this post was submitted on 29 Dec 2023
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Over the years, there have been wide-spread rumors that Donald Trump has a certain signature aroma that has rarely been described as being good, which the former president has taken great offense at. On December 16, former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill. threw his take on this subject into the mix via a now viral social media post, writing, "I’m genuinely surprised how people close to Trump haven’t talked about the odor. It’s truly something to behold. Wear a mask if you can." And he doubled down on that in a recent interview on The MeidasTouch Network.

On the subject of a Trump spokesperson firing back at Kinzinger's claim with, “Adam Kinzinger farted on live TV and is an unemployed fraud," Kinzinger went in even harder.

Trying his hand at Smell-O-Vision, the former GOP lawmaker went into greater detail about the way Trump smells, saying, "It’s not good. The best way to describe it . . . take armpits, ketchup, a butt and makeup and put that all in a blender and bottle that as a cologne. That’s kind of that. I’ve been amazed that everybody is just kind of learning about this now."

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[–] LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com 50 points 10 months ago (12 children)

I realize we can talk about multiple things at once, but I feel like this inconsequential stuff like odor and color is completely irrelevant. There can be an absolutely moral, helpful person who smells, looks orange, stands weird, has small hands, etc.

The problem with Trump isn't his odor or appearance-- it's that he's a genocidal maniac who's the figurehead for an organized and influential group of far-right extremists. Even if he smelled like roses, he'd still be bad.

I don't give a fuck how he smells. It's a non-issue.

[–] evranch@lemmy.ca 33 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The sad thing is, the kind of peaked-in-highschool voter that voted for Trump and can be swung absolutely will care about how he smells. I can hear it now, "I'm not voting for some stinky old man" "I thought the diapers thing was a myth"

This kind of low blow absolutely will have effect if they can make it stick. A sad day for democracy? Definitely. But that's the media environment of today.

Also it gives opponents a chance to needle dick him in debates which will cause him to fly into a rage and embarrass himself. God only knows what TMI he might rave about, his bathroom habits etc. Even tiny jabs like "do I have to be the guy to sit next to Trump" have huge rage potential.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 20 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I think you are onto something here. Also, cons are known for reacting to things that are "gross". That's the way they are wired. Getting them to understand that donnie diapers is physically gross and repellent may have more of an effect than trying to explain how he's awful for this country.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/your-reaction-gross-pictures-can-betray-your-political-beliefs-180953206/

[–] zip@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 10 months ago

Huh, that's a neat article. Thanks for linking it!

[–] Bristlecone@lemmy.world 26 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I think this is more karmic, nobody would be talking about this if he wasn't such an immature baby who has been calling names his whole political career. It doesn't really matter, but I also think it's not the kind of thing that leftists would be talking about at all if it wasn't so deserved at this point.

[–] LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I don't really see leftists talking about this at all tbh. Most leftists I encounter are more centered on ideologies and actual problems.

[–] ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago

That's because he's so blatantly incompetent at pretty much everything that insulting his looks just feels like a low blow.

But after he made fun of that disabled news reporter the gloves came off and this fat, stinky, rotten, tiny hands having, insurrectionist, orange™ needs thrown in the trash.

[–] ElBarto@sh.itjust.works 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I just don't like punching down.

[–] LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Body shaming is always a form of punching down, because it affects other innocent people besides just the target.

Focus on real issues.

[–] ElBarto@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I dunno, making fun of Shaq for being tall AF is kind of punching up.

[–] CaptDust@sh.itjust.works 20 points 10 months ago

Kinzinger left politics to sit in the peanut gallery and make Trump's life hell. This dumb non-issue is exactly the type that gets under Trump's skin, that's probably reason enough for Kinzinger to keep pushing it.

[–] frickineh@lemmy.world 14 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I mean, it's still kind of funny. Is it relevant to his ability to govern? Not at all. Is it hilarious to watch these morons get in a petty little slap fight about it? Yeah.

[–] macattack@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I agree too. But at the same time there is a subset of the voting population that care about things like this or Hillary Clinton's cankles.

Yeah, seems weird and counter-productive. Wish we could change that.

[–] joostjakob@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago

It is a non issue. It is also not unlikely for Trump to go completely nuclear over this, hopefully showing a few more folks what a moron he is.

[–] Jax@sh.itjust.works 8 points 10 months ago (2 children)

You're right.

What better way to show that he's unhinged by slowly breaking the facade he's cultivated and watching him squirm/lash out?

He's losing his money.

He's losing his image.

We just have to pray he loses the election, I think that will be the final nail in the coffin (alongside things like the criminal cases coming to their obvious conclusions).

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] DarkDarkHouse@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 10 months ago

They already said he’s losing his money

That's weird. I'd think the nail in the coffin would be the genocidal lunacy and fascism, but I suppose too many people don't see those as problem enough since they're not directly impacted by such things.

[–] LesserAbe@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I don't know. There are certainly more substantive reasons to dislike him. (And they apparently haven't dissuaded his continued supporters) But do you think that (outside of someone who is struggling) when someone regularly smells bad, it says something about their decision making ability and character? I kind of do. The sort of person who doesn't bath regularly or wash their clothes regularly is also not the sort of person who should be in charge of the United States. From a campaign perspective I think people have an emotional reaction to a literal bad smelling person.

[–] LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com -3 points 10 months ago (2 children)

No, I don't think so. I think it's a reach to assume someone is inept at other unrelated things based on something like odor, and I think it's certainly an ignorant reason to vote one way or another. Judging someone's body seems so fashy to me.

[–] psud@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

When that person's job is to be front person for your country? Smelly people are less able to do diplomacy. They are less able to get people to like them up close.

[–] EvacuateSoul@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Ok, would you hire a noticeably smelly lawyer?

[–] boatsnhos931@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world -2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

deleted by creator

[–] EatATaco@lemm.ee 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

While I absolutely agree with you, apparently his supporters do not. They hold their cult leader up like he's some kind of god. If pointing out something like this makes people think twice about putting him up on that pedestal, I'm all for it, especially if it makes him, like it already has, jump up like my 11 year old to defend himself against these attacks.

[–] LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Here's what I said to someone else. I'm going to copy/paste because I don't want to type it all again:

Maybe I’m too soft hearted, but my problem is that this sort of thing can hurt innocent bystanders. For example, there are really stellar humans who may have a bad odor due to a medical condition, neurodivergence, or even lack of access to hygiene products and running water.

There are great people who look funny, or have small hands, or who are uniquely complected (or maybe just not very skilled with hair and makeup, but they’re trying.

You know what would really make Trump seethe? Abolish ICE, close the detention centers, declare all anti-POC and anti-trans laws unconstitutional (because they are). Legalize cannabis and release everyone who is wrongfully incarcerated. Help people with unwanted pregnancy gain access to abortion and birth control. Empower the working class, support and broaden the scope of unions. That would REALLY make him seethe without hurting other people in the crossfire

[–] EatATaco@lemm.ee 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I don't care about making Trump seethe. I care about making sure people don't vote for him. Doing everything in your last paragraph will just give him red meat to throw to his supporters and say "see?"

I want his people to look at him and realize he isn't the strong, powerful man they think he is. If this comes at the cost of offending some people with small hands or people who smell bad, I'm okay with this. There's much more at stake here than making sure we don't offend anyone along the way.

[–] LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I don't see how any of this is a justification for body shaming. If anything, you're driving people away by engaging in things like body shaming and bigotry.

Focus on the issues. This is not one. And no, winning an election does not justify bad behavior. That's ... so counterproductive, like it's exactly why I wouldn't want to vote for someone.

[–] EatATaco@lemm.ee 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

These people have made it abundantly clear they don't care about the issues. Or, at least, they can view the facts in anyway they want to (including outright ignoring them) to justify Trump being the one better to address their issues. They think he is a one-man god that can come in and fix everything. They've been conned by a charismatic cult leader.

I've been doing the facts and focusing on issues for years now and have only watched more people flock to him. He's a genius at selling himself.

I'm not saying Biden should go out and start saying that Trump smells. And considering I'm not running for office, so I don't care about being elected, I don't particularly care that you wouldn't want to vote for me. Hell, I wouldn't vote for myself. lol

And if body shaming Trump makes him fall apart and makes these people wake up and realize what a weak pile of insecurity this man is, then I'm all for it. As I said, more at stake here than making sure people who smell bad are comfortable with smelling bad. That's among the things I care the least about. I care about this country falling into fascism where it might lead to far worse things for "undesirables" then being made to feel bad that people said Trump smells.

[–] S_204@lemm.ee -3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I think it's valuable to hit people like Trump on their level.

He gives no fucks about being called a bigot or crook, but you know he's seething over this being in the news cycle and whenever he's all upset he says more dumb shit that hopefully gets him more criminal charges.

[–] LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Maybe I'm too soft hearted, but my problem is that this sort of thing can hurt innocent bystanders. For example, there are really stellar humans who may have a bad odor due to a medical condition, neurodivergence, or even lack of access to hygiene products and running water.

There are great people who look funny, or have small hands, or who are uniquely complected (or maybe just not very skilled with hair and makeup, but they're trying.

You know what would really make Trump seethe? Abolish ICE, close the detention centers, declare all anti-POC and anti-trans laws unconstitutional (because they are). Legalize cannabis and release everyone who is wrongfully incarcerated. Help people with unwanted pregnancy gain access to abortion and birth control. Empower the working class, support and broaden the scope of unions. That would REALLY make him seethe without hurting other people in the crossfire

[–] S_204@lemm.ee -1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

You're too soft hearted and this comment is absolutely performative garbage. No innocent bystandard is going to be harmed by making fun of a smelly billionaire..

[–] LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I prefer trolls who at least try to be clever or funny

[–] S_204@lemm.ee 1 points 10 months ago

LoL, not everyone who's not a soft little whiner is a troll. Some of us live in reality and manage quite well not being an absolute bitch about every single negative comment that exists in the universe.