President Donald Trump says his wife, Melania, has repeatedly asked him to stop one of his rally routines. He performed it again anyway. Speaking to supporters in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 5, Trump said First Lady Melania Trump has told him she dislikes one of his most talked-about bits and then repeated the routine on stage.
Donald Trump repeated his mock weightlifting performance during an Aug. 5 appearance in Las Vegas
Trump addressed a packed crowd at the Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa, primarily to promote his administration’s economic agenda. He also rallied support for local Republican candidates ahead of the upcoming midterm elections and pitched his “No Tax on Tips” policy directly to Las Vegas hospitality workers, a significant voting bloc in the city.
The event took a personal turn when Donald Trump referenced his wife’s reaction to one of his signature rally bits: an exaggerated impression of a female weightlifter struggling to lift a bar, performed alongside remarks mocking the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Trump told the crowd that the first lady has called the routine “terrible” and “not presidential.” He added, “She hates it when I imitate no men in women’s sports, she hates it when I do the weightlifting,” Trump said, before performing the bit: pretending to strain under an invisible barbell and pulling an exaggerated facial expression as supporters cheered.
Trump has made similar remarks about Melania’s reaction to other rally routines. He has previously told crowds that she dislikes his stiff-armed dance routine to the Village People’s “YMCA,” a regular feature of his campaign events, and has quoted her as telling him, “Darling, please don’t dance” (via The Mirror).
Melania was last seen publicly with Trump and their son Barron at the FIFA World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19.
