Former president Donald Trump on Saturday went on an extended rant about Pennsylvania lieutenant governor and Democratic senate candidate John Fetterman that ended with him accusing Mr Fetterman of using multiple illegal drugs.
Mr Trump was speaking at a Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, political rally in support of GOP Senate candidate Mehmet Oz when he began speaking about Mr Fetterman, who is currently leading Mr Oz in most public polling.
He said the Pennsylvania lieutenant governor — who is known for his trademark campaign trail uniform of shorts and hooded sweatshirts — dresses “like a teenager getting high in his parents basement” and called him a “raging lunatic” who not only supports legalisation of illicit drugs but partakes of them personally.
“Fetterman supports taxpayer funded drug dens and the complete decriminalization of illegal drugs, including heroin, cocaine, crystal meth and ultra lethal fentanyl,” he said. “And by the way, he takes them himself”.
There is no evidence that Mr Fetterman, who recently returned to the campaign trail after suffering a stroke, has ever used any of the substances Mr Trump mentioned.
In a statement, Fetterman campaign spokesperson Joe Calvello called the ex-president’s claims “more and more lies from Trump and Dr Oz”.
“Another day, but it's the same crap from these two desperate and sad dudes,” he said.