Sleepy Joe? Recalling and Considering Donald Trump’s Strategic Use of Nicknames

Abstract From the beginning of his first presidential run in 2015, Donald Trump regularly used nicknames to deride his opponents’ appearances, demeanors, beliefs, or personal histories. Employing such nicknames defied norms of campaigning and captured media attention, but little is known about how these monikers penetrated public awareness, were perceived by the public, and shaped evaluations of those targeted. Examining Trump’s effort to label Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe” offers a window through which to begin to answer such questions. Findings from an August 2020 survey experiment reveal that those who participate in politics are likely to contemporaneously know the nicknames Trump is using during the campaign. Perceptions of nickname accuracy were shaped by political beliefs. Amongst a random subset of survey participants asked to consider the use and intent of “Sleepy Joe” more deeply, those who knew it going in and also approved of how the President did his job were the only ones to look significantly more negatively upon Biden. Subsequent findings also reveal the extent to which Americans have forgotten Trump’s nicknames of past rivals, calling into question whether such a strategy leaves lasting legacies.