A prominent Trump loyalist has acknowledged that the president looks as “tired” as he’s ever seen him, as Trump crisscrosses Republican territory on a grueling midterm rally tour.
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell said this week that Trump has looked worn down by his packed schedule of campaign stops. Independent journalist Aaron Rupar flagged the remarks Monday.
“He looked about as tired as I’ve seen him,” Lindell admitted to a virtual room of listeners. “He was very uh, and — I don’t want to say the word down, him and I, we don’t get down, but he did seem — these rallies, just one after another.”
The admission stands out coming from Lindell, who spent years as one of Trump’s loudest surrogates and poured millions into promoting false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
Rupar, commenting on the clip, mocked the venues Trump has been playing, writing that the president was performing in high school and small college gyms that were only about three-quarters full. Trump’s tour has included a stop at a high school gym in Vandalia, Ohio, and he spoke to entire sections of empty seats in Clarksville, Tennessee, earlier this month. Trump has insisted he never has empty seats, and even demanded The New York Times be “arrested” over its crowd reporting.
Lindell’s assessment echoes recent reporting from inside Trump’s orbit.
Lindell’s assessment echoes recent reporting from inside Trump’s orbit.
One adviser told The Washington Post that Trump, 80, has at times been in high spirits on the road and believes the campaign is going well. But another person familiar with his behavior told the paper the president has been in a “foul mood.” Former ABC News correspondent Terry Moran has argued the rallies expose Trump’s decline.
Trump, for his part, has projected strength. At a rally in Highland Heights, Kentucky, on Saturday, he boasted, “I don’t think I could have done this in my first term. This is a much more powerful term.”
The admission comes against a grim backdrop for Republicans, with voters frustrated as tariffs and the Iran war drive up prices.
Lindell stepped down as MyPillow CEO to campaign for Minnesota governor, then lost the August Republican primary despite Trump’s endorsement.
