There is nothing current politicians in the United States like more than a good dig. It may seem like a partisan phenomenon, but officials on both ends of the spectrum are prone to mocking notable members of opposing parties. But being a pro-“memer” never should have become a quality our politicians strive toward.

This lack of political seriousness and diplomacy is less prevalent abroad, and if real progress is the goal, we must abandon it in the U.S., too.

In the United Kingdom, political approaches lean more professional. For example, the Instagram page of the First Minister of Scotland — who is the Scottish National Party’s leader — focuses on specific issues and policies, rather than sensationalized or funny content about political rivals. The U.K. prime minister’s page similarly maintains a serious tone.

Political attacks are far from new, but with the rise of President Donald Trump’s influence, the focus has shifted from attacking policies to attacking people themselves, in disrespectful and vulgar ways.

Trump has a long list of insulting nicknames for his adversaries, including but not limited to: “Ron DeSanctimonious” for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; “Tampon Tim” for Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee; “Wacky Jacky” for Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen; and “Governor Newscum” for California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Moreover, in response to the “No Kings” protests last month, Trump posted a video generated by artificial intelligence to Truth Social of him piloting a fighter jet ejecting feces onto protesters in the streets below.

Undiplomatic approaches have seemingly also been adopted by his administration more broadly. For instance, in October, a HuffPost journalist asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt about who suggested a diplomatic deal, and Leavitt responded with, “Your mom did.” Opting for a joke like this is behavior unbefitting of an official tasked with informing the media and public.

But such tactlessness hasn’t been exclusive to the Trump administration, MAGA or the Republican party in general; more liberal politicians have also displayed a lack of tact.

Newsom has been a major driver of this behavior on the left, directing his disses at Trump with unflattering videos of him and an AI-generated image of him as Marie Anttionette captioned, “NO HEALTH CARE FOR YOU PEASANTS, BUT A BALLROOM FOR THE QUEEN!” He has also jokingly referred to Trump by a variety of nicknames, like “TACO” and “Tiny Hands.”

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has clapped back at Trump, too.

After Trump called her “low-IQ” on Oct. 27 on X, she questioned Trump about his cognitive exam.

“Out of curiosity, did those doctors ask you to draw a clock by any chance? Was that part hard for you, too?” Ocasio-Cortez wrote.

The clock-drawing test is a way to examine a patient for dementia, so by asking this, she essentially called out Trump’s alleged cognitive decline.

Interestingly, many people applauded these exchanges, praising Newsom’s social media team and his pettiness and Ocasio-Cortez humbling Trump.

Don’t get me wrong, I found myself chuckling upon coming across some of these posts, too. At the same time, I don’t think that it is any politician’s place to use social media in this way.

I get the arguments that people like Newsom and AOC are deservedly punching up at Trump or shouldn’t be judged for their choices because they are only reacting to attacks he’s already made. However, instead of stooping to his level with the same sort of memes and derogatory comments they criticize, they can choose to take the high road.

My time aboard has shown that mutual respect across different parties is still possible.

When I was in Copenhagen in October, the city was filled with posters for an upcoming election. Notably, the posters consisted of the candidates with cheerful expressions and which party they belonged to, but there was nothing targeting fellow candidates’ policies nor personality.

In contrast, by carrying political interactions brashly, U.S. politicians reinforce in-group, out-group dynamics that create more hostile attitudes between political parties. Under such animosity, is it any wonder that representatives across party lines could barely stand talking or cooperating to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history?

If we want to progress as a country, politicians from both the right and the left must learn to put their comedic insults aside and see the value in working together rather than against one another. Ultimately, change won’t come from who wins the next viral moment.

Dor Peretz is a junior writing about United States culture and politics analyzed through the lens of her time studying abroad in her column, “A Broader Perspective,” which runs every other Friday.