Greenville, Ohio
A day after President Donald Trump offered his latest assessment of Ohio Sen. Jon Husted’s muscular physique, it had already become a running — if not explicitly stated — joke at a GOP rally in rural western Ohio.
“I know the president has been talking about me as a football player and a few other things these days,” Husted said with a laugh at the Darke County GOP hog roast, where a crowd of about 300 people dined on grilled pork cuts just outside.
Trump recently praised the physical appearance of Husted, a former college football player, at a rally Saturday in northern Kentucky, which borders Ohio.
“I looked at his butt, then I looked at his shoulders. I looked at his feet. I looked at his hand. I looked at his jaw,” Trump said. “I then tapped him on the shoulder, and it was like a piece of steel. I’m still recovering.”
Trump has long made remarks about the appearance of people around him in politics, calling those who impress him “central casting.” But his comments intensified in recent days and were most vocal around Husted, who played football for the University of Dayton when the team won the 1989 Division III national title.
At a previous rally in Youngstown, Ohio, Trump said he had recently learned about Husted’s history with football and had looked at him “up and down,” including his “butt” and hands. Trump said Husted didn’t talk much about his athleticism, but the president added: “Congratulations. Now they finally know.”
Husted drew on his football background to rally Republicans in the “fourth quarter” of the election against Democrat Sherrod Brown in one of the most competitive races in the country. Ohio’s other Republican senator, Bernie Moreno, who defeated then-incumbent Brown two years ago, made the most direct reference to Trump’s comments about Husted.
“Unlike the President of the United States, I will not comment on his anatomy, but I can tell you that he is a very, very good senator,” Moreno told the crowd on Sunday, “and I need him as a partner to make sure that we finish the job that you all wanted.”
Ohio State Auditor Keith Faber, a candidate for attorney general, also alluded to Trump’s comment.
“You’ve heard the president talk about his football prowess,” he said, reflecting on his time shared with Husted in the Ohio Legislature. “Yes, he was a very good athlete, but he was an even better legislator.”
Trump’s recent criticism of politicians’ appearance isn’t limited to the Ohio Senate race. At a rally Friday in Georgia, the president compared appearances by Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and his Republican challenger, Mike Collins.
“Someone said, ‘(Ossoff)’ is a handsome man.’ I don’t think he’s a handsome man,” Trump said. “I actually think Mike Collins is a handsome man, and he’s all masculine.”
Trump has also shown he is willing to criticize the appearance of candidates within his party. Take Ken Paxton, the GOP candidate for Texas Senate. Trump has repeatedly asked Republican voters to put aside any physical reservations about Paxton, including his fashion sense.
“The fact is, some people may not like the way he dresses. I don’t,” Trump said at the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas. “Although tonight he looked very smart in his blue suit.”
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