‘I will not comment on his anatomy’: Ohio Republicans buzz about Trump’s analysis of a senator’s body

Gene J. Puskar/AP/File

A day after President Donald Trump offered his latest appraisal of Ohio Sen. Jon Husted’s muscular physique, it had already become a running joke — if not an explicitly stated one — during a GOP gathering in rural western Ohio.

“I know the president’s been talking about me as a football player and a few other things these days,” Husted said to knowing laughs at the Darke County GOP hog roast, where a crowd of about 300 dined on cuts of pig barbecued just outside.

Trump most recently praised the physical appearance of Husted, a former college football player, during a rally Saturday in northern Kentucky, which borders Ohio.

“I examined his ass, and then I looked at his shoulders. I looked at his feet. I looked at his hand. I looked at his jawline,” Trump said. “I then patted him on the shoulder, and it was like a piece of steel. I’m still recovering.”

Trump has long remarked on the appearances of the people around him in politics, praising those who impress him as “central casting.” But his commentary has ramped up in recent days and been most effusive around Husted, who played on the University of Dayton football team when they won the Division III national title in 1989.

During an earlier rally in Youngstown, Ohio, Trump said he recently learned of Husted’s history with football and looked him “up and down,” including at his “ass” and hands. Trump said Husted does not talk about his athleticism much, but the president added: “Congratulations. Now they finally know.”

Husted leaned on his football background to rally Republicans in attendance for the “fourth quarter” of the election against Democrat Sherrod Brown in one of the country’s most competitive races. Ohio’s other GOP senator, Sen. Bernie Moreno, who beat the then-incumbent Brown two years ago, made the most direct reference to Trump’s comments on Husted.

“Unlike the president of the United States, I will not comment on his anatomy, but I will tell you that he’s a really, really good senator,” Moreno told the crowd Sunday, “and I need him there as my partner to make sure that we finish the job that all of you wanted.”

Ohio State Auditor Keith Faber, who’s running for attorney general, also alluded to Trump’s commentary.

“You heard the president talk about his football prowess,” he said, bringing up his shared time with Husted in the Ohio Legislature. “Yeah, he was a darn good athlete, but he was an even better legislator.”

Trump’s recent riffing on politicians’ looks has not been contained to the Ohio Senate race. During a rally Friday in Georgia, Trump compared the appearances of Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and his Republican challenger, Mike Collins.

“Somebody said, ‘[Ossoff]’s a good-looking man.’ I don’t think he’s a good-looking man,” Trump said. “I actually think Mike Collins is a good-looking man, and he’s all man.”

Trump has also shown he’s willing to criticize the appearance of candidates within his party. Take for example Ken Paxton, the GOP nominee for Senate in Texas. Trump has repeatedly asked GOP voters to set aside any physical reservations about Paxton, including his fashion sense.

“The fact is, some may not like the way he dresses. I don’t,” Trump said at the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas. “Although tonight he looked very spiffy in his blue suit.”

吉恩·J·普斯卡/美联社/档案照片

在唐纳德·特朗普总统对俄亥俄州参议员乔恩·赫斯特的健壮体格做出最新评价的第二天，这已经成为俄亥俄州西部农村地区共和党集会上的一个玩笑——即使没有被明确提及。

“我知道总统最近一直在谈论我作为一名足球运动员以及其他一些事情，”赫斯特德在达克县共和党烤猪宴上说道，引来众人会心的笑声。当时约有 300 人正在享用就在屋外烤制的猪肉。

特朗普最近一次称赞哈斯特德（前大学橄榄球运动员）的外貌是在上周六于肯塔基州北部（与俄亥俄州接壤）举行的一次集会上。

“我检查了他的屁股，然后看了看他的肩膀，又看了看他的脚，看了看他的手，还看了看他的下巴，”特朗普说。“然后我拍了拍他的肩膀，感觉就像拍到了一块钢铁。我现在还没缓过来。”

特朗普长期以来都喜欢评价身边政治人物的外貌，称赞那些给他留下深刻印象的人是“符合中央选角标准的”。但最近几天，他的评论愈演愈烈，尤其对哈斯特德赞不绝口。哈斯特德曾是戴顿大学橄榄球队的队员，该队在1989年赢得了NCAA第三级别联赛的全国冠军。

在早些时候于俄亥俄州扬斯敦举行的一次集会上，特朗普表示，他最近了解到哈斯特德的橄榄球经历，并上下打量了他一番，包括他的臀部和双手。特朗普说，哈斯特德很少谈及自己的运动天赋，但总统补充道：“恭喜你。现在他们终于知道了。”

在与民主党候选人谢罗德·布朗的这场全国竞争最激烈的选战中，哈斯特德凭借其橄榄球背景，在“第四节”的冲刺阶段鼓舞了到场的共和党支持者。俄亥俄州另一位共和党参议员伯尼·莫雷诺两年前击败了当时的现任参议员布朗，他对特朗普关于哈斯特德的评论做出了最直接的回应。

“与美国总统不同，我不会评论他的身体构造，但我可以告诉你们，他是一位非常非常优秀的参议员，”莫雷诺周日对人群说，“我需要他作为我的伙伴，确保我们完成你们所有人希望完成的工作。”

正在竞选州检察长的俄亥俄州审计长基思·费伯也提到了特朗普的言论。

“你们都听总统谈起过他的橄榄球技艺，”他说道，并提到了他和赫斯特在俄亥俄州议会共事的时光。“没错，他是个非常优秀的运动员，但他更是一位杰出的立法者。”

特朗普最近对政客外貌的嘲讽并非仅限于俄亥俄州参议员竞选。周五在佐治亚州的一次集会上，特朗普将民主党参议员乔恩·奥索夫和他的共和党挑战者迈克·柯林斯的相貌进行了比较。

特朗普说：“有人说，‘奥索夫长得挺帅。’我不觉得他长得帅。我倒觉得迈克·柯林斯长得挺帅，而且他很有男子气概。”

特朗普也曾表示，他愿意批评本党候选人的外貌。以德克萨斯州共和党参议员候选人肯·帕克斯顿为例，特朗普多次要求共和党选民忽略帕克斯顿的外貌，包括他的着装品味。

“事实上，有些人可能不喜欢他的穿着打扮。我也不喜欢，”特朗普在达拉斯举行的共和党中期选举大会上说。“不过，今晚他穿蓝色西装看起来非常精神。”