At a recent Ohio rally, former President Donald Trump praised Republican candidate Jon Husted for the midterm elections, focusing unusually on Husted’s physical appearance and athletic ability. Trump mentioned examining Husted's physique and hands, noting that Gruden called him "the best player on the team" during their college years. Throughout his speech, Trump also made comments about women in sports and interrupted by insulting protesters who disrupted the event.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-13,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.85, but 1 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 3 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 75496: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-13
Donald Trump oddly gushed about Sen. Jon Husted’s attractiveness and athleticism during a rally in Ohio — all to boost Republican candidates ahead of the midterms.
The president said Ohioans had to vote for Husted to keep his seat amid a challenge from Sherrod Brown, a former Democratic senator from Ohio.
asserted
Ohioans → gush → Ohio
Jon Gruden, a former Super Bowl-winning coach, introduced the president at Monday’s rally and mentioned to Trump that he and the senator played ball together in college.
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he → win → college
“I'm standing over here, and I don't do this with men very often.
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I → stand → men
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 his supporters Monday night in Youngstown with Husted in the crowd.
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Trump → start → crowd
“I looked at his a**, and I looked at the whole, and then I looked at his hands.
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I → look → hands
He's got these like claws.”
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He → get → claws
Husted was an All-American defensive back at the University of Dayton, where he got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
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he → get → degrees
Trump said that Gruden told him about Husted’s athletic prowess.
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Gruden → say → prowess
“I said, ‘John, what are you doing here?’
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you → say → what
I thought he was going to say, ‘I'm here for you, sir.
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I → think → you
I have such respect for you.’
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I → have → you
But he didn't say that.
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he → say → that
He said, ‘I'm here for my teammate.’
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I → say → teammate
I said, ‘Who's your teammate?’
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Who → say → ?
He said, ‘It's John Husted,’” Trump told the crowd.
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Trump → say → crowd
The president recalled asking Gruden if Husted was “any good,” to which Gruden replied, “He was the best player on the team.”
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He → recall → team
Later in his speech, Trump baselessly claimed Brown “wants to have men playing in women’s sports” and then went on a rant about female kickers in football.
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men → claim → football
John, did you ever have a woman that you were desperate to have on one of your championship teams?” Trump said.
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Trump → have → 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.”
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they → see → them
Trump then suggested Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham be placed on a men’s team.
uncertain
Cunningham → suggest → team
“Let's put her on.
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's → let → her
I like Sophie.
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I → like → Sophie
Yeah, you'd have a lot of men wanting to go and watch her.
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lot → have → her
You're not allowed to say that anymore.
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You → allow → that
However, as a politician, please, please let me take it back,” the president said.
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president → let → it
Trump’s speech was repeatedly interrupted by protesters, which the president insulted with “your mom” and fat jokes, as he did at a recent Texas rally.
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he → interrupt → rally
During the first disturbance, Trump said there were paid protesters in the crowd.
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Trump → say → crowd
“They get paid by the lefties in order to destroy our country.
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They → pay → country
They're scum, but he's going back home to mom...
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he → go → mom
He's got to go on a diet.
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He → get → diet
He's a fat guy,” Trump said.
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Trump → say → ?
“What he doesn't know is that his mother and father voted for me.”
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mother → know → me
Later on, another protester with a Palestinian flag interrupted Trump’s speech, reminiscent of a protester waving a Mexican and a Palestinian flag during Vice President JD Vance’s speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas last month.
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protester → interrupt → Dallas
In a recent CNN poll conducted by research firm SSRS, Brown — who served in the Senate from 2007 to 2025 — led Husted — a former lieutenant governor who was appointed to fill Vance’s vacated Senate seat — by six points among likely Ohio voters, 49 to 43 percent.
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who → conduct → voters
Trump, who’s seen record-low approval ratings, has been campaigning in red states as if he were on the ballot; in fact, he’s told his supporters to vote for Republicans whom he’s endorsed as if he were on the ballot.
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he → see → ballot
Meanwhile, Democrats in Texas, Alaska, Iowa and Kansas are gaining ground in states that Republicans typically win easily, according to recent New York Times/Siena University polls.
uncertain
Republicans → gain → polls
Husted later joined Trump on stage Monday night, telling the crowd, “Mr. President, you've helped bring this region back and this state to prominence.
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you → join → prominence
And I tell you what, we are going to do everything that we can to win on November 3, and you're going to bring it home with us, aren't you?”
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you → tell → us
“Wow, he's really changed since you all learned how great an athlete he was,” Trump said following Husted’s remarks.
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Trump → change → remarks
“I just hit him on the back, and I hurt my hand a little bit.
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I → hit → hand
…and 7 more, not listed.