Trump was stopped from calling Biden an offensive nickname: Report

Just days before the 2024 US presidential elections, a new report has come to light adding to controversies surrounding the Republican candidate Donald Trump. The former president reportedly told his aides that he wanted to give President Joe Biden an offensive nickname following the June debate.

Trump is known for his liking to give nicknames to his political adversaries from phrases like 'Sleepy Joe' and 'Crooked Hillary' to 'Ron DeSanctimonious'. According to a recent report by the Atlantic, Trump wanted to add “Retarded Joe Biden” to his list.

“The guy’s a retard. He’s retarded. I think that’s what I’ll start calling him,” Trump reportedly said aboard his campaign plane, in late June, following the presidential debate with his opponent.

Trump’s campaign staff allegedly better him not to say the R-word in public. They warned the former president of the risk of losing moderate voters who had chosen to align with Republicans, reported the Atlantic. However, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said the claims were “materially false”, adding that the nickname “was never discussed.”

Using slurs for his adversaries

While the Republican has never used the nickname in public, he has used the r-word to describe his personal and political rivals on multiple occasions to insult them.

Trump had earlier said in 2020 how he could be losing to a “mental retard”, referring to Biden, when asked about the polling numbers in the last presidential elections, according to Vanity Fair.

The former president has allegedly also referred to Republican presidential candidate Kamala Harris using the same slur word during a late September dinner with Republican donors. Trump has repeatedly attacked Harris’ mental abilities at his campaign rallies, naming her “mentally impaired” and “mentally disabled” since her presidential nomination.

As election day nears, Trump’s controversial rhetoric has only continued with him having violent fantasies about Liz Cheney, hosting a “hate rally” at Madison Square Garden, and a microphone fiasco during a Milwaukee rally.

(With inputs from agencies)