President Donald Trump spent the past week holding rallies in red states including Montana, Tennessee and Alaska as he seeks to drum up Republican support, but his performances drew attention for eccentric, off-script remarks rather than the candidates he backed. In Syracuse he introduced New York gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman with contradictory remarks, saying both “I’ve just known him just for a second” and “I’ve known him for a long time, years.” Trump repeated the false claim that the 2020 election was rigged and falsely said he had secured $21tn in foreign investment in the US, and he spent 15 minutes complaining about not winning a Nobel peace prize while claiming he had “settled eight wars.” He made a string of odd or crude comments, musing about animals opposing the second amendment, claiming New Yorkers should say “Hi gestating” instead of “mother,” and praising Ohio candidate Jon Husted’s physique with lines such as “I looked at his ass” and calling Husted’s hands like “claws,” then later complimenting his jawline. At multiple stops Trump insulted immigrants from Somalia, saying they “come from a part of the world that only knows how to kill each other” and calling them “low IQ” and lacking pants. The Guardian says these eccentric performances have made Trump’s behavior the focus of the appearances rather than the races he aims to influence as the election approaches.
