At a rally in Youngstown, President Trump brought up Sen. Jon Husted’s college football days and described taking a close look at the senator’s build. He told the crowd he had not realized Husted was such a strong athlete until he examined him more carefully.
Trump explained that the discovery came as a surprise. He said, “I don’t do this with men very often. I started examining his body because I didn’t know he was a great athlete,” according to The New York Post. He added that he looked and watched him up and down before focusing on specific areas.
The president then described what he noticed. He stated, “I looked at his a–, and I looked at the whole –” People in the audience responded with laughter as he continued speaking.
Husted’s Dayton football past becomes a focus at the Youngstown rally
Trump next pointed to Husted’s hands while describing the same examination. He said, “And then I looked at his hands. Look at his hands. He’s got these, like, claws. And I got it … you are a great athlete.” He noted that he had not known about this side of Husted earlier because the senator does not talk about it.
Once Husted joined him on stage, Trump made a light remark about physical contact. He said, “I just hit him in the back and I hurt my hand a little bit.” He followed that by saying Husted is “like a piece of steel.”
Husted earned All-American honors as a defensive back at the University of Dayton, where the Flyers won the 1989 Division III championship. Trump indicated that Husted’s standing in polls has improved since more voters learned about that record.
Husted has been a reliable ally for Trump in the Senate. He has continuously voted against ending the war in Iran, and blamed Joe Biden for the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
He pressed the audience to back Husted against former Sen. Sherrod Brown and to support Vivek Ramaswamy for governor. Trump said, “If you want to stop Ohio from being plundered, ransacked and destroyed like Minnesota is being destroyed … if you want to stop it before it begins, vote for Jon Husted and vote for Vivek Ramaswamy.”
He characterized Brown as “the candidate of the Marxist, the communists and the anti-American radicals who want to tear down America’s heritage.” Trump added that Brown served during a time he described as having the worst border the country has ever had, a terrible economy, and a very dark period overall.
The president also said Democrats want to burn it all down and called on voters not to allow Brown to slither his way back into power. He framed the choice as a way to keep Ohio from facing the same outcomes he associated with Minnesota.
Jon Gruden, the former NFL coach from Sandusky who was a college teammate of Husted’s, introduced the president. Gruden told the crowd, “To maximize our true potential, we gotta believe in our leadership and we gotta do it together,” and said that getting this group elected would mean great days are ahead.
Jake Paul, who grew up in Cleveland, spoke as well. He warned that Democrats are running “evil” candidates “willing to do anything to destroy us” and stated, “We have to protect this state.”
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, Sen. Bernie Moreno, and Rep. Max Miller were among those present. Miller received a shout-out from Trump but was not invited onto the stage.
Published: Oct 13, 2026 09:45 am