Donald Trump raised eyebrows with remarks about a Republican senator’s physique at an Ohio rally.
The 80-year-old president spoke at a campaign event in Youngstown on October 12, where he fixated on Sen. Jon Husted, 59, after learning the lawmaker had played football for the University of Dayton. Trump told the crowd he had spent time scrutinizing Husted’s body during a recent flight, offering an unusual level of detail about his observations.
“I don’t do this with men very often, I started examining his body, because I didn’t know he was a great athlete,” he said. “I watched up and down. I looked at his ass and I looked at the whole – And then I looked at his hands. He’s got these like claws.”
Trump claimed he had been informed that Husted was “the best player on the team.” He also praised the senator’s political standing, noting that “he’s one of the most respected men in Washington, already, he hasn’t been there that long.” The president described watching Husted on the plane ride to Ohio, saying he had been “ranting and ripping” and was “becoming a different man, now that we find out he was a great athlete.”
The commentary repeatedly returned to Husted’s appearance. Trump continued: “Look at that jawline, I’m telling you. I never saw that, I never studied him, and now I study him. Look at the jawline, he’s tough as hell.”
The remarks drew swift reaction online, with commenters expressing disbelief at the president’s choice of subject matter during a political rally. One wrote that “the filter on his brain is gone,” while another posted: “This can’t be real. Trump, this isn’t you.”
Husted had joined Trump at the Youngstown rally to demonstrate support as the president campaigns for Republican candidates ahead of November’s midterm elections. The appearance marked Trump’s second trip to Ohio for rallies this month, part of a broader swing through Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama that kicked off his midterm push. Control of Congress remains at stake in the upcoming contests, with Husted facing a challenge to retain his seat.
A CNN poll conducted between September 29 and October 5 showed Democrat Sherrod Brown leading Husted by six percentage points. The same survey found only 36 percent of Ohio voters approved of Trump’s presidential performance, while 64 percent disapproved.
Trump has been traveling across the country rallying support for Republican candidates as November 3 approaches.