President Donald Trump has been under immense scrutiny in recent days over his firing of FBI director James Comey—members of Congress are criticizing him on Twitter, and his staff is literally hiding in the bushes to avoid reporters.
But today, the Trump conversation pivoted to another controversy—and this one was much funnier.
Last week the president gave an interview to The Economist about (surprise) his economic policies. The magazine released a transcript of that interview today, and one particular exchange from it went viral:
We interviewed Donald Trump. He tested our knowledge of econ-jargon. pic.twitter.com/NIuubSy8vj
— Tom Nuttall (@tom_nuttall) May 11, 2017
That’s right—President Trump told the editors of The Economist that he had coined the phrase “priming the pump.”
The Twitter trolling began almost immediately, starting with the wonderfully sassy Merriam-Webster dictionary:
The phrase 'priming the pump' dates to the early 19th century.
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) May 11, 2017
'Pump priming' has been used to refer to government investment expenditures since at least 1933. https://t.co/VfkGwwzZRC
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) May 11, 2017
Not sure where a word or phrase comes from?
Look it up. https://t.co/3BCgHYb2hy
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) May 11, 2017
The internet in general had a field day as well—journalists noted that Trump had actually talked about “priming the pump” in interviews last year:
Trump tried to tell THE ECONOMIST that he invented the phrase "priming the pump." Seriously, Trump is a bigger idiot than W. Bush ever was. https://t.co/QK9May289N
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) May 11, 2017
https://twitter.com/normanbrannon/status/862650194801958912
Ever heard "electing a semiliterate fool of a grifter"? I just came up with that. Just now. It's mine. https://t.co/eqoMOIEt4z
— David Simon (@AoDespair) May 11, 2017
https://twitter.com/RonCharles/status/862636857724731392
Trump says he invented the phrase "prime the pump" just "a couple of days ago." So, of course, here he is saying it in 2016. pic.twitter.com/J645Jizmba
— The Rude Pundit (@rudepundit) May 11, 2017
Think about this for a second. Someone who brags about going to Wharton tells The Economist he came up with the phrase "prime the pump."
— Doesn't Matter (@XisworsethanT) May 11, 2017
Of course, the fact that Trump is talking about “priming the pump” at all implies that debt and deficits will rise during his presidency, which runs counter to his campaign promises. But he claims this approach will lead to economic growth in the long run.
