Trump talks about neuroses, chairs and his wife’s underwear drawer in a recent affordability speech

President Donald Trump came to North Carolina on Friday to talk about the economy.

He explained how his wife organizes her lingerie drawer.

“I think she steams them,” he offered at one point, hoping to highlight the violation Melania Trump felt when, he said, FBI agents found old undergarments — “sometimes known as panties” — during their 2022 Mar-a-Lago search.

In Trump’s realm of touch, it wasn’t the wildest, or the angriest, or the most outlandish.

Although the president hopes to refocus the nation’s attention on his economic record ahead of next year’s crucial midterm elections, it was another reminder that his own focus often remains somewhat distant.

Trump discussed the economy periodically during his 90-minute speech, which he called a “quick little stop” in Rocky Mount on his way to Mar-a-Lago for the holidays. He trumped a report this week that showed inflation had cooled unexpectedly. He announced the previous day about reducing the price of some medicines. He framed the rise in the unemployment rate as a success because he fired many government employees.

Supporters behind him held signs reading “Lower Prices” and “Bigger Paychecks.” But even the visual cues didn’t stop the president from going well off-piste — often to the delight of his crowd.

As he explained the conversation that went into the drug pricing plan, attendees listened politely, if silently, as he adopted a French accent to mimic President Emmanuel Macron during their drug talks.

The audience really came alive as they remembered their rivalry from almost a decade ago.

“I don’t know, beating Hillary was fun,” he roared. “Remember, she was a bad person. I’m not going to use the B word. I said, ‘My wife is not going to be happy.’

There are many Trump advisers who prefer the president to focus more on the here and now, or — even better — what’s-to-come. As he loses his political edge over the economy, many of his allies worry that he has lost touch with the concerns and concerns of voters that propelled him to office in the first place.

Friday’s rally was the latest in a series of roadshows that White House advisers plan to get Trump to push his message to lower prices. He also delivered a primetime address to the nation this week meant to drive home a message.

Much of his argument is that he inherited an economic disaster from Joe Biden, even though inflation was at 3% when he took office and is slightly lower now. (And economists have warned that last month’s drop in inflation had a lot to do with shutdown-related distortions in economic data.)

However, as is often the case, the intended content of Trump’s speech was a target that did not always find the arrow.

As he hit the hour mark, his list of grievances grew, including the news media and Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, a onetime loyalist who broke with him dramatically and whom Trump now calls “Marjorie Traitor Brown.”

Melania’s side about the extravaganza came amid controversy over the investigation into her while she was out of office. He contemplated awarding himself a large sum of money in connection with complaints he filed against the Justice Department.

“I’m suing and I’m the one who has to settle. So I’m going to give myself $1 billion and give it all to charity,” he said.

Trump found plenty of distractions in the crowd, including a group of glamorous women from the western part of the state who volunteer at his events. When he saw a hat he liked, he explained how he could gauge its value.

“I want gold thread, not mustard color, you know?” He said. “When you have a mustard-colored thread, don’t accept it.”

Recalling the time he came to North Carolina as a hotelier to buy furniture, he explained the true nature of the job.

“The arm of the chair was very important to me. I said, ‘I like that chair, but the shape of the arm should be different,'” he said. He continued: “I’m a very aesthetic person, believe me, except for women, I don’t care what a woman looks like. I used to say beautiful. I don’t care anymore.”

He spent several minutes discussing his physical health amid questions about his stamina after appearing sleepy during several on-camera shows recently. He points to a string of cognitive tests that he claims have been tested. And he promised to alert the nation if he fell.

“When that time comes, I’ll let you know about it. In fact, you’ll know just by looking at it,” he said. “But that time is not now, because I’ve felt the same way I’ve felt for 50 years.”

It was, in the end, the same kind of speech Trump had been giving for more than 10 years, a “weave” he takes great pride in. It has less to do with a calculated political message than a free-association of whatever’s on his mind—which is often what people or organizations think he’s doing wrong.

If some of his fixations cause jealousy among his allies, Trump has a different approach.

“I think I’m probably too neurotic,” he said in Rocky Mount. “I always say controlled neurosis is good. Being neurotic, not good. But if it’s controlled, it’s fine. It gives you some energy.”

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