Donald Trump’s characteristic self-confidence typically incites various responses in individuals – rage, apprehension, humour, admiration, confusion – but rarely does it induce a sense of discomfort. However, many, myself included, found themselves involuntarily wincing as they witnessed his most recent attempt to defend himself and his running mate against accusations of being “odd”.
“He’s odd, isn’t he? He’s an odd one. I’m not odd. He’s odd,” Trump asserted during a town hall in Wisconsin on Thursday, somewhat uneasily resting on a chair and seeking validation from the room. The “he” that Trump was mentioning is Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor, Kamala Harris’s running mate, and the individual credited with making “odd” a buzzword of the 2024 US elections.
“They fabricate catchy phrases, they always do, and one of them is that JD and I are odd. We’re not – that guy [JD Vance] is absolutely mainstream … He’s doing an outstanding job, intelligent, an exceptional pupil, a wonderful man, and he’s not odd and neither am I. We may be many things but odd, we are not.”
One might argue that the gentleman might be protesting slightly too vehemently.
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In July, before his vice-presidential nomination, Walz initiated the usage of the term. “On the other side, there are odd individuals – they aspire to confiscate books, they desire to intrude in your examination room,” he shared with MSNBC. “Don’t romanticise this: these are peculiar notions. Pay attention to them speaking. Listen to their manner of discussing matters.”
The Democrats and their supporters have joyously and profitably taken Walz’s position, an approach which was mirrored when MSNBC broadcasted a piece Wednesday titled “Trump broadens his peculiar coalition”. This coverage followed Trump’s recent addition of Robert F Kennedy Jr, a person he had not long ago denounced as a “far-left extremist”, to his presidential transition team. During the previous Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama teased Trump for his infatuation with audience quantities, and even added an impromptu gesture for good measure.
Clearly shaken, Trump finds himself on the receiving end of jokes instead of the originator. Although I admit some of the epithets he has used on former opponents brought a chuckle – I have fond memories of “low-energy Jeb Bush” – his attempt at “Laffin’ Kamala” lacks the same bite or resonance. This is especially true, considering one of Kamala’s charms is her laughter, while Trump rarely appears to engage in such mirth. Truth be told, it seems a tad odd.
Paradoxically, his distinctive eccentricity, such as his particular pronunciation of words like “Chainah”, his distinctive hand gestures and dance style, and his enduring preference for the song YMCA, may in fact, enhance his attractiveness. These quirks render him genuine, entertaining, and instantly identifiable. So why are these accusations of oddity unsettling him and why do they hold so much sway?
The initial reason is its amusement factor, which helps lift people’s spirits. Regardless of your view – whether you hold a grim outlook that Trump poses the greatest risk to liberal democracy since Hitler, fear that his second term could be even more devastating, oppressive, and detrimental than his first, or believe he is the most hazardous ever to run for president – none of these condemnations hold much weight with the average Swing voter. However, the one approach that does cut through is humor. Trump was once the only one using this tactic effectively against Biden. However, now Harris and Walz are proving they can too.
Secondly, it lacks any form of moral righteousness. Despite his affluent upbringing, Trump’s charisma shines as he resonates with the common people. The use of the term “weird” demotes the user to a tolerable level of unpleasantness without crossing lines of decorum.
Thirdly, the right has traditionally framed the left as the “odd ones”. Over the years, the right-wing rhetoric has painted various aspects of the left – drag queen story hours, pro-choice advocates or women who choose not to conceive – as peculiar. Hence, it must be unsettling to be referred to as “creepy”.
Essentially what this boils down to is that the Democrats have turned the tables on Trump. The intellectual debates, moral arguments and the angst regarding Trump’s potential endangerment to global peace – they all seemed too drab, gloomy and blatantly partisan to be convincing. However, collectively chuckling at Trump and his overly obsessed about “cat ladies” running mate – now, that’s a spectacle everyone can enjoy. – Copyright: The Financial Times Limited 2024