President Donald Trump told a rally crowd at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, about a phone call in which he asked his wife, Melania, to rate his performance. According to Trump, the first lady responded with a blunt remark about his trouble getting off the stairs.
As reported by MSN, Trump described a moment from a previous event where he performed an imitation of Joe Biden attempting to navigate stairs. He explained that after a clip of that performance circulated online, the first lady contacted him to share her thoughts.
Trump told the audience he asked her how great his speech was, pointing to a crowd he put at 58,000 people. “Darling, how good was I?” he recalled asking. According to Trump, she replied, “Well, what was wrong with you? You couldn’t find your way off the stairs.”
The story landed during a final push for Florida Republicans
The story caught attention on social media while the event in Daytona Beach was still happening. It is one of several rally anecdotes Trump has told about the first lady, including Melania’s critique of his gestures.
The president visited Florida to encourage voters to back Republican candidates ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Byron Donalds is running against David Jolly for governor, while Ashley Moody is competing against state Representative Angie Nixon in a special election for the U.S. Senate.
The 80-year-old president has been traveling across the country to support Republican efforts as Election Day nears. His schedule has involved several adjustments to his planned appearances. He originally intended to hold a rally in Kansas on Oct. 31, but that event was canceled due to a change in his itinerary, and the campaign shifted toward virtual tele-rallies.
A stop set for Nov. 1 in Iowa was also removed from his calendar. The president later decided to reinstate several plans for the weekend, and he is also preparing for a series of midterm tele-rallies broadcast from Mar-a-Lago.
Published: Oct 31, 2026 01:00 pm