Ad Hominem Tu Quoque Examples

Ad hominem tu quoque is a specific type of ad hominem argument that attacks a person by focusing on their past words or actions instead of the veracity of their current claims.

In an ad hominem tu quoque fallacy, a speaker's claims are attacked because they are not consistent with his or her past words or actions.

1. A political candidate's position on abortion is attacked because in previous speeches, he took the other position.

2. A local mayor's position on whether or not to allow a large chain store to build in the city is attacked because she has previously taken a different position.

3. A political candidate's speech about the dangers of drug use is attacked because there is record of him using drugs while in college.

Examples of Ad hominem Tu Quoque from Real Life

1. Jimmy Swaggart (televangelist) argued against sexual immorality; however, he had several affairs with prostitutes.

2. In the 2016 presidential campaign, many of Donald Trump's positions on issues have been criticized because of his past words and actions. As he tries to appeal to conservative Christians with his political speeches, many have criticized his seeming lack of conservative Christian values previously.