Senate shoutouts, Jake Paul & no Beshear jabs: 5 takeaways from Trump’s KY speech
President Donald Trump covered a lot of ground in his speech at a Northern Kentucky logistics facility Wednesday, which went on more than an hour.
In advance of this year’s midterm elections, Trump played up much of what his administration has done in an attempt to boost the economy, namely tax cuts enacted under his marquee budget bill last year.
He also spent much of the speech bashing incumbent U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican, who has been a thorn in Trump’s side throughout the term, pushing back on his foreign policy moves and forcing a vote on the release of investigative files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
But some other notable dynamics and appearances were at play during the event, hosted at Verst Logistics near the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
For one, all three leading Republican candidates for Senate were present and near Trump when he gave his speech, but none of them spoke. Trump has yet to signal if he’ll endorse in the race.
But local celebrities from both sides of the Ohio River, Jake Paul and Nicholas Sandmann, both provided brief remarks on stage.
And the event had to pause due to a health emergency in the crowd, with a familiar face in both Republican politics and daytime television coming to the rescue.
US Senate race dynamics
The three top Republican candidates to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell — Lexington tech entrepreneur Nate Morris, former Attorney General Daniel Cameron and U.S. Rep. Andy Barr — were all on hand near the stage and received brief shoutouts from Trump.
Barr’s team made hay of the fact that he received a more substantial remark from Trump than the others. However, Barr is the only federal officeholder of the bunch, and Trump’s comments on Barr came alongside his comments about Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno.
“Been with me all the way. Andy Barr is a good guy, a warrior,” Trump said.
The president also thanked Cameron and called Morris a “good man.”
Kentucky statewide officeholders give speeches
Well before Trump took stage at the rally, three Republican Kentucky statewide officeholders — Secretary of State Michael Adams, Attorney General Russell Coleman and Auditor Allison Ball — riled up the crowd.
All three officeholders praised Trump, but touched on different reasons on why he’s helped Kentucky.
For Adams, he praised Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, calling the legislation “pro-taxpayer” and “pro-child.” He said the legislation will eliminate taxes and expand childcare and education opportunities, which is something Kentucky should be grateful for.
“It helps families pay for tutoring after school programs, technology, whether their child has been a public school or a private school,” Adams said.
The inclusion of Adams raised some eyebrows among political observers. The federal Department of Justice sued Adams and the Kentucky Board of Elections last month in an effort to get access to voter information. Adams has refused to turn over the sensitive data, saying he “will not voluntarily commit a data breach.”
Ball thanked Trump for taking America into a “golden age” and touted her work as state auditor, including criticizing Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration for “wasteful spending” in a recent report.
Coleman said Kentucky has an ally again in the White House, and “common sense is back in the commonwealth.”
“We’re welcoming him to the state where we stand united for what matters,” Coleman said. “For the safety of our families, for economic opportunity, (and) for freedom.”
No Andy Beshear mention
Beshear, predictably, did not attend the Northern Kentucky rally.
Perhaps less expected: Trump made no mention of the governor, who has been making frequent appearances on television news programs as the current chair of the Democratic Governors Association and as a possible contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.
He did, however, mention California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is also believed to be a 2028 candidate.
Trump said Newsom has admitted that he has “mental problems” and “is not a smart person.”
Newsom recently had a viral moment on social media, where he discussed his low SAT scores and difficulty reading speeches. In his recent memoir “Young Man in a Hurry,” he also discusses his lifelong struggle with dyslexia.
“I don’t want the President of the United States to have a cognitive deficiency,” Trump said. “...When it comes to president, you gotta be sharp.”
Jake Paul, Nick Sandmann take stage
Trump brought several guests on stage, including boxer and podcaster Jake Paul and former Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann.
Although Paul hasn’t launched a political campaign, Trump gave his support for a future run for office on stage for him.
“I’m going to make a prediction, that you will be in the not-too-distant future running for political office. You have my complete and total endorsement,” Trump said.
Paul joined Trump onstage, saying that Trump taught him courage and to never back down from a fight.
“We never back down from a fight, even if they’re much bigger than you, much, much bigger than you,” Paul said. “I feel all the local Kentuckians feel the same way. You guys have that fight. You guys have that swag.”
Trump also gave a shoutout to Sandmann, who in 2019 was part of a viral video of him face-to-face with Native American Nathan Phillips outside the Lincoln Memorial. Phillips was beating a drum and singing a traditional song while Sandmann smiled.
After that incident, Sandmann sued eight media outlets for defamatory statements. In 2020, he settled with CNN, NBC Universal and the Washington Post.
“Thank you, thank you,” Sandmann said. “And as I just said, really, the only thing that I can say is, Mr. President, thank you. Thank you, and thank you to all of you, because it’s us together which can beat the radical left. So, thank you. We will always stand with you.”
Oz helps during 2 medical incidents
During Trump’s speech, there were two incidents in which attendees required medical attention. Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, responded in both situations.
In the first medical incident, multiple attendees from the crowd behind Trump shouted for a medic. Trump, who heard their cries for help, paused his speech for a woman who had fainted. Oz went into the crowd to help the woman.
Oz, who fell short of a bid for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania in 2022, became famous for hosting “The Dr. Oz Show,” a health-themed talk show that grew as an offshoot of Oprah Winfrey’s program.
After confirming the woman was OK, Trump continued his speech, picking up with an insult about Newsom.
“Doesn’t seem like a very good subject right now,” he said. “It made that young lady not feel so good.”
A second man in back of the crowd fainted minutes later. Oz also helped him as he regained consciousness.
This story was originally published March 12, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
