In a culmination of recent efforts to hit back at former President Donald Trump, Democrats at this year's convention in Chicago adopted a no-holds-barred approach, mocking and criticizing Trump on topics known to get under his skin. Prominent figures from the Democratic Party took jabs at Trump's crowd sizes, his wealth, and even made allusions to a fabricated viral claim about his running mate.

Former President Barack Obama took aim at Trump's "weird obsession with crowd sizes," which harkened back to Trump's past squabble with a GOP rival over the measurements of his hands and other anatomy. With a suggestive hand gesture, Obama playfully mocked Trump's fixation. Rep. Pat Ryan of New York went further, labeling Trump as "fubar," an unsalvageable candidate, while Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker accused Trump of inflating his wealth and declared him to be rich in only one thing - stupidity.

The convention also saw multiple speakers reference the viral claim regarding Trump's running mate, Senator JD Vance, supposedly writing about having sex with furniture in his memoir. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts expressed her distrust of the GOP ticket, saying she "wouldn't trust them to move her couch." Representative Jason Crow of Colorado joined in, using the term "couch commando" to further mock the claim.

These jabs were part of a broader shift in tone for the Democratic Party, which once aimed for a more polite approach. The Democrats, tired of Trump's personal insults and baseless accusations, decided to fight fire with fire. Charlene Ligon, a delegate from Nebraska, noted that these tactics were getting in Trump's head and resonating with younger Democrats who wanted a sharper tone against him.

For years, Democrats have struggled with how to effectively criticize Trump. Strategies ranged from ignoring or dismissing him to portraying him as a threat to democracy, as President Joe Biden has done. This year's convention marked a shift towards targeting topics that hit a nerve with Trump, evident in the repeated labeling of Trump as "weird" by prominent Democrats. Vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris engaged in a fight with Trump over crowd sizes, while others referenced the false couch story about Vance - a departure from the party's previous stance against the spread of misinformation.

Responding to the Democratic attacks, Trump's campaign senior adviser Brian Hughes accused Harris of running from her failed and liberal policies and outlined Trump's "America First" agenda. In contrast, Harris took a serious tone in her Thursday night speech, directly challenging Trump's character and highlighting his role in the January 6th Capitol attack, his fraud conviction in New York, and the jury finding of liability for sexual abuse. However, some convention attendees felt that the Democrats were going after Trump in new and less dignified ways, resorting to tactics that Republicans have employed in the past.

Despite the heated rhetoric, the Democrats aimed to energize their base, win over independents, and attract former Republicans by presenting a multipronged case against Trump. They criticized his focus on self and called attention to his record on labor issues, the Capitol attack, and his Supreme Court nominations. Harris and her allies supported these themes through paid advertising, contrasting her positions and presenting her as a guardian of personal freedoms.

The convention also saw former First Lady Michelle Obama deliver a scathing critique of Trump, condemning the ugly, misogynistic, and racist lies that she saw as a substitute for real ideas from his opponents. Bill Clinton took a dig at Trump's age, highlighting that he himself is younger than the former president. The audience responded with enthusiasm.

While Trump attempted to divert attention away from the convention with appearances in battleground states, he could not escape the impact of the attacks. Live-posting through Harris's speech on social media, he expressed frustration at the criticisms coming from the Democrats.

As the Democratic Party adjusts its approach to counter Trump's rhetoric, it remains to be seen how effective these no-holds-barred tactics will be in swaying voters as the election season continues.