President Trump has spent the past two weeks talking about men’s bodies on the campaign trail, and one target has been Ohio Senator Jon Husted, whose backside Trump described as“a pile of muscle.”Trump also said,“I’m studying his body. I’ve never studied the body of a man before. It’s not my thing.”USA Today compiled the remarks into a supercut, and The Fifth Column podcast summarized the whole thing with the headline“Donald Trump Is Gay.”
Reason magazine took the story in a different direction, interviewing adult filmmaker John Stagliano, known as Buttman, about the fixation. Stagliano suggested that aging may explain a loss of inhibitions, adding that Trump’s personal life isn’t his main concern. He also pushed back on mocking the president over it, using the conversation to restate his libertarian views on free speech and limited government.
The timing is what makes this more than a meme: the comments come days before an election, and Husted is trailing. That leaves an open question about whether this is a political liability for Republicans in Ohio, a sign of aging in a public figure, or just another distraction in a very loud news cycle. Either way, the supercut exists now. What do you think: does this kind of remark actually change anyone’s vote?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.