Recently, the head of the FBI, James Comey, was fired by President Trump, which led to immediate speculation about the motive behind his firing. Given the fact that the FBI is currently investigating ties between Russia and the Trump administration with regards to the election, many people have asserted that he was fired as a result of Trump trying to impede the investigation, or at the very least due to the fact that Trump resents the investigation. The White House has released conflicting explanations for the firing, some of which confirm the theory that Comey was fired over the investigation, and some of which deny it.

Apparently, Trump bragged about firing Comey to Russian officials, saying “I just fired the head of the F.B.I. He was crazy, a real nut job.” The fact that he referred to Comey as a “nut job” has once again opened up debate about whether Trump’s rhetoric is unbecoming of a president. The argument can be made that such rhetoric is Trump’s signature, and lends weight to the idea that he is an outsider that doesn’t follow the traditional rules of Washington politics. However, given the fact that the FBI was investigating Trump for a possible collusion with Russia with regards to rigging the election, describing Comey as a “nut job” has the opposite effect. It instead makes him look like he had a personal distaste for Comey, which people can then infer is due to the investigation, which then makes it seem as though the Russia election theory is onto something. Trump’s rhetoric helped him win the Presidency, but at this point he should probably tone it down.