Trump tells Ohio rally he ‘looked at’ Jon Husted’s ‘ass’ while praising his ‘claw’ hands

Donald Trump has made some unusual comments about Republican senator Jon Husted’s physique, telling a campaign rally in Ohio that he examined the politician’s body after learning about his college football career.

Speaking in Youngstown on Monday (12 October), Trump recalled being surprised when former NFL coach Jon Gruden told him that Husted had been an exceptional athlete at the University of Dayton directly before Trump held a midterm campaign rally near Dayton, Ohio, on 4 October.

“I’m standing over here, and I don’t do this with men very often. I started examining [Husted’s] body because I didn’t know he was a great athlete, and I looked, and I watched up and down,” Trump told the crowd, with Husted in attendance.

“I looked at his ass,” he continued, before drawing attention to Husted’s hands. “Look at his hands. He’s got these like claws.”

Gruden, who played alongside Husted at Dayton in 1985, had introduced Trump at the 4 October rally. Husted was a defensive back at the university, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Trump continued praising the senator after Husted addressed the crowd later in the evening on 12 October. The president said he had hurt his hand slightly when patting Husted on the back, describing him as “a piece of steel”.

The rally was part of Trump’s campaign effort to boost Republican candidates ahead of the US midterm elections on 3 November. Husted, who was appointed to the Senate seat vacated by Vice President JD Vance, is facing a challenge from former Democratic senator Sherrod Brown.

A CNN/SSRS poll conducted from 29 September to 5 October found Brown leading Husted among likely Ohio voters by six percentage points, 49 per cent to 43 per cent. Other recent polls have shown a closer contest.

Trump attacks protesters and transgender women in sports

Trump’s comments about Husted were one of several unusual moments at the rally, which was repeatedly interrupted by protesters.

During one interruption, the president claimed protesters were being paid by Democrats to disrupt his events before insulting one man in the crowd and making jokes about his weight.

“They get paid by the lefties in order to destroy our country,” Trump said. “They’re scum, but he’s going back home to mom.”

He then added: “He’s got to go on a diet. He’s a fat guy.”

Trump also claimed the protester’s parents had voted for him.

The remarks echoed comments Trump made at a recent rally in Texas, where he similarly mocked protesters who interrupted his speech.

Another interruption came from a protester carrying a Palestinian flag, prompting a further exchange during the event.

Trump also used the rally to attack Brown over transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports, making the unsubstantiated claim that the Democratic candidate wanted men competing in women’s sporting events.

He then questioned whether women should play football, asking Gruden whether he had ever wanted a woman on one of his championship-winning teams.

“How about every once in a while I’ll see a kicker — they have a kicker who’s a female because they put them on,” Trump said.

He subsequently suggested that Indiana Fever basketball player Sophie Cunningham should be placed on a men’s team.

“Let’s put her on. I like Sophie. Yeah, you’d have a lot of men wanting to go and watch her. She’s beautiful,” he said, before adding: “You’re not allowed to say that anymore.”

Trump then joked that, as a politician, he wanted to take the remark back.

Trump campaigns amid a competitive Ohio race

The rally featured several high-profile supporters, including Gruden and influencer and boxer Jake Paul, who also criticised protesters.

Paul questioned whether demonstrators had jobs, saying they spent their time carrying signs while others were “doing the work”.

“We have to protect this state because Washington doesn’t belong to celebrities like me,” he told the crowd. “It doesn’t belong to the politicians. It belongs to you guys and us, the American people.”

Trump has increasingly taken to the campaign trail to support Republicans ahead of the midterms, as Democrats make gains in several traditionally Republican states.

Ohio is among the races drawing national attention, with Brown seeking to return to the Senate after losing his seat in 2024. Husted, meanwhile, is campaigning to retain the seat he was appointed to fill.

Trump urged supporters to back Husted and other Republicans, presenting the election as a referendum on his administration and its policies.