Donald Trump claimed on Sunday that his recent public comments about the physique of Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) have significantly benefited Husted's polling numbers.
Appearing on Fox News, Trump stated that Husted "went up 14 points or something" following a rally where the former president made remarks about Husted's body. Trump referenced the incident, during which he used a specific term while discussing Husted's physical appearance, suggesting his comments had a positive effect on the Senate race.
"And that was my rally. That was when I said, you know the word, the A-word. And everyone said, ‘Oh, why is he talking about that?’ You know they didn’t put the whole clip because they just —," Trump said, before elaborating on his observation of Husted's "strength."
"I looked at his body, I said, ‘Look at this strength in this guy. This is crazy.’ And they said, ‘What, why is he doing it?’ You know, the fake news, they said, ‘Why?’ — all they had to do was hang out for another 30 seconds and they would’ve learned," he continued. "But you know it had a tremendous impact."
However, available polling data does not appear to support Trump's assertion. In the U.S. Senate race, ex-Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) leads Husted in a majority of recent polls.
Jon Husted, a former NCAA Division III football player, reportedly told Fox News that he has used Trump's comments as motivation. According to media reports, Husted told his wife that he needed to "get down to the gym and keep up my reputation."