Trump’s razor 

Trump's razor refers to the philosophical idea or scientific principle that of any given set of explanations for Donald Trump’s behavior, it is most likely that the stupidest explanation is the correct one.

Internet sleuth: “That anonymous op-ed in the NYTimes had to have been John Kelly.
He used the word “lodestar” to throw Mike Pence under the bus. It’s three dimensional chess, man!”

Bob Woodward: “There isn’t any 3D chess in that place. There’s not even a game of checkers. Trump’s razor says it was Mike Pence himself.”

Trump’s razor by ZakkFlash September 5, 2018

Trump’s Razor 

When the dumbest answer is usually the correct answer.

That was a total Trump’s Razor

Trump’s Razor by Not A Salad, I can promise you November 25, 2020

Trump's Razor 

When seeking an explanation for the behavior of Presidential "candidate" Donald J. Trump, always choose the stupidest possible explanation.

Adam: With the first Presidential debate looming, Hair Furor prepped by swapping rape stories with Roger Ailes over Cardiac Special bacon cheeseburgers.

Betsy: How do you know that?

Adam: Trump's Razor, girl. Anything else, even doing nothing, would be better prep for facing Clinton!

Trump's Razor by Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Man September 30, 2016

Trump's Razor 

"The Stupidest explanation is always the right one"

Guy1: "Did you hear that Trump said Chinese Bee's cause Global Warming?"

Guy2: "Chalk another one up to Trump's Razor"

Trump's Razor by thatrockydoh January 19, 2017

Trump's Razor 

Coined by John Scalzi on July 16, 2016 after reading journalist Josh Marshall's process for understanding the basis of many of Donald Trump's decisions, "Trump's razor" is a riff on "Occam's razor".

Josh Marshall: "According to Trump’s Razor: 'ascertain the stupidest possible scenario that can be reconciled with the available facts' and that answer is likely correct." Or, "to phrase the principle in Occam’s terms, it tells us ‘the stupidest scenario is always to be preferred’."

When the National Weather Service contradicted President Trump's tweet that Alabama--among other states--would “most likely be hit (much) harder than anticipated," Trump would days later hold up an official NOAA weather map that was absurdly altered with a Sharpie to include Alabama in the hurricane's prior predicted zone of landfall.

Did Donald Trump himself--irritated and embarassed that a government agency had corrected his misstatement--grab a Sharpie and alter the NOAA map, which weather experts noted would be an illegal act? Trump's razor says yes, that's the most likely scenario since it's the most plausible yet ridiculous one.

Trump's Razor by ryoso October 30, 2019

Trump's razor 

A modification of Hanlon's razor; to attribute both malice and stupidity when explaining one's behavior.

Hanlon's razor advises not to attribute malice to a behavior when it could be reasonably explained by stupidity - Trump's razor advises attributing both.

"Supporters of 47th President Trump cheered on as he promised tariffs, thinking it would harm the target nations and boost the US's economy. Both assumptions are incorrect and based in a lack of understanding of tariffs and harmful intent - hence another example of Trump's razor." - MSNBC, probably.

Trump's razor by ma02rc February 27, 2025