Trump Gives Himself New Name at CPAC That Rivals George Patton's 'Old Blood and Guts'
Whatever your feelings may be about former President Donald Trump, you can’t deny that he has a flair for the dramatic — and an uncanny ability to bestow nicknames.
Now, Trump usually reserves his nicknaming for only his least favorite people (“Rocket Man” and “Pencil Neck” immediately come to mind), but this time around, Trump actually revealed a nickname for one his very favorite people — Donald John Trump.
Speaking as the marquee attraction at the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump delivered a blistering speech on Saturday, excoriating his rivals while also bestowing a new identity upon himself.
Amid impassioned chants of “We love Trump,” the former president fired a direct message to President Joe Biden.
“If you put me back in the White House,” Trump said. “Their reign is over. Their reign will be over. And they know it. And America will be a free nation once again. We’re not a free nation right now.”
President Trump: “In 2016, I declared, ‘I am your voice.’ Today I add: I am your warrior, I am your justice, and for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution!” pic.twitter.com/E3Cy6S4qFg
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) March 4, 2023
Trump, clearly referring to the current Biden administration’s “reign” of terror, then decided to adopt many of the nicknames most commonly associated with Batman.
“In 2016, I declared: ‘I am your voice,'” Trump continued. “Today I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice, and for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution … Not going to let this happen (anymore).”
Justice? Warrior? (And most of all) Retribution? Which billionaire is up there, Trump or Bruce Wayne?
Calling himself any of those, particularly “retribution,” hearkens back to another iconic nickname from American history: “Old Blood and Guts” himself, Gen. George S. Patton.
As Business Insider noted, Patton was bestowed that nickname not because of any particular skill at bloodletting (though, to be certain, he was skilled at that) but rather because “he produced more results in less time with fewer casualties than any other general in any army during World War II.”
That factoid feels particularly relevant, especially when it comes in comparison to Trump.
Trump is not channeling justice and retribution just to wreak havoc on his opposition — for Trump, that desire comes from a genuine place of wanting to help the American people. It’s a noble mission — albeit a mission that many of his most ardent followers felt was cut short.
But back to “Blood and Guts,” for a moment. Even if that nickname stems from a place of efficiency, it also calls to mind the scorched earth that war can sometimes leave behind.
And Trump has no problem channeling the scorched earth side of “blood and guts,” as evidenced by other remarks he made on Saturday night.
“The Republican Party was ruled by freaks, neocons, open border zealots and fools,” Trump said, per the Washington Examiner. “We’re never going back to the party of Paul Ryan, Karl Rove and Jeb Bush.”
Of course, if Trump had that to say about his fellow Republicans, you can only imagine the vitriol he had in store for Democrats.
“Our enemies are lunatics and maniacs, and they cannot stand that they do not own me, they cannot shake me, they cannot control me.”
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