Trump holding up Senate endorsement as he obsesses over sex rumors about 'weirdo' candidate: report

According to a report from the Daily Beast, an Ohio Republican who has been courting Donald Trump for his endorsement for an open U.S. Senate seat is still waiting because the former president is not only not a big fan, but also because Trump is obsessed with rumors about the aspiring candidate's sexual predilections.

Former state of Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel is currently leading the pack in the race for the Republican nomination to replace outgoing Sen. Rob Portman (R) and has been making waves with Trump-like pronouncements -- and yet has not been given the nod by the former president.

According to the Beast's Asawin Suebsaeng and Jackie Kucinich, Mandel may be waiting for some time because Trump is being fed a steady diet of rumors about Mandel's sex habits that the former president can't seem to get enough of.

The report notes that Mandel already has one strike against him because Trump thinks he's a "weirdo."

"One reason for the hold-up is that Trump—who has long been addicted to dishingtabloid-style gossip and dirt—has for months told people close to him that he thinks Mandel is a charisma-free weirdo and dork, according to three sources who’ve spoken to Trump about Mandel and the Ohio contest since last year," the Beast is reporting before adding, "In recent months, these sources said, the onetime leader of the free world has even spent an inordinate amount of time gossiping with a large array of advisers and close associates about unconfirmed details of Mandel’s sex life. Trump has privately regurgitated, often in disgust, a wide range of unverified, often completely unvetted, and lurid rumors about the MAGA candidate."

RELATED: Dark money group with ties to Ohio Republican named in subpoena in bribery lawsuit

According to one source close to Trump, "The [former] president has used the term ‘f*cking weird’ to describe Josh Mandel more than once, when I have spoken to him about [Mandel]. He has talked about [Mandel] and sex in the same sentence more times than I would have liked to hear.”

The Beast report adds, "The other two sources, both of whom requested anonymity in order to talk about private discussions, corroborated accounts of the ex-president’s newly acquired interest in the alleged details of Mandel’s sex life or personal ongoings."

The report notes that Trump doesn't believe the Ohio Republican has the looks and demeanor to be a successful candidate particularly because of how he comes across on TV -- a high priority for the television-obsessed ex-president.

According to the Beast, "Having met with and talked to Mandel, Trump felt there was just something about Mandel and his personality that rubbed him the wrong way. Also, the former president and current leader of the Republican Party has sensed a conspicuous dearth of 'charisma' coming from this particular GOP Senate hopeful."

Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham explained that Trump's issues with Mandel come as no surprise.

"In my experience, Donald Trump is a hungry gossip for all things, including very personal details of people’s lives,” she pointed out. "When I worked for him in the White House, he had no problem bringing up or asking about supposed details of the personal lives of prominent politicians or other famous people, even his own staff. It is ironic that someone like Donald Trump, who has been accused of all kinds of sexual misconduct, would care to gossip so much about these matters, but… that’s just who he is.”

You can read more here -- subscription required.