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By Flynn Nicholls
US News Reporter
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In the last week, the Democratic Party has launched a new attack on Republicans, characterizing them as "creepy" and "weird," which an academic has described as an "an extremely clever communication strategy."
Dr. Brian L. Ott, a professor of communications at Missouri State University specializing in political messaging, said the tactic appeals to younger voters without alienating older ones and indirectly points to Trump's age, which might otherwise be off-putting to some voters.
"It subtly evokes discomfort and anxiety without calling him a 'threat to democracy,'" he told Newsweek.
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He further explained that it has the "added advantage of being relatively 'tame' as political insults go," in contrast with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's often "heated and degrading rhetoric."
Trump is well known for using such rhetoric, including giving insulting nicknames to his political opponents. Throughout his political career he has publicly called people "fat," "ugly," or "dumb as a rock," the last of which he has also used to describe Vice President Kamala Harris.
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Ott pointed out that the "weird" term lends itself well to memes, which are more affective or emotive than rational, and that the "weird" attack "makes voters feel like Trump is out-of-touch."
"The Trump campaign is struggling to respond effectively to it," Ott said. "It's hard to claim that it is in any way out-of-bounds politically, which makes any response to it seem like an overreaction and, well, weird."
The attack originated from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz back in 2023, and his since been picked up by Harris in speeches and press releases, as well as by other Democrats including Hillary Rodham Clinton, who wrote on Monday: "If Republican leaders don't enjoy being called weird, creepy, and controlling, they could try not being weird, creepy, and controlling."
Walz told CNN why he started using the phrase about Trump.
"Listen to the guy. He's talking about Hannibal Lecter and shocking sharks and just whatever crazy thing pops into his mind," Walz said. "And I thought we just think we give him way too much credit…Have you ever seen the guy laugh? That seems very weird to me that an adult can go through six and a half years in the public eye, if he has laughed, it's at someone and not with someone. That is weird behavior."
Some Republicans have hit back. On Monday, former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy described such attacks as "dumb and juvenile," while Florida Representative Matt Gaetz wrote "the party of gender blockers and drag shows for kids is calling us weird? Ok."
On Sunday, Vance said being called weird "doesn't hurt my feelings."
Trump's campaign spokesman Steven Cheung previously told Newsweek in an emailed statement: "Kamala Harris and Democrats are actually projecting their weird and creepy vibes.
"The fact remains that Kamala is weak, failed, and dangerously liberal, and no amount of gaslighting from her moronic, too-online campaign will erase her despicable record. We're going to beat the brakes off them and there is nothing they can do about it."
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