Vulgarity by Presidents is not new. President Truman was lambasted by many for things he said, but often applauded by others for stating his mind (the band Chicago came out with a song in the 1970's called "Harry Truman" which extolled the former President's ways, including that he would "call a spade a spade"). The press even published what were considered by many at the time to be risque photographs of Mr. Truman (during the short time he served as Vice-President) posing at a piano with movie star Lauren Bacall.
Many people were shocked by the vulgarity that went on in President Nixon's White House when the recordings that became part of the Watergate scandal were released. Then it was discovered that President Lyndon Johnson also had recordings from his days in the White House, and his vulgarities were arguably worse. It has been reported that he even displayed his private parts during a White House meeting while declaring that those private parts were something that the communists would never get.
One big difference these days seems to be that anything that President Trump says in meetings somehow gets to the press. Also, he often seems to not care what people say about what he says. He also seems to purposely push the envelope knowing that he'll get reactions--positive reactions from some people and negative ones from other people with the same comments.
Personally, I don't see the need for the vulgarity. I generally do not use it, because I generally don't think it is necessary, and I feel I can express myself just fine without it. I wish the the President of the United States would refrain from that type of language, but the reality is that history shows us that the current President is not the first one who has used it.
