As Sen. Jon Husted's backside has become the subject of President Donald Trump's effusive praise in the closing weeks of the general election campaign, the national media has taken notice of the Republican senator's physique.
The attention on Husted's behind began at an Oct. 12 rally in Youngstown, when Trump began speaking about Husted, who is up for reelection against challenger and former Democratic senator Sherrod Brown. Trump said that while he doesn't "doesn't do this with men very often," he "started examining his body because I didn't know he was a great athlete."
"And I looked and I watched up and down," Trump said. "I looked at his ass
and I looked at the whole … 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."
Trump has made two other remarks about Husted's butt since then, including at rallies in Ohio and North Carolina.
Trump on Jon Husted: "I'm studying his body. I've never studied the body of a man before. It's not my thing. Nothing wrong with it, of course. But it's never been my thing. But I looked at his ass. I said, 'His ass, shit, it's like a pile of muscle.' Then I looked at his legs and… pic.twitter.com/hAkx2tWgpK
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 20, 2026
Husted was a former University of Dayton cornerback and kick returner, and he earned All-America defensive back honors as part of the 1989 Division III National Championship football team.
Husted, who was appointed to fill the role vacated by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, is running against Brown, who previously served 18 years in the U.S. Senate. Brown lost his seat in 2024 to Republican U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno. Husted has Trump's endorsement.
Trump's remarks have spawned a healthy attention to Husted's physique, including jokes, articles and even Vice President JD Vance weighing in on the matter.
What do Americans look for in a Senate candidate? The Daily Show says 'an ass that won't quit'
Faux-news comedy show The Daily Show ran a fake campaign ad for Husted featuring Trump's remarks, including a supercut of his multiple descriptions of Husted's body and rear end. The fake ad also features a healthy number of backside jokes and puns related to campaign issues like affordability and gas prices.
Trump knows what voters want in a Senate candidate: an ass that won't quit pic.twitter.com/g4THV0ksog
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) October 21, 2026
"For Ohio, the top issue is a bottom," the show joked. "Jon Husted understands that times are tight – as tight as that ass."
Democratic challenger Sherrod Brown, the fake ad says, unfortunately has "an ass that will quit."
"Sorry Sherrod, Ohioans don't want none unless you got buns," the video joked.
Vice President J.D. Vance at Middletown rally: 'Don't worry, I'm not talking about Jon Husted's ass'
At an Oct. 21 rally at Vance's hometown in Middletown, the Vice President remarked that there was not much he could say about Husted that Trump hasn't already said – including "talking about his ass.'
JD Vance: "What could I possibly say about Jon Husted that Donald J Trump has not already said? Don't worry, I'm not gonna talk about Jon Husted's ass." pic.twitter.com/jkZqfsv11X
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 21, 2026
"What could I possibly say about Jon Husted that Donald J. Trump has not already said?" Vance said. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna talk about Jon Husted's ass."
CNN's Anderson Cooper: Husted's 'ass may be hard, but his polling is soft'
On the Oct. 21 edition of Anderson Cooper's CNN show 360, Cooper played a supercut of Trump's remarks and closed with remarking that Husted's "ass may be hard, but his polling is soft."
Cooper: As for Senator Husted, his ass may be hard, but his polling is soft pic.twitter.com/yFz47hm27j
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 22, 2026
An Oct. 20 Marist poll shows Husted trailing Brown by 4% and a Fox News poll of likely voters found that Brown leads Husted by 5% – but an Oct. 19Rasmussen poll found Husted up 49% over Brown's 47%.
Articles lampoon, highlight Trump's fixation on Husted's posterior
An Oct. 20 satirical article in The Atlantic titled "All The President's Hotties" noted that many observers have diagnosed Trump with "gay dementia," focusing on his many remarks about men's physiques, including his latest spree of remarks about Husted.
"Step forward, Jon Husted of Ohio, with your glorious, rippling glutes," the article reads. "Trump discovered that Husted used to be a star football player. Naturally, the president looked for evidence of this in Husted’s buttocks—the windows to the soul."
Husted's fanny has even gained attention across the pond. Conservative British newspaper The Telegraph noted that his remarks about Husted's "muscular backside" have been the latest in a slew of "man-musing" remarks from the president. The Independent, a British online newspaper, wrote that "Trump can’t stop talking about body of Ohio’s male senator even when campaigning in North Carolina."
Slate, on the other hand, asked a different question: "Just How Nice Is Jon Husted’s Ass, Really?" The author of the article reviewed photos and videos of Husted's behind and came to a conclusion that he was not impressed.
"From what I can tell, he appears to have a totally normal ass," the author wrote. "Husted certainly isn’t one of those pancake-butt white guys — he has hips, a waist, and real body mass — but in the only sequence in the video when his back is to the camera, his posterior isn’t much to write home about."
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Trump's remarks on Husted's behind the butt of international jokes
