For those steeped in conservative media, the “laptop” reference alludes to questionable accusations of corrupt business practices by Mr. Biden’s son Hunter, unverified in other media but pored over lately on Mr. Trump’s favorite shows.

“A.O.C. plus three” was not algebra but a dismissive nickname for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and three of her progressive peers in Congress. A reference to selling “pillows and sheets” apparently revived an old conservative criticism of support to Ukraine during the Obama administration, not a Biden home-furnishings line.

These impenetrable word clouds not only blunted his attacks but showed how Fox can be as much a blinder for the president as an asset. Mr. Trump has become so immersed in the conservative mediasphere that his language became a referential fog that seemed to require an explanatory fan podcast.