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Sen. Jon Husted doesn’t mind being the butt of President Trump’s jokes — but now he’s got a reputation to uphold.
Husted (R-Ohio) joked Saturday that Trump’s unexpected praise about his physique has inspired him to hit the gym after the president repeatedly marveled at his physique during campaign rallies.
On Sunday, Trump doubled down his admiration for Husted’s physique saying he went up in the polls “after he said the A-word” and after he looked at his body.
Husted still trails Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown in the polls by about 3 points
Husted responded on Sunday, too, saying he’s admired by the president’s praise.
“When I woke up the next morning after hearing that, I told my wife, I’m like, ‘Hey, I think I got to get down to the gym and keep up my reputation! So, I gotta keep working out,’” Husted told Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie.
“I don’t do this with men very often,” Trump said at a rally earlier this month.
“I started examining his body, because I didn’t know he was a great athlete. And I looked and I watched up and down. I looked at his ass. And then I looked at his hands. Look at his hands. He’s got these, like, claws.”
The senator was responding to Trump telling rallygoers in Youngstown, Ohio, and he had sized up Husted’s backside and legs — and was impressed with what he saw.
“It’s never been my thing, to be honest with you. But I looked at his ass,” Trump said, drawing laughter from the crowd. “And then I looked at his legs. It’s like a pile of muscle!”
Husted, 59, is a former University of Dayton football star who helped lead his team to a DIII national championship.
Husted took Trump’s crack about his body in stride.
“We’re an athletic family. We try to stay in shape,” he said. “I had a great joy of playing college football, and my wife’s a marathon runner, and we’re just trying to be a healthy family.”
But, Trump wasn’t finished admiring Husted’s physique.
The president revisited his body inspection during a rally in Greenville, North Carolina, this weekend offering an even more detailed breakdown of his muscular build.
“I’ve never studied the body of a man before. It’s not my thing. Nothing wrong with it — of course,” Trump told the crowd, before reiterating that he had examined Husted’s backside and legs.
Trump also marveled at the senator’s shoulders, claiming he tapped Husted and hurt his own hand in the process.
“He’s like a piece of steel,” Trump said. “I said, ‘This guy’s a monster!’”
The unusual praise has thrust Husted into the spotlight as he battles Democrat Sherrod Brown in one of the country’s closely watched Senate races.
Brown leads Husted 52% to 47% in a Fox News poll, with the contest shaping up as a key fight for control of the Senate.