Donald Trump has said he would rather die by electrocution than be eaten by a shark, in a bizarre tangent during a campaign rally in Ottumwa, Iowa, on Sunday. The former US president's remarks came as he criticised President Joe Biden's push for electric vehicles, claiming their batteries are so heavy that boats would sink.
Speaking to a crowd of around 2,500, Trump claimed that local farmers were approaching him in tears to thank him for his work. 'They were crying, many of them crying. People that had never cried before,' he said. He also accused the Biden administration of weaponising law enforcement to arrest political opponents on 'fake and phony charges'.
Trump launched a nearly 20-minute attack on Florida governor Ron DeSantis, a rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He also alleged that the current administration was trying to 'crush' Iowa's ethanol industry by pushing for electric vehicles. 'Crooked Joe is trying to crush Iowa ethanol,' he said.
In a meandering monologue about the dangers of electric cars, Trump imagined a scenario where a boat with a heavy battery is sinking, and a shark is nearby. 'I have a choice of electrocution or shark. You know what I'm going to take? Electrocution. I will take electrocution every single time,' he said.
This is not the first time Trump has digressed about sharks. In 2020, at a rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania, he complained about efforts to protect sharks, saying he was 'not a big fan'. Adult film actress Stormy Daniels also claimed in her 2018 memoir that during their affair, Trump expressed hatred for sharks and said he would not mind if they all died.
