Trump ditches script for surreal fixation as GOP heads for the slaughter

US President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally to support Republican House of Representatives candidate Ed Gallrein and Senate candidate Andy Barr, at Truist Arena in Highland Heights, Kentucky, US, October 17, 2026.

President Donald Trump's increasingly strange habit of complimenting male politicians' bodies is becoming a fixture of his campaign rallies, potentially serving as a weird distraction from the Republican Party's efforts to win over voters as many polls predict a wipeout.

Writing in The Guardian on Friday, Adam Gabbatt examined how Trump's speeches have repeatedly shifted from prepared political talking points to detailed assessments of Republican candidates' physical appearances. The pattern has emerged as many candidates wonder if having the backing of the president helps or hurts their campaign.

One notable example that made headlines came at the October 12 rally in Youngstown, Ohio, where Trump said he studied Republican Sen. Jon Husted’s body after learning he played college football.

"I don't do this with men very often. I started examining his body, because I didn't know he was a great athlete," Trump told supporters.

The president then described how he glazed over Husted’s backside and hands before praising him as a talented athlete.

Just five days after, Trump continued gushing about Husted’s backside and went into more detail even though the Senate candidate wasn’t there at the time.

"I examined his a--" Trump told the crowd, before describing the senator's shoulders, feet, jawline and hands.

The analysis also points to other times during the campaign when Trump went off script to talk about men’s looks.

At an October 16 appearance in Georgia, Trump gushed about Republican challenger Mike Collins looks while downplaying his opponent, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff’s appearance.

“Somebody said he’s a good-looking man. I don’t think he’s a good-looking man,” Trump said of Ossoff. “I actually think Mike Collins is a good-looking man, and he’s all man. All man. I’m not sure about Ossoff.”

In Kentucky, Trump complimented Republican Ed Gallrein, who is challenging Rep. Thomas Massie, describing him as a "beautiful guy."

The frequent praise of men’s looks has become media fodder, with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper mocking the president with the nickname "a--man-in-chief," while Fox News host Jesse Watters sort of defending the rhetoric.

"Sometimes it sounds a little gay. But he can get away with it because he's straight," Watters said.

Gabbatt wrote in his analysis that the weird off-script rants about men’s looks are actually creating a problem for the GOP, arguing that he is wasting valuable campaign time that could be spent convincing voters to support his candidates.

He questioned whether Trump is simply serving his own interest rather than strategically selling the candidates who are certainly not going to win votes based on their looks.

While it is yet to be seen if Trump’s rallies are swinging voters in the direction of the GOP, Gabbard suggests that Trump’s weird fixation is unlikely to improve the GOP’s prospect of keeping a majority in Congress.

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