Donald Trump tries to get more people voting - by attacking ‘fat husbands’ at Michigan rally

In his latest comments demeaning Americans, US presidential candidate Donald Trump used his speech at his Michigan rally on Friday (October 18) to go after an imaginary woman named ‘Jill’ and tell her “fat husband” to get “off the couch” and “vote for Trump” – yes, really.

The Republican’s comments in Detroit come as he still faces condemnation after branding his political opponents “the enemy from within”, suggesting that the national guard or military should be deployed against them.

Taking aim at this mysterious ‘Jill’, he said: “Early voting is underway so get everyone you know and get out and vote. Go tomorrow, it’s just starting, go and vote, make sure you vote, and bring all our friends that want to vote for us, tell them: ‘Jill, get your fat husband off the couch. Get that fat pig off the couch.

“’Time to go and vote for Trump, he’s going to save our country’ … Get him up, Jill. Slap him around, get him up!

“Get him up, Jill, we want him off the couch to get out and vote.”

Except, many have pointed out that Trump’s remarks aren’t exactly encouraging when it comes to motivating people to vote.

Others, meanwhile, noted another mention of the word ‘couch’, which already has a negative backstory behind it for the Republican campaign thanks to a viral internet meme concerning Trump’s running mate, JD Vance.

If you missed it, we’ll keep it brief: an unsubstantiated claim circulated online that Vance engaged in a sexual act involving a sofa – and that this is detailed in his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy (it isn’t).

Even the Democrats have acknowledged the meme in their campaigning, with vice presidential candidate Tim Walz telling a rally in Philadelphia on 6 August that he “can’t wait” to debate the Ohio senator “if he’s wanting to get off the couch and show up”.

“See what I did there,” he added.

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