Sleepy Joe

English

Etymology

Coined by American current president Donald Trump in 2019, likely in reference to a series of videos where Biden appears to occasionally fall asleep during important meetings and television interviews.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈsliːpi ˈd͡ʒəʊ̯/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈslipi ˈd͡ʒoʊ̯/
  • Rhymes: -əʊ

Proper noun

Sleepy Joe

  1. (US politics, derogatory) Joe Biden.
    • 2019 April 25, @realDonaldTrump, Twitter[1], archived from the original on 25 April 2019:
      Welcome to the race Sleepy Joe.
    • 2020 July 18, Michael Scherer, “From ‘Sleepy Joe’ to a destroyer of the ‘American way of life,’ Trump’s attacks on Biden make a dystopian shift”, in The Washington Post[2], archived from the original on 13 December 2020:
      His new dystopian vision, with militant and extreme language not typical in American politics, marks a sharp departure from Trump’s previous effort to cast Biden as “Sleepy Joe,” an establishment politician with deteriorating mental abilities.
    • [2021 November 1, Peter Suciu, “‘Sleepy Joe’ Trended After Biden Appeared To Nod Off During Climate Conference”, in Forbes[3], archived from the original on 27 November 2021:
      Many mocked the president, while hashtags included "Sleepy Joe" – the name former President Donald Trump had referred to Biden as during the 2020 campaign.]

See also

Further reading

  • Adam Edelman (25 April 2019) “A guide to Trump's nicknames and insults about the 2020 Democratic field”, in NBC[4], archived from the original on 22 November 2020