Donald Trump's Reported Smell Becomes Target of Attack Ad

Authored by newsweek.com and submitted by UWCG

The Lincoln Project has dropped a new ad mocking Donald Trump over his alleged bad smell.

The political advocacy group composed of Republicans who oppose Trump has become known for its slickly produced ads attacking the former president.

On Saturday, it dropped a new ad on X, formerly Twitter, after claims about the former president's odor went viral on the platform, sparking a wave of jokes from users.

"Is that you Donald? #TrumpSmells," The Lincoln Project wrote in a post alongside the ad.

The ad opens with a series of images of things that smell bad—a landfill, manure, trash bags—before showing a shot of Trump Tower.

People can be heard sniffing and coughing, as actor Kathy Griffin is heard explaining how Trump has "a distinct smell" that she described as "like body odor with kind of like a scented makeup product."

The sound of buzzing flies is also heard throughout the ad, which ends with a woman asking: "Donald, is that you?"

The "#TrumpStinks" hashtag became the top trending topic on X on Friday after former congressman and CNN commentator Adam Kinzinger posted about Trump's odor.

"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."

Griffin responded to Kinzinger's post, writing: "Yep. Can confirm."

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung rubbished Kinzinger's post.

Kinzinger "farted on live TV and is an unemployed fraud," Cheung told Newsweek. "He has disgraced his country and disrespects everyone around him[...]he is a sad individual who is mad about how his miserable life has turned out."

Donald Trump in Waterloo, Iowa, on December 19, 2023. The former president has again become the subject of mockery related to his alleged "smell" on social media. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

Cheung has been contacted for comment about the Lincoln Project's ad via email.

Kinzinger became a leading GOP critic of Trump and his Republican colleagues after the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol by Trump's supporters on January 6, 2021.

He was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump on a charge of inciting the insurrection at the Capitol and was later one of two Republicans who joined the House committee to investigate the January 6 attack. He announced in the fall of 2021 that he would not seek reelection.

Griffin, another outspoken critic of Trump, said on social media earlier this year that Trump "smelled really bad" when she appeared on The Celebrity Apprentice more than a decade ago.

"I did participate in two challenges," Griffin wrote in a post on X that was seen by Newsweek at the time. "One I did because of my dear departed, beloved Joan Rivers. The other one I did because Trump paid me a bunch of money to spend the day with Liza Minnelli and host a challenge. Liza and I tried to ignore him, but he does smell really bad."