• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
PoliticsU.S. Politics

Trump Has Called His Political Foes ‘Liddle’ Before. Here’s What He Means

By
Erin Corbett
Erin Corbett
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Erin Corbett
Erin Corbett
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 27, 2019, 1:07 PM ET

The word ‘Liddle’ has became a point of contention again for President Donald Trump.

On Friday, Trump took aim at CNN for the network’s chyron—the digital text display at the bottom of the television screen—for making it look like he made a spelling error in one of his tweets about Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff.

“Liddle’ Adam Schiff, who has worked unsuccessfully for 3 years to hurt the Republican Party and President, has just said that the Whistleblower, even though he or she only had second hand information, “is credible,” Trump tweeted. “How can that be with zero info and a known bias. Democrat Scam!”

Liddle’ Adam Schiff, who has worked unsuccessfully for 3 years to hurt the Republican Party and President, has just said that the Whistleblower, even though he or she only had second hand information, “is credible.” How can that be with zero info and a known bias. Democrat Scam!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2019

While not an official word in the dictionary, Trump has used the word ‘Liddle’ before as slang for “Little” when referring to political foes.

But CNN’s chyron referred to Trump’s tweet using the word ‘Liddle’ without the punctuation Trump used in his tweet, when he referred to “Liddle’ Adam Schiff,” which Trump said made it look like he spelled “Little” wrong.

Things became were made more confusing when trump referred to his apostrophe after “Liddle” as a hyphen.

“Low ratings @CNN purposely took the hyphen out and said I spelled the word little wrong,” Trump tweeted. “A small but never ending situation with CNN!”

To show you how dishonest the LameStream Media is, I used the word Liddle’, not Liddle, in discribing Corrupt Congressman Liddle’ Adam Schiff. Low ratings @CNN purposely took the hyphen out and said I spelled the word little wrong. A small but never ending situation with CNN!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2019

Not to worry. Merriam-Webster Dictionary offered some help on Twitter to anyone confused by punctuation this morning.

For those looking up punctuation early on a Friday morning:

A hyphen is a mark – used to divide or to compound words.
An apostrophe is a mark ' used to indicate the omission of letters or figures.

— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) September 27, 2019

Given his past usage of the word, Trump is likely being honest when he insists he meant to spell “Liddle'” (with the apostrophe) all along, rather than spelling “little” when referring to Schiff. Here’s a brief history of the president’s use of the term, ‘Liddle’:

Trump has used “Liddle” (with the apostrophe) on Twitter several times, first referring to “Liddle’ Bob Corker,” a former Republican Senator, in 2017 and then later as a nickname for Schiff from 2018 onward.

Hyphens and apostrophes aside, House Democrats have opened a formal impeachment inquiry into the Trump administration after a whistleblower complaint revealed Trump may have abused his presidential powers by seeking help from a foreign government. Schiff is currently leading that investigation.

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—A running list of questions on the impeachment inquiry, answered
—5 allegations made in the declassified whistleblower complaint
—What is CrowdStrike? Trump mentioned the company in his Ukraine call
—These are the key players in the Trump impeachment inquiry
—How impeachment momentum massively shifted among democrats
—The 25 most powerful women in politics
Follow Fortune on Flipboard to stay up-to-date on the latest news and analysis.

About the Author
By Erin Corbett
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Politics

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Politics

The World Cup is supposed to be an economic windfall. But ‘you’re seeing a number of headwinds’ now
North AmericaWorld Cup
The World Cup is supposed to be an economic windfall. But ‘you’re seeing a number of headwinds’ now
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezApril 4, 2026
2 hours ago
Scott Kupor sits at a table gesturing with both hands.
PoliticsLabor
The Trump administration is blurring the public and private sector workforce, and OPM director Scott Kupor won’t rule out conflict of interest risks
By Sasha RogelbergApril 4, 2026
4 hours ago
MUSCAT, OMAN - Locals visit Muscat Anchorage near the Strait of Hormuz on March 30, 2026 in Muscat, Oman. Several Chinese-owned vessels were reportedly able to transit the Strait of Hormuz today, the day after U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran would allow 20 ships to cross through the vital waterway. (Photo by Elke Scholiers/Getty Images)
EnergyIran
Iran’s military may be decimated, but it’s winning the energy war as it controls who gets cargoes through the Strait of Hormuz
By Jordan BlumApril 4, 2026
7 hours ago
rick steves holds american flag
PoliticsTaxes
Travel guru Rick Steves is happy to pay more taxes
By Catherina GioinoApril 3, 2026
15 hours ago
At least one crew member still missing after Iran shoots down 2 U.S. aircraft while Trump says ‘it’s war’
PoliticsIran
At least one crew member still missing after Iran shoots down 2 U.S. aircraft while Trump says ‘it’s war’
By Sam Mednick, Konstantin Toropin, Seung Min Kim and The Associated PressApril 3, 2026
16 hours ago
trump
Politicsnational debt
Trump just raised the $39 trillion national debt with the largest budget hike since World War II—and nobody can figure out how to pay for it
By Nick LichtenbergApril 3, 2026
19 hours ago

Most Popular

Google CEO Sundar Pichai says we’re just a decade away from a new normal of extraterrestrial data centers
Innovation
Google CEO Sundar Pichai says we’re just a decade away from a new normal of extraterrestrial data centers
By Fortune EditorsApril 3, 2026
1 day ago
Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns
Real Estate
Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns
By Fortune EditorsApril 2, 2026
2 days ago
The Walmart billionaires next door: Quiet backlash is brewing against the heirs who remade the retailer’s hometown
Magazine
The Walmart billionaires next door: Quiet backlash is brewing against the heirs who remade the retailer’s hometown
By Fortune EditorsApril 3, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of April 3, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 3, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 3, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of silver as of Friday, April 3, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Friday, April 3, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 3, 2026
1 day ago
Major 4-day workweek study suggests that when we work 5 days we spend one doing basically nothing
Success
Major 4-day workweek study suggests that when we work 5 days we spend one doing basically nothing
By Fortune EditorsApril 2, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.