Building ballrooms, trips with White House aides, and golf games. These are all things Sen. Jon Ossoff says Donald Trump is much more worried about than being president.
The Georgia Democrat made the comment during a rally in Atlanta on Sunday. He is running for re-election in November.
During his speech, the 39-year-old referred to Trump’s handling of the Iran war and how it’s affected many Americans.
“They made you pay more for everything, and took us to war on lies, and spent most of last year trying to cover up for the world’s most famous pedophile while the crook president and his crook family raked in billions while your tax dollars were put to work back Trump’s businesses,” Ossoff said.
He has repeatedly stoked speculation that he is laying the groundwork for a 2028 US presidential bid by publicly attacking the Trump administration.
Sailors Reportedly Trapped on USS Lincoln
Ossoff also blasted how Trump has handled the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln. The US sailors have been forced to endure a record-setting deployment of nearly nine months aboard, including more than 200 days without a port call.
“While the sailors on the Lincoln fight his war, while he fruitlessly drains our munitions and oil reserves, the president sleeps through his meetings,” Ossoff said.
The ship was deployed to the Middle East to create an American naval presence lurking in the Arabian Sea near the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. Since then, reports of worsening living conditions, mental health concerns, and supply shortages began to spark concern.
Trump denied the reports about the ship’s condition. He also said, when asked if the carrier has been deployed for too long, that the deployment is “not nearly long enough.”
The USS George Washington is heading from the Western Pacific to replace the USS Lincoln in about a week.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seemingly backed the president’s statement, calling the reported conditions onboard the Lincoln “completely misrepresented.”
“We make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment,” he told reporters. “Some deployments are longer than others. I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody.”
Executive Assistant Controversy
In addition to calling out his military controversies, Ossoff pointed to the president’s recent security scare.
“He doesn’t want to do the job,” Ossoff said. “He golfs and trades stocks. See, he doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the amir of Qatar.”
The Georgia lawmaker is referring to 34-year-old Natalie Harp, Trump’s executive assistant. She joined the president on his jet as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and other key officials remained on a decoy plane under the purported threat of an Iranian attack as the president’s entourage left a NATO summit in Turkey last month.
Harp has drawn criticism online for her apparent closeness to the president. She reportedly compiles screenshots of social media posts from allies or fans praising the president, bolstering familiar conspiracy theories, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Once Trump approves the content via printed drafts, Harp goes to the president’s Truth Social account and posts them, often during off hours, such as late at night, over the weekend, or even on holidays, the Journal report said.
“They’ve lied non-stop about this war like they lie about everything. And they know they’re lying, but they lie, and they keep lying anyway because in this White House, they view persistence in deceit as a virtue,” Ossoff said. “And there’s something uniquely despicable about lying a nation into war, treating citizens as fools and those who serve as pawns.”
President Trump Responds
Many people applauded Ossoff’s raw attack on the president.
“Democrats should play this speech every single day. Strip away the noise, the bravado, the endless performance, and you see this presidency for what it is: tired, vulnerable, and increasingly disconnected. Trump is politically beatable. Democrats need to start acting on it,” Don Frank commented. “That’s going to get under his skin. He’s going to get big mad,” @GingerJoSpice added.
When asked about Ossoff’s jab about traveling with his aide on Monday afternoon, Trump made a joke that fell flat.
“Jon Ossoff said you’d rather travel with aide Natalie Harp and build your ballroom, than do your job as president. What is your response to Jon Ossoff?”
“Who said that? You mean Pee-Wee Herman? Pee-Wee Herman look-alike,” Trump joked. However, his quip was met with total silence.
View on Threads
Ossoff critics argued he made the statements because it was election season.
“Just a whole lot of TDS from those who supported an auto pen,” @bhbyers288 wrote. “Ossoff sounds jealous. He will never be president,” @villa32940 commented.
“That’s a lot of political theater. Americans deserve facts, results, and strong leadership, not personal attacks. Let the record speak for itself,” @JimMattistlc added.
