trump joking when he said he would build the ballroom at no cost to taxpayers? Or is he joking now?
Or was Trump misinformed, or exaggerated, or lied, or crazy?
If you don’t know if it’s a joke, how can you be confident in your defense of Trump? Or are you planning to just see how things play out and then insist that Trump was brilliant no matter what he did?
What do you think of Trump’s “Gold Card” program which, in February 2025, would offer a path to American citizenship in exchange for a payment of $5 million?
This must have been a joke, because Trump reduced the price to $1 million in his September 2025 executive order.
This Trump! It’s a riot! What will he think of next?
By the end of April, apparently, an applicant had been approved for the Gold Card program.
What a cry!
When Trump threatens to take Iran back to the Stone Age, is it a joke?
But tell me now – before more bombing resumes or a peace deal is negotiated. If Trump is joking, you have to know he’s joking, right?
Along the same lines, did the United States “wipe out” Iran’s nuclear weapons program with its strikes last June? Trump insisted we do it, and he prompted other administration officials to repeat the quip. Should I laugh?
Because we had to bomb Iran again eight months later, when Iran was on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons.
Was it real?
Or is this another joke?
A joke is a pretty serious thing.
Will the war in Iran last more than two weeks after it started in February? Or was it a joke? Did the United States win this war (and win this war, and win this war), as Trump says? Or is it more hilarious?
I’m willing to admit that a person is a comedian if they tell a joke and someone – anyone – knows that the words were said in jest. But if the joke leaves a room full of listeners unable to identify it until later events occur, it’s not a joke at all.
When Trump says he will run for president again in 2028, is he a joke?
Should America treat this as a joke?
Or do we have to wait until November 2028 to find out?
I think the joke is our fault.
Mark Herrmann spent 17 years as an associate at a leading international law firm, then oversaw litigation, compliance and employment matters at a large international corporation. He is the author of The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Practicing Law And Drug and device product liability litigation strategy (affiliate links). You can reach him by email at (email protected).
