Trump calls Colin Powell 'classic RINO'. Meaning, history of acronym

Donald Trump was never known for subtlety or nuance even before he came to the White House. His stormy tenure as president saw him sparring, on a near-daily basis, with critics, Democrats, the media, Republicans who didn't see eye to eye with him and pretty much everyone else.

On Tuesday, Trump criticised former US Army general and secretary of state Colin Powell, who died the previous day. Powell had been the first black person to become secretary of state, serving in the first administration of George W. Bush, a Republican. Powell even briefly toyed with seeking the Republican nomination for presidential candidate in the 1996 election, but decided against it.

In a statement, Trump said "Wonderful to see Colin Powell, who made big mistakes on Iraq and famously, so-called weapons of mass destruction, be treated in death so beautifully by the Fake News Media. Hope that happens to me someday." Trump also referred to Powell as a "classic RINO (Republican in name only)". Trump noted Powell "made plenty of mistakes, but anyway, may he rest in peace!"

Not surprisingly, the response to Trump's comments was withering. Democrats, veterans and commentators accused the former president of disrespecting a figure regarded as a hero.

Trump had criticised Powell in the past for having backed the invasion of Iraq. Powell made an infamous speech to the UN Security Council in February 2003 that made the case for war against the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq by referring to intelligence that claimed the Middle Eastern country was producing weapons of mass destruction. Powell later described the speech as a "blot" on his record.

On his part, Powell had described Trump's tenure as president as a danger for the country. He had endorsed Joe Biden for president in the 2020 election. In the wake of the January 6 riot on the Capitol, Powell told CNN he could no longer call himself a Republican.

While Trump's comments about Powell provoked criticism, the former president also had his backers on social media. Many Republican supporters criticised Powell for having backed Barack Obama and Biden for president while still identifying as a Republican. And the debate also cast the spotlight on an acronym with very-old origins: RINO.

For over a decade, several key Republican figures, especially those who had been lawmakers or in positions of authority, have been labelled RINOs for their perceived willingness to compromise with Democrats. The issues of compromise have ranged from abortion rights to gay marriage to gun rights to taxation. For instance, Powell had identified as pro-choice on abortion and in favour of limiting assault rifles. In fact, in 1995, some conservatives publicly opposed Powell’s bid for the Republican presidential nomination by citing his moderate views on abortion and affirmative action.

Long history

Vox, the US media outlet, explained in 2015 that people were using "republican in name only" as a political slur as early as 1865 in reference to "governments that claimed to be representative, but were actually autocratic".

But the term was used in its modern connotation during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) as tension erupted between progressive and conservative branches of the Republican party. Critics of Roosevelt opposed his attempts to regulate concentrations of wealth such as in trusts.

The term RINO was 'reborn' in the Bill Clinton era. At the time, those Republicans who favoured any form of taxes were often labelled as RINOs.

RINO saw a massive resurgence in usage with the rise of the Tea Party phenomenon over the past decade. Senators John McCain and Mitt Romney, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2008 and 2012, respectively, were both figures of hate for many conservative Republicans. This was due to their long tenures in the Senate and the perception they had compromised on key Republican demands.