Trump Betrumps

With international trade, environmental protection laws and federal agency staffing now in direful pendulum swings, it is meritory to note that the first foretelling of this bedlam has ancient roots. Five hundred years have passed since the verb betrump found its way into print, as noted by the Oxford English Dictionary. Betrump means to deceive or cheat, to elude. Some definitions include another word with old Middle English roots, belirt, which means beguile (and befool) . This points to the fact that someone, somehow, knew 500 years ago what was lying in wait for today. In the following centuries, the word drifted away, retreating into darkness but, given today’s circumstances, it is now blinking in the sunlight, making its reappearance as a web search reveals.

Unlike betrump, as the centuries have passed, many uses of trump itself are now familiar:

+ Trump: override, get the better of, defeat
+ Trumpery: nonsense, trickery
+ Trump up: to make up, concoct
+ Trumpet: loudly announce
+ Trump card: hidden advantage
+ Last trump: Final trumpet call that will raise the dead
+ Trump derangement syndrome: TBD

And, if you are a poet, also consider the rhymes–chump, rump, plump–and take pen in hand. As to hat on the head, with the next election for president still on the distant horizon, it was briefly possible to purchase a new cap, “Make America America Again.” It quickly sold out but has recently become available again. Alternatively, you may wish to shop for a MASA cap, “Make American Sane Again.”

To date, the most interesting thing about Trump’s presidency is that now we see how a single individual can quickly elude the Federal court system, state laws, and dismantle world trade. As it is most unlikely he will succeed in obtaining his desired third term as president, perhaps he will decide to run for the position of King of America. The big question, of course, is how to get that on the ballot. Perhaps the Senate will trump up something.

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