As the 2024 presidential poll heats up, the term “weird” is becoming the Democrats ‘ not-so-secret weapon against former President Donald Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris and her team have used the phrase regularly to describe Trump as a weak candidate and an illegal oddball, in stark contrast to President Joe Biden’s official and occasionally grandiose rhetoric.
In a new campaign speech, Harris captured the essence of this plan, referring to Trump as “old and very crazy”. This is n’t just idle talk, it’s component of a determined effort to alter Trump’s public picture from a political superpower to an uncomfortable, ridiculous figure.
At a recent occasion, Harris herself declared that her plan aims to make the former president a “prime example” for the nation.
Trump’s comment to this strategy has been formulaic. Trump has shown apprehension about being ridiculed because he has a knack for making enemies laugh while doing it. At a protest earlier this month, he lamented,” I hate when people laugh at me.” His irritation with being the laughingstock of quips seems to fit Harris’s style perfectly.
This strategy has been enthusiastically supported by the Harris strategy. Their most recent press releases represent the most sophisticated examples of contemporary social derision. Descriptions of Trump include phrases like “bitter, unhinged” and “generally sounded like someone you would n’t want to sit near at a restaurant—let alone be president”. Trump’s goal is to portray him as a more unpredictable figure while minimizing his appearance.
The administration’s jabs extend beyond Trump himself to his vice presidential find, J. D. Vance. Vance’s past remarks about” childless cat ladies”, which belittled women like Harris who have n’t had children, have earned him the label of” super weird” from Democratic senators. A flood of memes and jokes has fueled the fire, adding to Vance’s status as an anachronism in the eyes of the general public. A popular fake news story about him and a sofa, while completely fabricated, has been used to fuel this faux pas.
Hillary Clinton, ever the sharp critic, summed up the strategy succinctly:” If Republican leaders do n’t enjoy being called weird, creepy, and controlling, they could try not being weird, creepy, and controlling”. Her words echoe Harris ‘ campaign’s new direction, which is more focused on making fun of Trump and his friends.
The Trump plan was caught off guard by this strategy. After President Biden’s sudden departure from the competition and Harris’s rapid fall, the Trump group has found itself scrambling. The former president, who has usually thrived on linguistic fighting, now faces a different type of challenge.
In response, Trump and his friends have attempted to turn the furniture. Trump has labeled Harris with a series of accusations including “dumb”, “nuts”, and” a bum”. His brother, Donald Trump Jr., has been leading the charge to turn the “weird” tale up at the Democrats. He has attacked Harris ‘ use of crude speech on social media, suggesting that her objectives are out of balance. He has advocated for gender reassignment surgery for prison individuals.
Trump himself has also taken to mocking Harris’s laughing, trying to model her with a new name: “laughing Kamala”. He’s suggested that her laugh reveals something frightening, aiming to undermine her through her habits.
It’s obvious that the challenge will be as much about politics and opinions as it will be about politics. It’s unknown whether Trump’s “weird” approach will hold up or whether his defences may change the narrative. One thing is sure: the 2024 poll is shaping up to be one of the most innovative in recent history.
