Trump uses 'common sense' to make a political point. It has populist appeal

The idea of "common sense" has been central to American politics since the founding of the United States. Politicians still use the phrase all the time — and perhaps none more so than President Trump.

Just this month at a Cabinet meeting, he used the phrase when he again recommended that pregnant women not take Tylenol.

"There's something going on, and we have to address it. And so, I'm addressing it the best I can as a nondoctor, but I'm a man of common sense," he said.

He also used the term when he cast doubt on the monthly jobs report on CNBC in August: "It's totally rigged. Smart people know it. People with common sense know it."

The White House has also used it to explain the current government shutdown.

"Not enough Democrats voted for this common sense, clean continuing resoluti