Former President Donald Trump has been using a woman’s name to refer to CNN anchor Anderson Cooper in recent days, as part of a strategy aimed at enhancing his masculine appeal to male voters during the final stretch of his presidential campaign.
On Friday morning, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, where he jokingly called Cooper “Allison Cooper,” a reference to the well-known openly gay journalist in the U.S.
This became more pronounced later that day during a rally in Traverse City, Michigan. Trump criticized a town hall event that Cooper hosted with Vice President Kamala Harris. “If you watched her being interviewed by Allison Cooper the other night,” Trump remarked, “he’s a nice person. You know Allison Cooper? CNN fake news.” He then mockingly corrected himself, saying, “Oh, she said no, his name is Anderson. Oh, no.”
The following day, Trump continued this trend at another rally in Michigan, reiterating the name as he commented on the town hall event, stating, “Even Allison Cooper was embarrassed by it. He was embarrassed by it.”
By using Cooper’s name in this manner, Trump seems to be drawing on a long-standing stereotype often directed at gay men, which portrays them as effeminate. This rhetoric aligns with Trump’s goal of bolstering his appeal to male voters as he seeks to reclaim the presidency.
On the same day he made the comments about Cooper, Trump also participated in a lengthy three-hour interview with Joe Rogan, a popular former mixed martial arts commentator whose podcast resonates with a young male audience. Earlier in the month, during a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump had begun his speech with an unusual remark about legendary golfer Arnold Palmer.
The Trump campaign has not provided any comments regarding this matter, and a spokesperson for Anderson Cooper also chose not to make a statement.
