Trump jokes about deploying robot lookalike due to campaign fatigue
The president quipped about using artificial intelligence to campaign in his stead as his voice grew raspy from a demanding midterm election schedule.
President Donald Trump, citing a demanding schedule campaigning for Republicans in the midterm elections, has joked about deploying a robot lookalike to attend rallies on his behalf. Trump's voice became noticeably raspy during recent campaign events, a symptom he attributed to his extensive travel across the country.
"I just hope my voice holds out," Trump said Thursday during a White House lunch event, referencing his recent late nights and early mornings. He floated the idea of using artificial intelligence to create a robotic replica of himself. "I could maybe get one of those beautiful robots that they make nowadays and make them look just like me, and you wouldn't know the difference," he added. "Send them out on the trail. I can sit home and watch them on television."
The president has maintained an aggressive travel itinerary in the lead-up to the November 3 midterm elections, with numerous rallies and speeches. In just over a week, Trump has visited states including Texas, New York, Tennessee, Ohio, Alaska, Arizona, Maryland, and Montana. This "midterm blitz," as the White House has termed it, has primarily focused on Republican strongholds.
Trump's recent West Coast swing exemplified the compressed nature of his travel. On Tuesday, he flew from Washington to Alaska for an evening rally, then traveled to Las Vegas. The following day, he attended rallies in Arizona and Montana before returning to Washington early Thursday morning. The cumulative effect of this schedule has visibly taken a toll on the president, as evidenced by his strained voice.
During the same Thursday event, Trump also commented on the health of Democratic candidates, noting that Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico took two weeks to recover from the flu. "I never heard of a flu that lasted that long, but maybe he had a different kind of flu that we don't know about," Trump remarked.
Trump has further upcoming campaign stops scheduled, including visits to Wichita, Kansas, on Monday, October 19; Greenville, North Carolina, on Tuesday; and Greenville, South Carolina, on Wednesday.