One Democratic line of attack seems to be getting under Donald Trump’s skin as the former president yet again denied that he’s weird.
He feels so strongly on the topic that he used the word “weird” 11 times in 40 seconds during a town hall event in Wisconsin on Thursday.
It started when the former president attacked Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who has used the word to describe Trump, running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and others on the right.
“He is weird,” Trump said. “He’s weird, I’m not weird, he’s weird. No, he’s a weird guy, he’s a weird dude.”
Trump continued:
“See, they come up with sound bites, they always have sound bites, and one of the things is that JD and I are weird. That guy is so straight, JD is so, he’s doing a great job, smart, top student, great guy, and he’s not weird and I’m not weird. I mean we’re a lot of things but we’re not weird I will tell you, but that guy is weird.”
Walz has said he uses weird to describe Trump, Vance and others on the right to take away the fear that helps give them power.
“The fascists depend on fear,” he said in July. “But we’re not afraid of weird people. We’re a little bit creeped out, but we’re not afraid.”
The word ― which others on the left have started using as well ― has clearly become a sore spot for Trump, as he now frequently launches into asides where he denies being weird.
“They’re the weird ones,” Trump said during a radio interview earlier this month. “I’m a lot of things, but weird, I’m not.”
He has brought it up at rallies as well.
“No, we’re not weird,” he said in Montana. “We’re very solid people.”
Trump’s critics found his latest denial less than convincing: