Tim Walz Dusts Off His Criticized Debate Behavior For Final Word On 'Weird' Donald Trump

With just about a month left until Election Day, second-time presidential hopeful Donald Trump has a message he really wants to get across to voters: he is not weird. In August, Minnesota governor and Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate Tim Walz famously appeared on "Morning Joe" and discussed Trump and his running mate JD Vance, saying, "These guys are just weird," per MSNBC. Referring to Trump and Vance as simply "weird" has taken on a life of its own, and it's clear that Trump can barely hide his thin-skinned insecurity over the insult. Now, when presented with Trump's pushback against being called "weird," Walz had the perfect mic drop. 

While Walz may think his opponent in the race for the title of vice president is "weird," many folks thought that Vance was the winner of the vice presidential debate. It seems, however, that whether he won or lost, Walz has found his footing again. On October 7, he appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and was shown a hilarious compilation of moments when Trump has asserted that he and Vance are, in fact, not weird. When the compilation ended, Walz addressed Trump's repeated declarations that he isn't weird. "If you have to tell people numerous times you're not weird, you might be weird," the vice presidential candidate said to applause from the audience.

Jimmy Kimmel followed his compilation of clips of Donald Trump defending himself against "weird" accusations with a quiz for Tim Walz. He gave Walz a series of silly concepts and asked him if he considered them weird. The only thing Walz considered weird out of the selection was tofurkey. It's clear that Walz was able to bounce back after criticism of his debate performance, since he is now solidifying his position as the ultimate decider or what is and is not weird. It's also clear that all this talk about weirdness is really bothering former President Trump, which  is surely a plus for Walz and Kamala Harris.

In a July interview with The Associated Press, George Washington University strategic communication professor David Karpf addressed this "weird" labeling, saying, "I don't know who came up with the message, but I salute them," adding, "it frustrates opponents, leading them to further amplify it through off-balance responses." And it's clear that Trump is doing just that, saying things like "we're not weird guys" and "I think we're extremely normal people." To Walz's point, this kind of denial only seems to make Trump look weirder.