Words Still Matter

On Thursday, November 27, 2025, the President of the United States used a word in a social media post that many people believed had finally been pushed out of public discourse. In that post, he referred to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as “seriously retarded.” The comment was not accidental, not spoken off the cuff, and not immediately walked back. It was written, posted, and shared deliberately.

For many people with disabilities, their families, and advocates, seeing that word resurface so casually - and from the highest office in the country - was deeply disturbing. The word has a long history of being used to humiliate, dismiss, and dehumanize. It has been hurled at children in classrooms, shouted in hallways, and used to justify exclusion and mistreatment. Its meaning has never been neutral, and its impact has never been harmless.

Years ago, disability advocates came together around the understanding that language shapes culture. That understanding led to a nationwide effort often known as the movement to “Spread the Word to End the Word.” The goal was not punishment or shame, but education. People were asked to reflect on why a word once used clinically had become a stand-in for “stupid,” “broken,” or “less than.” The movement made clear that when disability is used as an insult, it teaches society that disabled lives are worth less.

That effort mattered because it worked. Schools, communities, and lawmakers began to shift. Many people stopped using the word once they understood its harm. For a time, there was a shared recognition that this was a word better left behind — not erased from history, but retired out of respect.

The reappearance of this language is especially troubling because it is not an isolated incident. This is not the first time the President has demeaned disabled people. Years earlier, while campaigning, he publicly mocked a disabled reporter, imitating the man’s physical disability during a speech. That moment was widely criticized, but it also revealed something deeper: a willingness to use disability as a tool for ridicule. When such behavior goes unaccountable, it sets a precedent.

Words from leaders do not exist in a vacuum. They give permission. After the recent post, reports emerged of people shouting the same slur at the governor’s home. That is how rhetoric turns into action. When a president uses demeaning language, it emboldens others to do the same, often with even less restraint.

What makes this moment even more concerning is what followed. When asked about the language he used, the President did not apologize or acknowledge the harm. He doubled down. That response sent a powerful and damaging message: that the dignity of disabled people is negotiable, and that decades of advocacy can be dismissed without consequence.

This is not about politics. It is about power, responsibility, and the real-world impact of words. When disability is treated as a punchline or an insult, it reinforces stigma that already limits access to education, employment, healthcare, and safety. It tells disabled people that they are acceptable targets, and it tells the rest of society that respect is optional.

The resurgence of this word is a warning. Progress is not permanent. Language we thought we had outgrown can return if it is not challenged. Awareness matters now more than ever, because silence allows harm to spread. The resurgence of a slur that so many worked hard to retire from public discourse is a call to action. It reminds us that words matter - not just as signals of thought, but as forces that shape perception, policy, and culture.

Respectful language isn’t just about avoiding offense. It’s about recognizing our shared humanity and ensuring that all people - including those with intellectual disabilities - are treated with dignity and respect in both speech and society.

Let’s continue to spread the word that words matter - and work together to make sure that respect isn’t just a slogan, but a standard we all live by.

Speak up when you hear this word used as an insult. Teach others why it is harmful. Support disability-led advocacy and listen to disabled voices when they explain their lived experiences. Hold leaders accountable - regardless of political party - when they use language that dehumanizes.

Words still matter. Who uses them matters. And choosing respect, again and again, is how we protect the dignity of people who have too often been treated as expendable.

Written By Michelle Friedman

Michelle Friedman is the board chair of Keshet in Chicago, a member of Disability Lead and has been a disability advocate for 40 years. She has written two children’s books and is a frequent speaker for elementary and high school-age students. #AllInForAllAbilities