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Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican representative, encouraged people to ‘wear a mask’ when they’re in the presence of former president Donald Trump due to his apparent odor.
Mr Kinzinger, a vocal critic of Mr Trump, took to his Twitter account this week to insinuate that the former president possesses a strong smell.
“I’m genuinely surprised how people close to Trump haven’t talked about the odor,” Mr Kinzinger wrote earlier this week.
“It’s truly something to behold. Wear a mask if you can,” he added.
The accusation garnered a lot of attention on the platform, with many mocking the former president for his alleged smell.
When reached for comment about the accusation, a spokesperson for Mr Trump returned the insult to Mr Kinzinger.
“Adam Kinzinger farted on live TV and is an unemployed fraud,” the spokesperson said in a statement provided to The Independent.
“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.”
Mr Kinzinger did not describe what the former president smelled like. But critics of Mr Trump have mentioned the former president has a “distinct smell”.
In an interview with Mary Trump, the niece of Mr Trump, earlier this year, comedian Kathy Griffin recalled that the former president smelled “like body odor with kind of like scented makeup products.”
“Donald has a distinct smell that doesn’t get enough press,” Ms Griffin said on The Mary Trump Show.
Ms Griffin spent a brief time with Mr Trump while appearing as a guest on The Apprentice.
Mr Kinzinger worked adjacent Mr Trump while serving in the House of Representatives during the former president’s term, though he never supported Mr Trump.
After the January 6 attack on the Capitol, Mr Kinzinger took a more aggressive opposition approach to the former president, joining his colleague Liz Cheney on the House Select Committee to investigate January 6.
In 2021, Mr Kinzinger left Congress and became a senior political commentator at CNN.
