As Ohio approaches a Nov. 3 special election to fill a Senate vacancy, President Donald Trump used a North Carolina rally to make graphic remarks about appointed U.S. Sen. Jon Husted’s physique.
Trump spoke Tuesday, Oct. 20, at a midterm rally at Pitt-Greenville Airport in Greenville. The Republican Party’s event listing scheduled his remarks for 7 p.m. ET. In the rally recording, Trump said he had never studied a man’s body before and added that it was “not my thing.”
Trump compared Husted’s backside to “a pile of muscle” and also discussed his legs and feet. He recounted tapping Husted on the shoulder and said the contact hurt his hand. Trump described Husted as “like a piece of steel” and called him “a monster.”
The Oct. 20 remarks followed a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Oct. 12, where Trump spoke about Husted’s hands. A transcript of that speech records Trump comparing them to “claws.” NDTV, an Indian news outlet, quoted social media users who described the later comments as disturbing.
Husted’s Senate profile identifies him as an All-American defensive back at the University of Dayton and a member of the team that won the 1989 Division III football championship.
A writ of election issued by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine dates Husted’s appointment to the Senate to Jan. 17, 2025. The writ orders a special election on Nov. 3, 2026, to fill the vacancy.
