Sigmund Freud would be loving this. The legendary psychologist’s theory of psychosexual development focused on the idea that people could become stuck in certain childhood phases due to receiving too much or too little attention. If that happened between birth and 18 months or so, you developed an oral fixation. After three years, a phallic one.
If you got “stuck” as a toddler, though, then you’d become anally fixated. Freudian psychology was never grounded in evidence and has been widely discredited by mainstream practitioners for decades. But when a US President often derided as the toddler-in-chief suddenly starts obsessively commenting on the appearance of people’s butts, what are we supposed to think?
On Sunday, Donald Trump devoted some of his two-hour-long remarks at a rally in Michigan – in the final days before elections that will make or break the rest of his presidency – to commenting on the buttocks of rapper Nicki Minaj.
“I looked at one hell of a beautiful ass before, Nicki Minaj. That’s hard to miss,” the President of the United States told the crowd, to applause. He then asked her to stand up to show off her assets, which she obligingly did, turning around for the spectators.
Trump is clearly delighted with Minaj. Over the weekend, one of his top press officials posted a mock-interview with the singer for the vacant role of White House Press Secretary after Katie Zacharia was fired from the position last week after just five days.
Steven Cheung, the White House director of communications, wrote on X: “Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may have found the new White House Press Secretary!”
Back at his Michigan rally, Trump declared: “She never looked more beautiful,” as the singer-songwriter walked off stage.
Needless to say, if the former president Joe Biden had commented on the body of a woman only just over half his age in such a manner – especially at a political rally – it would dominate headlines for weeks, with endless confected outrage from conservative commentators.
With Trump, it will largely be met by shrugs, even though Trump was adjudicated by a civil court in New York to have sexually assaulted the writer E Jean Carroll, and was caught on mic boasting about how when it came to women, he could “grab ‘em by the pussy”, because he was famous.
At least, his supporters will note, he had a reason to be talking about Nicki Minaj’s ass. For one, she is a prominent Trump supporter – she refers to herself as his “#1 fan” – and had travelled with him on Air Force One to the rally that day. For another, Minaj’s ass is famous. One of her best-known songs, , is about what an asset it has been to her, after all.
Mostly, though, Trump’s supporters are likely to be relieved that the President was for once not talking about the buttocks of someone else – specifically, that of Jon Husted, the 59-year-old Republican senator for Ohio, who is locked in a touch-and-go battle to hold onto his seat against Democratic challenger Sherrod Brown. He had briefly singled out Husted’s figure in Michigan before veering to Minaj’s body.
Until Trump’s intervention, Jon Husted’s rear end had not been a major fixation of the Ohio Senate race. Indeed, it had gone unmentioned for the entirety of his political career, until earlier this month. Husted could essentially have been drawn from central casting (one of Trump’s favourite phrases) for a Republican politician – he’s a man in late middle age, and looks absolutely unremarkable for someone in that position.
Except, it seems, to Donald Trump. “I don’t do this with men very often,” Trump said at an Ohio rally, with Husted present. “I started examining his body, because I didn’t know he was a great athlete. And I looked and I watched up and down. I looked at his ass…”
At the time, this intervention seemed a little odd, but Trump in 2026 is often somewhat erratic. What was strange was that Trump kept on talking about it, long after leaving Ohio, and when Husted was hundreds or thousands of miles away. When an audience of Trump loyalists gathered to hear the President speak in Kentucky, they probably weren’t there for a discussion of Husted’s assets – but that’s what they got.
“I examined his ass,” Trump said. “And then I looked at his shoulders. I looked at his feet. I looked at his hand. I looked at his jawline. Studied him. He’s got a jawline.”
Given Trump relies on the votes of evangelical Christians to win his elections, and his Republican Party has campaigned aggressively against “LGBT indoctrination” – even banning books on gay themes from schools and public libraries – his supporters might have been relieved the President had returned, at least, to commenting on a woman’s body, rather than a man’s.
Sadly, though, even in Michigan over the weekend, Trump could not resist one last mention of Husted’s butt. “I’ve never done that with a man before,” Trump confided in the crowd. “Off the record, women? Yes. Men? No.”
Sigmund Freud would feel certain he knew what Trump’s apparent fixation on asses really means. The rest of us are left to guess. Maybe, even at 80 years old, Trump is working through some things. Perhaps Trump just likes anything that seems to wind people up and get a bit of attention.
Trump might even simply be bored, campaigning for other people when his name isn’t on the ballot, despite how high the stakes are for him. Maybe the real cause is something else entirely. Whatever the reason, the facts are plain: with a week to go until crucial elections, no one can stop Donald Trump talking about butts. As Sir-Mix-a-Lot might say: Oh. My. God.
How rare cancer behaves differently depending on location
Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have found that a rare, aggressive cancer, commonly occurring in the uterus, abdomen and limbs, behaves differently depending on where it is found in the body.
What you need to know
- Leiomyosarcoma is the most common subtype of soft tissue sarcoma.
- It affects smooth muscle cells, also known as involuntary muscles, which are found in the walls of hollow organs.
- Around 600 cases of leiomyosarcoma are diagnosed each year in the UK.
- Scientists studied more than 11,700 patients with the condition.
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The findings of the study
Researchers found that leiomyosarcomas of the uterus, urinary tract and trunk had the poorest survival rates, compared with cancers of the head and neck, limbs, and male reproductive tract.
There are also significantly poorer outcomes for Black patients, widowed patients and those from lower-income households.
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Why is this important?
This study shows why our investment into rare cancers is key. It highlights how research can uncover critical differences between tumours which is vital for developing more effective, personalised treatments for patients.
Dr Catherine Elliott, Cancer Research UK’s director of research
Why demand to see tribute acts is on the rise
Venues say they are putting on more events to cater to a growing cohort of people who want a more affordable night out, as fans are priced out of seeing big artists perform live.
Cost of living hits music fans
Around a fifth of UK adults have attended a tribute act show in the past 12 months, a survey by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) found.
More than two-thirds agreed that seeing major acts live has become too expensive.
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Harder, better, faster, cheaper
The soaring prices of tickets to attend live concerts has come under scrutiny following world tours for big artists like Harry Styles, Taylor Swift and Beyonce in recent years.
Instead, audiences are increasingly turning to tribute acts such as Arctic Numpties, Noasis, Fleetwood Bac, Daft Funk and Pitbull to hear the back catalogues of their favourite artists.
Paying tribute for less
Dan Ickowitz-Seidler, the director of Propaganda Venues, said the group is booking more tribute shows in response to a “real increase” in demand.
“People want an affordable night out where they can see a quality band, hear songs they love and have a great evening with friends,” he said.
3 min read
What young people want out of the Budget
The priorities of those under 40 reflect the pressures facing a generation trying to get ahead.
We speak to three young people in their twenties and thirties about what they want to see announced on 28 October.
The ‘broken’ student loan system
Researcher Toby Whelton, 24, said: “Retroactive changes to loan terms, made long after I graduated, will cost me tens of thousands more over my lifetime.”
Whelton wants to see the government reduce the repayment rate to 5 per cent as he thinks the current rate of 9 per cent is “simply too high”.
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‘I want to see income tax thresholds rise’
- Dan Johnson, from Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, wants to see an end to the freezing of income tax thresholds in the UK.
Currently, the income tax personal allowance remains frozen at £12,570, and the higher-rate threshold remains frozen at £50,270.- These aren’t due to be unfrozen until 2031.
The 35-year-old said: “This is a stealth tax that’s brought millions of middle earners into the 40 per cent tax band. It’s a disincentive to earning more and taking on more responsibility.”
‘Energy costs are a worry’
Taylor Cooper, 31, wants more support with everyday costs for working households.
“The Chancellor could help by introducing targeted support to reduce energy bills, taking steps to bring mortgage costs down and making sure working households keep more of what they earn,” she said.
Cooper would love to see a postponement of any planned increase in fuel duty as petrol prices have soared in recent months.
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