A 2018 Newsweek article by Nina Burleigh reported that Donald Trump speaks at a fourth-grade level, lowest by far of the last 15 U.S. presidents. According to the article, “The analysis assessed the first 30,000 words each president spoke in office, and ranked them on the Flesch-Kincaid grade level scale and more than two dozen other common tests analyzing English-language difficulty levels.”

Trump, the self-proclaimed “very stable genius,” uses multi-syllabic words at the lowest rate of any previous president and the fewest “unique words” of any president, a skill President Obama ranked highest at.

Based on such extremely low English vocabulary skills, is it any wonder that Donald Trump is struggling to cope with the Latin phrase “quid pro quo” being tossed around a lot lately in the media? It seems every time he’s hustling to hide behind a bush on the White House lawn or hopping on his plane to go golfing and gets cornered for a moment by the press a reporter invariably asks Trump about “quid pro quo.”

I don’t know, maybe it’s just another one of those low-down tricks used by the fake news people to confuse or, possibly, embarrass the president. And I guess it’s working since he certainly appears to not understand the phrase, always giving the same response: “There is no quid pro quo.”

It’s that response that makes one suspect Trump simply does not comprehend the meaning of the phrase; otherwise, how could he say that?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines quid pro quo as “a favor or advantage granted or expected in return for something.” In Trump’s now infamous phone call, Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine was ready to purchase more weapons from the United States to defend itself against Russia. To which Trump responded that, first, “I would like you to do us a favor.”

Sure seems like that exchange is a textbook case of quid pro quo, doesn’t it? Yet, just to be fair, Trump also does not seem to understand the meaning of many English words either, words such as “emoluments” or “abuse of power.” So how in the world is he supposed to have any idea what some Latin mumbo jumbo means?

However, the way things are currently going in his administration, it might behoove the president to go online and study the aforementioned Latin phrase along with a few others that might also be useful for him.

For example, a phrase like “a posteriori” meaning “based on experience” might be a good one for Trump to know because based on his experiences as president so far he should realize by now that there are a lot people in Washington, D.C., who do not like him and are just itching to get back at him for various reasons.

Whereas, that was something he did not need to be concerned with as a businessman who could hire and fire without repercussions, it simply does not work that way in politics. If Trump was familiar with Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar,” he would know that climbing up the ladder of political success on people’s backs, then pulling up the ladder behind you while turning your back on the very folks you used to gain power, can lead to some tragic results.

This directly leads to a second Latin phrase that Trump should learn: “quis custodiet ipsos custodes” (who watches the watchers?). In other words, who will protect the people against those who are supposed to protect us? This is where the whistleblowers come into play. Even the ancient Romans were aware of the vital role played and the risks taken by such people.

Another Latin term, “dramatis personae,” meaning the characters in a drama, is certainly relevant to Trump’s current turmoil. He should have known that if you’re going to gather a host of characters to pull off a conspiracy to hijack dirt on a political opponent, don’t pick Larry, Curly, and Moe!

Mike Pence, Rick Perry, and ... Rudy Giuliani! Seriously? Before recruiting their help, the president might first have considered the saying “corvus oculum corvi non eruit.” or “a crow will not pull out the eye of another crow.” It’s the old “honor among thieves” principle that Trump of all people should know doesn’t apply in D.C.

If Trump was smart, he would quit making wild counter-accusations and calling people names since “vir prudens non contra ventum mingit” or “a wise man does not urinate up against the wind.” He’s simply causing himself more trouble.

I suggest that when he is cornered by the press, rather than spouting vitriol, Trump should consider this phrase: “quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur” which essentially means ANYTHING said in Latin sounds deep or profound. So, when questioned he should stay cool and calmly respond with one of these phrases:

Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre? (Is that a scroll in your toga, or are you just happy to see me?).

Cum catapulatae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt. (When catapults are outlawed, only outlaws will have catapults).

Demum, veniunt porci. (At last, here come the pigs).

The press will have no clue what he means — and Trump will actually sound smart!

Or, if the president wants to be honest for once, he could simply admit, “Vincit omnia veritas” — Truth conquers all.

Mike Murphy of Pocatello is an award-winning columnist whose articles are syndicated by Senior Wire. He recently published a book titled “Tortoise Crossing – Expect Long Delays,” which is a collection of 100 of his favorite columns. It is available on Amazon.com.