The Ohio senator who has been the subject of President Donald Trump’s constant praise for his physique has revealed how he feels about the comments.
Twice in recent days, Trump took time during rally speeches to talk about Republican Jon Husted’s “ass.” While appearing Saturday on Fox News, Husted was asked about his reaction to Trump’s comments.
“Well, I have to tell you, when I woke up the next morning after hearing that, I told my wife, I’m like, ‘Hey, I think I got to get down to the gym and keep up my reputation! So, I gotta keep working out,'” Husted said.
The Republican in a tight race added that he is part of an athletic family, as he played college football and his wife runs marathons.
“Well, it got you a lot of headlines. Maybe some that you didn’t expect, but certainly a lot of press,” Fox host Aishah Hasnie quipped.
At rallies in North Carolina and Ohio, Trump talked about Husted’s body.
“But I looked at his ass, and then I looked at his legs,” Trump said. “I said, ‘His ass, s***, it’s like, it’s like a pile of muscle. Then I looked at his legs, and I said, ‘Man, his feet are big.’ Then I looked at his shoulders, and I tapped him on the shoulder, and it actually hurt my hand. He’s like a piece of steel. I said, ‘This guy’s a monster!’”
Trump comments were mocked both online and by TV pundits. CNN’s Anderson Cooper ran a montage of the president talking about other officials’ bodies during one show this week.
The clips included several politicians. At one point, it showed Trump calling Georgia Republican lieutenant gubernatorial nominee Greg Dolezal a “good-looking guy.”
“You’re not allowed to say that about women or men anymore. It’s the end of your political career. But he is a good-looking guy,” Trump said.
Cooper then ended with a quip of his own about Husted and Trump’s comments.
“As for Senator Husted, his ass may be hard, but his polling is soft. According to the latest CNN poll of polls, he’s down five points,” Cooper said.
Husted is running against Democrat Sherrod Brown in a competitive Ohio race. A Cook Political Report poll released this week found Brown up on Husted, 49 percent to 43 percent.
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