With input from a reputable language specialist who has assisted me in the past with quotes from George W. Bush and Dan Quayle, following are translations of some of the more common sayings uttered by our new president.
Trump: “I am worth over $ 10 billion.”
In English: Actually worth about $3.72 billion, per Fortune.com.
Trump: “I’m smart! I don’t pay taxes!”
In English: Greed is good.
Trump: “This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine.”
In English: Boy, are we in trouble!
Trump: “We should greatly strengthen and expand … the U.S’s nuclear weapons capability.”
In English: If that starts a war I’ll blame it on the media.
Trump: “Are we living in Nazi Germany?”
In English: The intelligence community has uncovered something that I don’t like.
Trump: “I inherited a mess. It’s a mess at home and abroad.”
In English: Someday I’m going to understand this job!
Trump: “I want to end the war on coal.”
In English: Global warming is a hoax.
Trump: “A great spirit of optimism is sweeping … across the country.”
In English: A lot of people are hoping I’m impeached in the next two years.
Trump: “The media are the enemy of the people.”
In English: The media know too much about my inability to understand the issues.