This chapter focuses on Donald Trump’s controversial kung flu nickname for COVID-19, uttered during a political rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on 20 June 2020, within the polarised 2020 US presidential election. The analysis reveals kung flu as a phrasal portmanteau blending “kung fu” and “flu” that leveraged intertextual humour to shame China while fostering rapport with Trump’s own supporters. Critics labelled it a racist slur, while supporters found it entertaining, highlighting its humorous and playful nature. Drawing on Archer’s (2011a, 2015) face aggravation scale, the chapter positions kung flu as a creative yet spiteful insult that is thinly veiled as jocular mockery. The analysis shows that kung flu blends strategic ambivalence with intentional impoliteness that enables plausible deniability. The chapter underscores how Trump’s creative insults, akin to jocular mockery, manipulate audience perceptions, setting verbal traps for detractors and reinforcing supporter identity.