Talking up the heyday of America’s auto industry while campaigning in Detroit on Thursday, Donald Trump conjured memories of his own zenith.
In what was otherwise a relatively focused speech about how he’ll rescue Motor City’s economy—which included insulting his host city—the former president waxed poetic about the American-made luxury cars he owned in his youth.
He missed out because he never had a Corvette, he said, but he did own two Pontiac GTOs, the original muscle cars.
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“I had that GTO, oh, I thought I was the hottest guy around, it was crazy,” Trump recalled. “That was something, man. I’d put that top down. See, in those days, I didn’t mind when the hair waved.”
The crowd roared with laughter. The former president smiled slyly, sensing the good vibes in the departure from his expected talking points.
“I’d go fast and that hair would be waving, that blond hair, and I’d say, ‘Who the hell can take me?” he said. “‘Nobody.’”
The audience laughed even louder, perhaps acknowledging that the 78-year-old’s hairdo was slightly less blond than it once had been.
“Today I’m a little more careful,” Trump said, moving his hands around his head. “I want it to be…” He paused and motioned toward the center of his scalp.
“I want to cover up that little area up there,” he admitted. “It’s a little bit soft up there. Cover it up.”
Then-President Donald Trump’s hair has an adverse reaction to the wind as he boards Air Force One.
Reuters/Jonathan ErnstThe former president was doing the rarest of things: poking fun at himself. Trump, who would replace Joe Biden as the oldest president ever inaugurated if he wins again in November, regularly emphasizes his virility and youthful energy. He brags about besting golfers decades younger than him and refers to himself as “a fine and brilliant young man.”
By the end of his two-hour remarks, Trump was back to talking about how great he looks, though his tongue was in his cheek.
“I could be right now, in the most beautiful ocean, on the sand, exposing my really beautiful body, so beautiful—” he said while the crowd chuckled. “Or I could be in Detroit with you. And I’d rather be in Detroit with you.”
