President Trump on Tuesday made light of his recent remarks about Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), saying he had made “the mistake” of “studying” the senator’s “anatomy” during a rally in Lubbock, Texas, for Senate candidate Ken Paxton.
“So I’m studying him, and I made the mistake of saying that I started off by studying his a–,” Trump told the crowd, drawing laughter. He went on to describe Husted’s hands and feet, noting that his fingers were “like sausages” and that shaking hands felt “like hitting steel.”
The president acknowledged the press coverage of his comments, dismissing it as “fake news” and quipping that the media wanted to know why he was “talking about a man’s anatomy.” He explained that he was trying to understand where Husted’s strength came from, referencing the senator’s college football days as a defensive back.
This is not the first time Trump has commented on Husted’s build. At a rally in North Carolina last week, he described Husted’s backside as “a pile of muscle.” Husted, for his part, has embraced the attention, joking at a campaign event that he had been “in the weight room” ahead of Trump’s visit to Ohio.
The remarks come as Husted faces a tight race against former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) in the upcoming midterm elections. Decision Desk HQ, The Hill’s election partner, gives Brown a 56 percent chance of winning, according to a Tuesday forecast.
Trump’s focus on physical attributes is nothing new, but his comments about men’s bodies have drawn scrutiny from commentators across the political spectrum. The president has often joked about his own remarks on women’s appearances, suggesting they could get him “canceled.”
With the midterms just days away, Trump has been barnstorming red states to rally GOP voters and protect the party’s congressional majorities. Democrats are favored to take the House, while the Senate remains a closer contest.
In related news, Trump and his allies have been making headlines on multiple fronts, including his recent clash with Democratic rival in Texas and his pledge to dismantle environmental regulations. Meanwhile, his administration has faced legal setbacks, such as a federal judge blocking a rule on refugee appeals.
