Trump won’t stop talking about attractiveness of men around him
Two weeks from the midterm elections that will shape the final years of Donald Trump’s presidency, voters are concerned about inflation, petrol prices and the war in Iran.
But as the president hits the campaign trail, he has begun talking about a new topic instead.
Donald Trump has spoken at length about Jon Husted’s ‘ass’ during two different speeches. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
On a daily basis, Trump has been speaking about the attractiveness of the men around him.
It's been a bizarre shift in rhetoric for the president, which drew attention during a rally in Ohio with Senator Jon Husted last week.
"I don’t do this with men very often. I started examining his body because I didn’t know he was a great athlete, and I looked, and I watched up and down," Trump said of Husted.
"I looked at his ass, and I looked at the whole, and then I looked at his hands."
Trump's comments raised eyebrows to say the least.
Then yesterday he started talking about Husted again, this time at a rally in North Carolina that the senator wasn't at.
"I looked at his ass, and then I looked at his legs. I said, ‘His ass, s—, it’s like, it’s like a pile of muscle.
"Then I looked at his legs, and I said, ‘Man, his feet are big.’ Then I looked at his shoulders, and I tapped him on the shoulder, and it actually hurt my hand."
And in South Carolina on Wednesday, he praised the appearance of a senator's husband.
"You have Darline and her very handsome husband," Trump said.
“That’s a good-looking husband.”
Donald Trump’s approval rating is at record lows. AP Photo/Mike Stewart
In Georgia he sang the praises of gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson.
"I actually think that Rick Jackson’s a very handsome, distinguished, beautiful-looking guy," Trump said.
And in Oklahoma earlier this month, he invited a group of men on stage on the basis of their looks.
"Let's see those red hot studs," he said.
"You can't miss big, strong, handsome Oklahoma studs."
And he lavished praise on New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, comparing him with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
"I’d rather look like Jaxson. I’ll take Jaxson any day," Trump said.
"Jaxson Dart, who’s a great talent, a handsome guy, very handsome guy, and he loved Trump."
The bizarre comments are a headache for Republicans desperate for the president to pivot to topics of concern to the American people.
Trump's approval rating is substantially lower than it was at this point ahead of the 2018 midterms, where Democrats won in a wave.
It is also lower than Joe Biden’s was at this point in 2022.
And Trump's approval rating is reflected in the ads Republicans are putting on air.
A crowd cheering on Donald Trump in South Carolina. AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
For the more than a billion dollars spent on Republican ads this election, less than one per cent mention Trump.
In some, the politicians are specifically distancing themselves from Trump.
The president's name gets mentioned in 20 per cent of Democrats' ads, but not in a way he would like.
Trump spent more than $10 million of taxpayer money on ads essentially promoting himself until a judge stopped him.
"This is the final battle," Trump is heard saying in one ad.
"With you by my side we will demolish the deep state, expel the warmongers from our government, we will drive out the globalists, we will cast out the communists, Marxists and fascists.
"We will rout the fake news media, and we will liberate America from these villains once and for all."
The apocalyptic ad was identical to one posted on his Truth Social account in January 2024, save for text at the bottom of the screen reading: "Paid for by the US government".
Election Day is November 3.
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