Trump losing his name-calling steam

Whatever happened to Donald Trump? The old bloviator seems uncharacteristically subdued. The fire is no longer there.

- THOMAS WALKOM

He has attacked Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent. But aside from calling her "stupid," the strongest insult he has levied against her is that she is a "Marxist district attorney." This week he called her "Comrade Kamala" and blamed her for a rise in shoplifting.

As insults, these are pretty tame. More to the point, they lack the punch of a true Trumpian riposte. His characterization of Biden as "Sleepy Joe," for instance, worked because it captured something Biden can seem dozy.

Harris, however, does not seem stupid. Indeed, politically she seems rather clever. To castigate her as stupid is to miss the mark.

The old Trump understood this. When he came up with an insult, he would put some work into it. Now, the insults seem forced. He seems to have lost the knack.

In a recent interview on CBS News, Trump had a hard time explaining why he thought Harris was stupid.