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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Rachel Sharp and Kelly Rissman

Ex-GOP lawmaker doubles down on claim Trump smells – ‘of armpits, ketchup and butt’

AFP via Getty Images

Former GOP lawmaker Adam Kinzinger has revealed new details about Donald Trump’s alleged bad odour, claiming that he reeks of a combination of several unsavoury scents including “armpits, ketchup, a butt”.

Speaking on The MeidasTouch Network on Thursday, Mr Kinzinger reignited the claims around the former president’s “not good” smell and launched into a lengthy description of it.

“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,” he said.

“That’s kind of that. I’ve been amazed that everybody is just kind of learning about this now,” he added.

The Independent has reached out to a Trump spokesperson for comment.

Claims around the former president’s alleged odour erupted last week when the former Illinois Republican representative tweeted: “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.”

Former US President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump gestures during a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, on December 19, 2023
— (AFP via Getty Images)

A Trump spokesperson told The Independent at the time: “Adam Kinzinger farted on live TV and is an unemployed fraud.”

They added: “He has disgraced his country and disrespects everyone around him because he is a sad individual who is mad about how his miserable life has turned out.”

Whiffs of the allegation permeated social media, with the hashtag #TrumpSmellsBad trending on X.

One user posted a parody video of Trump loyalist, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, putting up a poster that read: “Trump smells but not as bad as I do!”

Another posted a fake video of Mr Trump holding up a t-shirt that reads “I stink” with his mugshot on it, suggesting it could be a “last-minute stocking stuffer.

Another user pointed out that a 1988 Spy Magazine entry referred to the real estate mogul as “Donald ‘Stinky’ Trump.”

The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump PAC, then also seized on the opportunity to release a foul ad with the caption: “Is that you Donald? #TrumpSmells.”

The ad begins with scenes of dumps, waste, and dung — with flies swarming around it — and is punctuated by a chorus of coughs, sniffles, and vomiting.

The video then shows garbage being picked up and piled up on the streets of New York.

Then, while featuring the facade of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, a reporter’s voice booms, “Claiming the former president smells bad.”

Comedian Kathy Griffin can then be heard saying, “The Donald has a distinct smell. It’s like body odour with a scented makeup product.”

While showing other smelly products, like moldy cheese, someone can be heard sniffing before saying, “Ew, Donald. Is that you?”

The ad is called “Limburger,” a cheese known for its pungent odour.

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