Trump mocks former Sen. Al Franken for quitting so quickly after sexual misconduct allegation

Many of President Donald Trump's most notable quotes come from his rallies, and Thursday night's stop in Rochester, Minnesota, was no different.

Trump took a moment during the rally to mock former Democratic Sen. Al Franken, who resigned last year in the midst of a sexual misconduct scandal — comments that probably drew more attention than normal as Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's explosive confirmation process draws to a close.

"[Sen. Tina Smith] took a wacky guy's place," Trump said. "Boy, did he (Franken) fold up like a wet rag, huh? Man, he was gone so fast. He was gone so fast, I don't want to mention Al Franken's name, okay, so I won't mention it.

"It was like 'I did something? Oh, I resign, I quit.' Wow, he was gone, and he was replaced by somebody nobody had ever heard of," Trump continued.

Franken resigned due to backlash over a photo showing him groping a sleeping woman. Several other women also said Franken forcefully groped or kissed them without consent.

Some Democrats are calling hypocrisy on Republicans for calling for Franken's resignation and then pushing forward with Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation. A key difference, however, is that there was photographic evidence of Franken's misconduct, while there has been little or no corroborating evidence supporting the sexual assault accusations against Kavanaugh.

Other topics Trump addressed at the rally:

• He campaigned in support of Republican Senate candidate Karin Housley
• He criticized Rep. Keith Ellison for wearing a shirt that read "I do not believe in borders," and notably did not mention the domestic abuse allegations Ellison is facing.
• He said Democrats' tactics against Kavanaugh are motivating Republicans. "Their rage-fueled resistance is starting to backfire at a level that nobody has ever seen before. Nobody's ever seen it. Up 11, up 10, up 14. Nobody's ever seen this before."
• He said the government would fund health care for pre-existing conditions by getting "a little more money from China."
• He rejected criticisms that he was going too easy on Russia.