# Trump + Pence = Con Men **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 3, 2020, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pence-con-men/853084 "2020-05-03T21:53:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pence-con-men/853084/1 "2020-05-03T21:53:29Z")
Recent threads on picture algebra remind me that we haven’t played word arithmetic lately: **Announcing the 2020 Word Arithmetic Contest.** There will be a prize for the best submission. Here’s an example: TRUMP + PENCE  ------  CONMEN Replace the letters with digits so that the arithmetic is valid. _To be a valid puzzle, there must be a unique solution._ I prefer that submissions use base-10, but it’s OK to submit in another base if the words are particularly fitting. Perhaps this belongs in Game Room, but I want players to feel free to FUCK \* TRUMP, or whatever. Submit anti-Biden puzzles if you wish, but I’m betting that none of the Haters, Liars and Racists here are smart enough to construct such word puzzles. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pence-con-men/853084/2 "2020-05-04T02:23:39Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Replace the letters with digits so that the arithmetic is valid. So that example would be, uh, O=0, 1=C, 2=R, 3=P, 4=M, 5=E, 6=U, 7=T, 8=N; and, since that’d cover it, we’d be left with a _nein_ on 9? ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pence-con-men/853084/3 "2020-05-04T07:40:48Z")
Good show, **Mr. Pepper**! I always thought you were too smart to be a Trump-licker. Want to try your hand at multiplication? TRUMP     × MAGA  ---------  GRAFTGAME ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pence-con-men/853084/4 "2020-05-04T14:12:08Z")
I think these subtractions work out very nicely:   TRUMP - PENCE   -----   SCREW PENCE - TRUMP   -----   CREEP Nobody wants to help out? It seems like fun! ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pence-con-men/853084/5 "2020-05-05T05:21:06Z")
Does anyone else find the equations SCREW + PENCE = TRUMP or TRUMP + CREEP = PENCE to be remarkable? These equations — with the constraint that the mapping to digits be _unique_ — are not easy to come up with. CREEP is among the very very few words that will fit into TRUMP + XXXX = PENCE, yet there it is! Normally I’m not superstitious, but some of these fit so perfectly it surprises. What about TRUMP × MAGA = GRAFTGAME ? I was ready to pass off the awesome appropriateness of   Trump × Maga = Graft Game   and   Trump + Pence = Con Men   as just uncanny coincidences, but then I started looking for a word to turn Trump into Idiot. Such words were hard to find … until I noticed that misspellings of Trump worked! This seemed awesomely appropriate: the oaf is semi-literate and had to write his own name in big gold letter to remember how it’s spelled!   TRUMP + TRUMR   -----   IDIOT TRUMP + TRUUP   -----   IDIOT Note that these two addition problems — seemingly VERY similar — have completely different solutions. As always these are valid puzzles: In each case _only a single_ mapping from letters to digits will work. ---
**Author:** ![Manlob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Manlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manlob)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pence-con-men/853084/6 "2020-05-05T14:48:21Z")
No, not impressed with PENCE - CREEP = TRUMP (86916-13668=73248). If you take away the creepiness from Pence, you are left with Trump? Doesn’t make much sense, if your goal is to bash Trump. Or is that a reference to the “Creepy Joe Biden” nickname? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pence-con-men/853084/7 "2020-05-05T15:25:51Z")
I always thought that, even with no numbers used, that TRUMP is not even worth two PENCE. ---
**Author:** ![Manlob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Manlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manlob)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pence-con-men/853084/8 "2020-05-05T16:37:05Z")
> [@](#): > > EMBALM = BIDEN + WARREN > BEWARE = BIDEN + WARREN (Edited and put in quote for all-caps.) ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2020, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pence-con-men/853084/9 "2020-05-05T17:11:57Z")
**_Yes!!__We have a player!_** Both of **Manlob** ’s submissions appear to be valid. NANCY + PELOSI = COOLLY is a nice sum. Among the other valid sums of Nancy+Pelosi are Cosily, Lassie, Sallies, Social. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2020, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pence-con-men/853084/10 "2020-05-06T09:57:26Z")
I need help here, folks! Are you going to make me hold off **Manlob** single-handed? I’ve got errands to run. I’m afraid **Manlob** is in the lead with BEWARE = BIDEN + WARREN though I still think TRUMP × MAGA = GRAFT GAME is pretty good. As a further point in its favor, BEWARE = BIDEN + WARREN reminds us to look for another V.P. running mate. Kamala?WE SAID = BIDEN + HARRIS BIDEN + HARRIS = AID USA DO LIKE = BIDEN + KAMALA BIDEN + KAMALA = LIKE ME or best of all BIDEN + KAMALA = INDEED Also interesting is what we’ll be left with if somebody really does drain the swamp: DRAINS - SWAMP = TRUMP ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pence-con-men/853084/11 "2020-05-08T07:50:29Z")
Faced with the challenge, I’ve improved my search methods considerably. Here are some more equations describing TRUMP + PENCE: TRUMP + PENCE = MORONS TRUMP + PENCE = BUNKUM CANCEL = TRUMP + PENCE It also seems the BIDEN + WARREN combination may be more fruitful than **Mr. Manlob** implies: ANOINT = BIDEN + WARREN BIDEN + WARREN = ALLIES Other words adding up to this sum include PRAISE, APPEAL, BRAINS, ENDEAR.