‘You look like s---’: Trump uses campaign speech to mock obese friend
On Wednesday night, Donald Trump invited a group of embattled Republicans to the White House as part of a plan to retain control of Congress in November’s midterms.
Many Republicans are at risk of losing their seats in the coming election, and are doing their best to campaign on hip-pocket issues for voters.
Trump mocked the weight loss efforts of an obese friend of his during a speech in Washington. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
But Trump's speech reflected his focus on completely different priorities.
In a rambling address covering many topics, he mocked an unnamed friend of his from Wall Street for taking “fat drugs”.
"He's a brutal, brutal man, but smart as hell, but he's got a serious weight problem," Trump said.
"I said 'Are you taking this stuff? It's not working. You look like s—."
In the bizarre speech he claimed people needed identification to go to a grocery store, then told the gathered crowd how to spell the word dumb.
"Most people don't know that dumb has a b at the end," Trump said.
He also referenced an election in Alaska where a senator is running against a candidate with the same name.
"His name was Dan Sullivan, and he's running in the race against Dan Sullivan," Trump said.
"It should be illegal."
Guests listen as President Donald Trump speaks during an event with Republican lawmakers. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
As Republicans are in the race of their lives, party members are increasingly distancing themselves from Trump.
In June, congressional candidate Ralph Alvarado's website was all about Trump.
Alvarado touted his loyalty to the president and a photo of the two of them together was given pride of place.
"President Trump needs more allies in Congress to deliver on his bold vision to Make America Great Again," Alvarado said.
"With your help, I will be that fighter."
Now, most references to Trump have been scrubbed from the site.
Alvarado isn’t running in a swing seat, but instead in a district in Kentucky that Trump won two years ago by a 57-42 per cent margin.
Pundits took the change as a clear sign that even among conservative Republicans, Trump is becoming toxic.
President Donald Trump speaks during an event with Republican lawmakers. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Two months from a midterm election which could wipe out the Republican Party’s majority in Congress, there’s a clear gap between what voters are concerned about and what Trump is speaking about.
The president's focus this week has been on renaming long-established bodies of water.
After renaming Lake Ontario Lake America, he is now suggesting that the Strait of Hormuz be called Trump Strait.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds just 14 per cent of Americans support renaming Lake Ontario, with 63 per cent disapproving.
And while Americans are deeply concerned with the cost of living, Trump is talking big about his $US400 million ballroom.
"We have hundreds of happy construction workers in DC busily doing their job building the finest Ballroom/Military complex anywhere in the World," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"There is nothing like it, and never will be!"
Construction on the White House grounds. AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
An Ipsos poll in July found two-thirds of Americans were unhappy with the president’s construction projects.
Voters are also deeply unhappy with the proliferation of data centres across the US.
Democrats have been making a crackdown on data centres a major policy position, and now Republicans are following suit.
But Trump has done the opposite, with a Truth Social post all but insulting opponents of data centres.
"The only reason that communities throughout the USA should not want Data Centres is if they want to end up being backwards and poor," Trump wrote.
"If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign."
All of the House of Representatives and a third of the Senate are up for election in the midterm elections.
The election day is November 3.
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