CNN anchor John Berman asked a former adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris if attacking former President Donald Trump as “weird” conflicts with the message that Trump is an “existential threat to democracy.”

Since Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee a week ago following President Joe Biden’s bombshell dropout, one new line of attack has come into ostentatious relief. Harris For President officials and surrogates — and the VP herself — have taken to labeling Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) “weird.”

On Monday’s edition of CNN News Central, Berman asked former Harris comms deputy Rachel Palermo if the attacks are “fighting each other”:

JOHN BERMAN: 99 days now until the election, and the Harris campaign this morning seems to have fully embraced “weird” as a line of attack against Donald Trump and JD Vance.

VP KAMALA HARRIS: Some of what he and his running mate are saying — well, it’s just plain weird.

GOV. TIM WALZ: These guys are just weird. That’s what they are.

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO: It’s the weirdest thing. He’ll, he’ll go in, like, literally hugging an American flag. Now, I love the flag, but, I mean, it’s, like, weird what he does.

JOHN BERMAN: With us now, former senior adviser for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, Jason Osborne, and former deputy communications director and associate counsel to Vice President Kamala Harris, Rachel Palermo, thanks so much for being with us.

Rachel, “weird” is an interesting argument — and seems different, or does it? To “existential threat to democracy.” Do they fight each other?

RACHEL PALERMO: Thank you so much for having me. Well, I think that weird might be a comment that can resonate whatever with everyday Americans when they’re looking at what we’re seeing from the other side.

But the reality is that Vice President Harris and the campaign is focused on putting forward their clear vision of the country. That’s a vision of opportunity. It’s a vision of fundamental freedoms.

And so they’re absolutely focused on the substance here, but they’re also pointing out certain things that, frankly, have been weird.

JOHN BERMAN: Jason, would you ra — if you’re the Trump campaign, would you rather be weird than an existential threat to democracy? Is weird something that sticks, leaves a mark?

JASON OSBORNE: I don’t think weird leaves a mark compared to what we’re seeing from the other side continually, you know?

Watch above via CNN News Central.

The post CNN’s John Berman Asks If Attacking Trump As ‘Weird’ Detracts From ‘Threat To Democracy’ Message first appeared on Mediaite.

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