Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump appears to have switched his nickname for the vice president from “Laffin’ Kamala” to “Lyin’ Kamala” in two Truth Social posts on Monday evening.
Known for giving his political opponents nicknames, the escalation in tone coincides with Harris emerging as his most likely Democratic rival, replacing president Joe Biden, who announced he would not seek reelection on Sunday.
The previous nickname for Harris arose earlier in July, in relation to her well-known belly laugh, which has been a feature of several viral clips.
“Lyin’ Kamala Harris, the Biden appointed “Border Czar” who never visited the Border, and whose incompetence gave us the WORST and MOST DANGEROUS Border anywhere in the World, has absolutely terrible pole [sic] numbers against a fine and brilliant young man named DONALD J. TRUMP! Be careful what you wish for, Democrats??? MAGA2024,” Trump wrote.
However, Harris is already the subject of abuse online, and on Monday said in her first speech since Biden dropped out that she knows “Trump’s type” from her prosecuting days: “Predators who abuse women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain.
Trump has denied all legal allegations against him and says he is the subject of political prosecution and “lawfare,” although a New York jury did find him liable for sexual abuse and another criminally convicted him for falsifying business records.
In his Truth Social posts, Trump also mocked Harris for her unpopularity as vice president, writing “NBC News Poll: Lyin’ Kamala Harris is the most unpopular Vice President in history. WOW, that is not a great sound bite!” Trump was likely referencing a 2023 NBC poll which found Kamala Harris had a net favorability of -17 percent, the lowest job approval rating for a vice president in the history of its poll.
According to Gallup, Trump had the lowest average approval rating across his presidency (41 percent) since the firm began presidential approval polling during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He is the only president in the history of the poll to never surpass 50 percent approval at any point during his presidency. Biden’s average term approval is currently 43 percent.
This is not the first time Trump has used the “Lyin’” epithet on a political opponent. Harris is now in the company of 2016 presidential candidate “Lyin’ Hillary” Clinton, former FBI director “Lyin’ James Comey,” and even Texas Senator “Lyin’ Ted” Cruz (although Trump later renamed Cruz “Beautiful Ted” once they were allies).
Newsweek reached out to Harris’ office and Trump’s campaign for comment.
The insults come as Trump moves to focus his attacks on Harris, who is most likely to be his presidential challenger in November’s election. In a clip released after the June 27 presidential debate, Trump predicted that Biden would drop out and be replaced by Harris, who he called “so bad” and “pathetic.”
He has had numerous handles for Biden including “Crooked Joe,” “Slow Joe,” and most famously “Sleepy Joe.”
He also gave nicknames to some of his opponents in the 2024 Republican primary. He called Florida Republican governor Ron DeSantis “Ron DeSanctimonious” and former South Carolina Republican governor Nikki Haley “Birdbrain” and “Tricky Nikki.”
His names for the most senior congressional Democrats include “Nervous Nancy” Pelosi and “Cryin’ Chuck” Schumer, while he calls the party itself “The Radical Left Democrats.”
His names for media outlets include “Low Ratings CNN,” and “the Failing New York Times.“
It is unclear whether Harris has any new nicknames for Trump that she wishes to share, but Biden and his team have previously branded the former president: Sleepy Don, after he appeared to nap during his hush money trial, a “clown” during a 2020 TV debate, Broke Don, when his legal bills were mounting in April, 2024, and Putin’s Puppy.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
The post Donald Trump Has a New Nickname for Kamala Harris appeared first on Newsweek.