36 Trump tweets that really didn't age well in the wake of his intel leak.
This is fine.
On Monday evening, the Washington Post dropped a bombshell of a story: "Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian foreign minister and ambassador." And depending on where you get your news, it's either an overhyped #FakeNews nothingburger or a confirmation of your worst Trump-based fears. Fun times, indeed!
While running for president (and even before), Trump made protecting classified info a priority. If there's one man who'd be less careless in these situations, he told crowds of his supporters, it's Donald J. Trump!
Seriously, check out all the times he tweeted as much:
1. Investigations need to be independent when they involve the president.
2. It's a bad idea for the president to get too chummy with the Russians, as that might compromise our national security.
3. Leaking intelligence is no joke. (Fun fact: One of the authors of the article cited in this tweet co-wrote Monday's Post article about Trump's leak to the Russians.)
4. We must have zero tolerance for a president involved in cover-ups.
5. Want accountability? Then investigations must be independent.
6. Seriously, independent investigations rule.
7. There should be outrage when a president leaks national security information.
8. And the media shouldn't let up one bit.
9. Records were made to be broken, I guess?
10. If a president has no problem leaking national security secrets, why can't he release his records — such as his birth certificate? (Or his tax returns?) What's he hiding?
11. We really need to be more careful about who has access to classified information.
12. We shouldn't stand for our "weak leaders who are threatening national security."
13. He even proposed some very ... unconventional solutions.
14. But unfortunately, if you just say the classified info out loud — say, to the Russian ambassador — having it written down doesn't really do much.
15. Our leaders must be careful with classified info. "This is a very big deal."
16. And being careless with that info makes one "not presidential material."
17. If someone compromises our national security and doesn't face criminal charges, it's evidence of a "rigged system."
18. And people who are careless with "highly classified information" are "not fit!"
19. So it's probably best if we don't let those people have access to national security information, according to Trump.
20. Here, Trump is worried about leaks of top-secret reports again, even though it turned out that NBC was referring to a declassified version of a report related to an ongoing investigation into Russian hacking and the release of emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton adviser John Podesta.
21. Having accused Obama's administration of what he perceived to be corruption for leaking to NBC, Trump tweeted that it's imperative we investigate the leaks — with no mention of the corruption.
22. This is serious, guys.
23. Nazis!
24. Nothing is more un-American than giving out classified info "like candy."
25. Leaking "has been a big problem in Washington for years."
26. Seriously, it's a priority to find the leakers.
27. & 28. The FBI needs to track down the leakers. "FIND NOW."
29. & 30. Again, Trump tweets that the real story is the leaks and not the corruption. But why not both?
31. Etc.
32. And so on.
33. And, uh, so forth.
Which brings us to today.
After initially denying the Post report about giving classified info to the Russians, Trump seemed to confirm it on Twitter Tuesday morning, saying that he has the "absolute right" to share whatever info he wants with whomever he wants. He's right, too! As president, it's within his power to declassify whatever material he wants.
So yes, what he did is likely 100% legal. But what he did doesn't mesh with what he's said in the past about being vigilant when it comes to national security, leaks, and classified information.
In tweets 34., 35., and 36., he offered a defense of his actions, appearing to confirm the Post's story in the process:
And no, it doesn't seem he ever quite finished that last thought. Maybe a staffer intervened to stop ... the leak?
Trump, who built his reputation on being tough on national security and able to protect classified info, appears to be doing everything he once railed against.
The hypocrisy between Trump's words and Trump's actions is clear; it might even seem funny if it wasn't our national security he was putting at risk. His reported carelessness with national security makes him, in his own words, "NOT FIT!" to keep America and its allies safe.
If this bothers you (it probably should), now's a pretty great time to reach out to your member of Congress and ask that they hold the president accountable.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."