Why do we call Clinton by her first name, but Donald by his last?

[‼realJohnEwards‼]

This has always bugged me... Whenever people use one name to refer to Hillary Clinton, they nearly always use her first name, while with Trump it's virtually the exact opposite. What is the rationale behind this?

[Indy Texas]

Because there's already been a Clinton recently - it's Bill.

She has always "branded" herself by her first name alone - such as the 2008 and 2016 campaign logos.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has a pathological need to be addressed as "Mr. Trump" at all times.

[pikachu]

Because there's already been a Clinton recently - it's Bill.

She has always "branded" herself by her first name alone - such as the 2008 and 2016 campaign logos.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has a pathological need to be addressed as "Mr. Trump" at all times.

This basically. The same thing could be seen with Jeb!.

[anthonyjg]

I think it's partly aesthetic. Same reason people refer to Bernie as Bernie and not Sanders, it just sounds better.

[Xing]

Yeah, mainly to differentiate herself from her husband. Same reason we refer to the First Lady as Michelle.

[Adam Griffin]

As far as I've observed, both variations have been used for both throughout their public lives.

Hillary & Clinton
[The] Donald & Trump

Clinton specifically is likely called "Hillary" so often because it is a household name and she is viewed by many as being the most notable and powerful woman in the country.

[Yank2133]

Because there's already been a Clinton recently - it's Bill.

She has always "branded" herself by her first name alone - such as the 2008 and 2016 campaign logos.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has a pathological need to be addressed as "Mr. Trump" at all times.

Pretty much this.

There is nothing sexist about it. People do the same thing with Jeb Bush, and years before people did the same thing with Bobby Kennedy.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

This has always bugged me... Whenever people use one name to refer to Hillary Clinton, they nearly always use her first name, while with Trump it's virtually the exact opposite. What is the rationale behind this?

Because her last name is easily confused with her husband, the former President.

And his first name is shared with another stupid, thin-skinned fictional character who speaks incoherently.

[OneJ]

I think it's partly aesthetic. Same reason people refer to Bernie as Bernie and not Sanders, it just sounds better.

That's one good reason I do this.

[Blue3]

Hillary distinguishes her from her ex-president husband... and she has great brand name recognition of her own just from her first name

Trump plasters his last name "Trump" onto everything, it's his famous brand-name recognition. It's also more distinctive than "Donald." And naturally people do use last names for presidential candidates anyways, with this year's Democratic nominee being one of the few exceptions.

[Gustaf]

We generally refer to women by first name because their last name belong to the husbands who own them.

[ursulahx]

When there's no doubt as to which Clinton is being referred to (and there usually isn't), I refer to Hillary Clinton as "Clinton", just as I refer to Donald Trump as "Trump".

I'll call her Hillary when I start calling him Donald.

I'd be slow to attribute it to sexism because here in the UK there's no apparent move to refer to our new Prime Minister as "Theresa", just as Merkel is rarely referred to as Angela. And Thatcher was very often referred to by her surname, just as Blair was sometimes referred to as "Tony".

[Erich Maria Remarque]

Lol, is there any thread, when The Woman Card does not shows up?

[ursulahx]

Lol, is there any thread, when The Woman Card does not shows up?

I don't see a card with a woman on it.

[Gustaf]

When there's no doubt as to which Clinton is being referred to (and there usually isn't), I refer to Hillary Clinton as "Clinton", just as I refer to Donald Trump as "Trump".

I'll call her Hillary when I start calling him Donald.

I'd be slow to attribute it to sexism because here in the UK there's no apparent move to refer to our new Prime Minister as "Theresa", just as Merkel is rarely referred to as Angela. And Thatcher was very often referred to by her surname, just as Blair was sometimes referred to as "Tony".

I feel the trend is definitely there. Merkel gets called Angie a fair bit, just like Thatcher got called Maggie a lot of the time. Female politicians in Sweden definitely get referred to by first name a lot more. There are exceptions, of course, but I do think it's a subconscious form of sexism.

[ursulahx]

I feel the trend is definitely there. Merkel gets called Angie a fair bit, just like Thatcher got called Maggie a lot of the time. Female politicians in Sweden definitely get referred to by first name a lot more. There are exceptions, of course, but I do think it's a subconscious form of sexism.

Now I think about it, doesn't Merkel have a nickname like "Auntie Angela" or something?

[Gustaf]

I feel the trend is definitely there. Merkel gets called Angie a fair bit, just like Thatcher got called Maggie a lot of the time. Female politicians in Sweden definitely get referred to by first name a lot more. There are exceptions, of course, but I do think it's a subconscious form of sexism.

Now I think about it, doesn't Merkel have a nickname like "Auntie Angela" or something?

She's commonly called Mutti in Germany which means like grandma as I recall.

[ursulahx]

She's commonly called Mutti in Germany which means like grandma as I recall.

"Mutti" means "mummy". Could be affectionate, condescending or insulting depending on the context and your point of view.

[Hermit For Peace]

I call Hillary by her first name because I like her. She has been known as Hillary all through the years, not "Clinton", and people are used to calling her that. I called Bernie by his first name as well.

I use Trump's last name to refer to him because I give him lessor status than I do Hillary and besides, I don't like him much.

I don't think this is a sexist thing.

[Erich Maria Remarque]

I call Hillary by her first name because I like her. She has been known as Hillary all through the years, not "Clinton", and people are used to calling her that. I called Bernie by his first name as well.

I use Trump's last name to refer to him because I give him lessor status than I do Hillary and besides, I don't like him much.

I don't think this is a sexist thing.

Most Trump's supporters don't think they are racists, do they?
They explain their decisions by "law enforcement".

[angus]

This has always bugged me... Whenever people use one name to refer to Hillary Clinton, they nearly always use her first name, while with Trump it's virtually the exact opposite. What is the rationale behind this?

Actually, all presidents get called by their first names these days.  It's kinda weird.  It started in the 90s with Bill and Al.  Then even that got to be too much effort, so we went with an initial.  W.  The stocking-clad, wig-wearing founders who called each other Mr. Madison and Mr. Jefferson and so on are probably turning over in their graves.

For the record, Donald is usually preceded with the definite article, as in The Donald.

[Young Conservative]

I dont refer to either candidate by their first name, but many do to differentiate between the two Clinton's

[skoods]

I've seen plenty of people refer to Trump as "The Donald."

I usually just refer to him as Chumpy Trumpy.

[Coolface Sock #42069]

This has always bugged me... Whenever people use one name to refer to Hillary Clinton, they nearly always use her first name, while with Trump it's virtually the exact opposite. What is the rationale behind this?

Part of it is the fact that she ran as "Hillary" in the primary, and even before that, her main advocacy group in the early days was called "Ready for Hillary". That's the same reason why we usually talk about "Bernie" and not "Sanders". His campaign signs all said "Bernie" on them.

[angus]

That's true as well, but mostly it's because the name Clinton is already taken.  It's the same reason we always have to say Q when we talk about the sixth president.  Surely his neighbors know him as John Adams, but the name John Adams was already taken.  Same goes for W.  The next Obama will have to find a sobriquet other than Obama.

We have not had a president Trump yet so that name is up for grabs. 

If Johnson wins it's really important to come up with something else, because we have had two of them already.  (Note that the second one was invariably known as "LBJ" rather than "Johnson.") 

I suggest Aleppo.