Three terms helped define 2020 — but did we use them correctly?

In a year dominated by US president Donald Trump and the Covid-19 pandemic, “witch hunt”, “black swan”, and “exponential” entered widespread use. But those who adopted these terms often did not understand what they meant.

US president Donald Trump tweeted the phrase “witch hunt” approximately once every three days on average during his presidency. Picture: AP

US president Donald Trump and the Covid-19 pandemic dominated the news headlines in 2020. Three terms in particular came to symbolise the year: “witch hunt”, “black swan”, and “exponential”.

Trump has tweeted the phrase “witch hunt” approximately once every three days on average during his presidency, and not only in connection with his impeachment trial.