Donald Trump , sophist?

The current front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination is known for speaking in a simplistic style that even fourth graders can understand, often going on bizarre, grammar-defying, stream-of-consciousness tirades that would make any English teacher cringe.

But buried beneath Trump's bombast, silliness, and schoolyard taunts like "sad!" or "loser" is his clever use of a rhetorical device that dates back to ancient Rome.

Apophasis, similar to paralipsis , is a figure of speech typically used to bring up a taboo subject by either denying it or pretending to pass over it. The philosopher Cicero frequently used the device, which means "to say no." For example, one could claim to have "no interest in talking about allegations of sexual misconduct against my opponent" while broaching the salacious topic simply by mentioning it.

It's most often used to deride one's opponents -- as Trump constantly does on the campaign trail or on Twitter, his favorite social medium -- while attempting to appear magnanimous.