President Donald Trump dropped a wild story about a “friend” who “chokes like a dog” when speaking in public, as he simultaneously seemed to praise his own public speaking abilities.

Trump spoke before a crowd at the Mack Trucks facility in Macungie, Pennsylvania. Part of Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, the area is drawing attention ahead of the midterm elections as incumbent Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie faces off against Democrat Bob Brooks, who is president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association.

As he took to the podium, Trump slammed California’s voter policies and claimed, “They can put you in jail if you say, ‘Sir, do you have proof of citizenship?'” He also claimed he stopped California from rigging the gubernatorial race against Steve Hilton.

He then declared “California is rigged” and added, “We have to pass the SAVE America Act,” which was met with applause. That applause led Trump into an odd tangent as he buttered up the crowd:

Look at these guys. What love. Friend of mine is a very big real estate developer, but he’s got a problem with speaking in front of crowd. He chokes. He chokes like a dog. He said, ‘How do you do it?’ I say, ‘It’s easy. Because there’s so much love in the room. There’s so much unbelievable love. It’s easy to do.’ You know?

He’s got this tremendous fear of speaking. The guy is a major player. Most of you have heard of him. He’s a killer. He destroys people for a living, financially. Not physically. Physically, he can barely walk. He is a basket case. But he’s, up here, very smart. And he destroys people. Very rich. But he can’t get up in front of a crowd and talk. I said, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ He said, ‘I don’t know. I have a fear of crowds’

The president used the story as a segue to praise his own public speaking, made “easy” in front of a crowd of people who “love” him:

You know, a lot of people want to do what I do. … A lot of people, they say, ‘Well, Trump became President for being a very successful businessman. I want to do it, too.’ That’s when they find out that they might have the flaw of speaking or even worse is a terrible past. The past will come out to haunt you. It’s not an easy thing to do,  but I love it. I say it’s real easy to do when you have people that love you.

Trump told a nearly identical story about his “friend” at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2019, though he omitted details about the individual’s physical state as well as the “like a dog” analogy:

But this guy — you all know his name — very rich guy. And he has a problem with a thing called public speaking. If he has to speak to more than like five people, he chokes. He can’t breathe. You know, juh-juh. ‘Are you okay’ He kills people for a living — meaning mentally and financially — but if there’s like an audience of nine, it’s like ‘augh.’ (Laughter.) So he said to me, ‘How the hell do you do that?’ And I said, ‘It’s easy.’ And the reason it’s easy — I really mean this — there’s so much love in this room, it’s easy to talk. You can talk your heart out. You really could. There’s love in this room. You can talk your heart out. It’s easy. (Applause.) It’s easy. It’s easy.

Watch above via Fox News.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!