How ‘weird’ became a devastating political insult

In today’s The Big Story podcast, American Democrats had long prided themselves on taking the high road in the face of insults and mockery from the right. But over the past week, their tone — and the vibes of the presidential campaign — have shifted. Since Kamala Harris became the presumptive nominee, she and other top Democrats have begun calling their Republican opponents just plain “weird” and sometimes “creepy.”

Aaron Rupar is an American political journalist the founder of Public Notice. He says that labelling Republicans as ‘weird’ has thus far proved to be a successful strategy for Harris.

“It seem to be the most powerful attack on Trump, in terms of having resonance and being a viral talking point, that I’ve seen in quite some time,” says Rupar.

Why has “weird” worked so well? How has the race actually changed on the ground? And what will define the final few months of the campaign?

You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify. You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.