Donald Trump has mused about using a doppelganger robot to replace him on the campaign trail so the aging president can save his energy.
The bizarre idea emerged during a White House speech on Thursday, in which the 80-year-old president also reflected on his health, unexpectedly announced a new death penalty proposal, and admitted some guests had been seated with people they didn’t like.
Speaking to first responders during a lunch in the Rose Garden, the president began by recapping his midterm blitz, which this week included stops in Alaska, Arizona and Montana.
But after returning to the White House at 4 a.m. on Thursday, his voice sounded raspy as he acknowledged that barnstorming the country meant “a lot” of travel and rallies.
“I just hope my voice holds out. If my voice holds out, we’re going to be in great shape,” Trump said.
“You know, it is one voice after all,” he continued. “I could maybe get one of those beautiful robots that they make nowadays, make them look just like me, and you wouldn’t know the difference. They make them pretty good. Send them out on the trail. I can sit home and watch them on television.”
The president appeared to be referring to humanoid robots, built with an anthropomorphic body shape and designed to move, think, and interact naturally in human environments.
His comments came as the midterm campaign hit its final stretch and new research raised fresh alarm bells for the GOP as it tried to hold on to its thin majority in Congress.
The latest survey from the Trump-friendly Fox News, for instance, showed the president’s approval rating diving to 36 percent—his worst ever in that poll—and his job rating on the economy at a staggering 22 percent.
But the president seemed to be in good spirits, albeit slightly tired, as he regaled his lunch guests with stories about his renovations (“we put a brand new coat over the White House”); paid tribute to Attorney General Todd Blanche (“where’s my Todd?”) and repeated his election lies (“we also happened to win in 2020 but they cheated”).
At one point, he also surprised his guests by announcing a new proposed law for the death penalty.
Trump has already promised capital punishment for people who murder police officers, but at the lunch, he told Blanche he should add to the list anyone who “murders a firefighter going up a ladder.”
“Can you do that Todd?” he asked. “The death penalty, Todd.”
Trump was then gifted a helmet from the head of the National Volunteer Fire Council, which the president noted “would have been very helpful” when he was almost assassinated during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024.
“I mean, I wish you gave it to me a little bit earlier,” he said as he accepted the gift.
Trump, who suffers from swollen ankles, bruised hands and is now the oldest president to occupy the White House, also reflected on his health and mortality.
He said he was lucky because he didn’t drink, smoke or take drugs, but added: “I have other problems. I have very severe problems. I don’t want to add them to the list … ‘cause if I did, I guarantee I wouldn’t be here right now.”
After about 30 minutes, the president concluded his speech and told the first responders to enjoy their lunch: autumn butternut squash soup, grilled prime New York strip steak, and garden carrot cake with ice cream, according to the White House.
“It’s an honor to have you here,” he said. “Maybe we should play a little music so you don’t have to talk to each other so much. Some of you don’t like each other; some of you are at very uncomfortable tables.”
