I’m just sick that admitted sexual predator Donald J. Trump was once again allowed to just skate away with his dismissal of the horrific things he said he would do to women as “locker room banter.” It’s not just locker room banter to brag about engaging in sexual assault and getting away with it because of celebrity or wealth or whatever other reason Trump thinks in his head permits him to be a disgusting criminal without any repercussions.
And this IS an important issue that needs to be talked about. The hypocrisy of Trump over the past few hours has been astounding. Trump has a press conference to indulge in attacks on the husband of his opponent for allegedly doing essentially the same thing he bragged that he could/would do to women because of who he is. Then he dismissed discussion of his behavior in this regard as not worth discussing in the context of the campaign.
Does he think that the women whom he pretended to champion think that the issue of sexual assault isn’t worth discussing? Clearly they disagree with him on that count or they wouldn’t have taken part in Trump’s charade.
But probably the most disgusting thing about this whole situation is that Trump doesn’t understand that by dismissing his words as mere banter, he’s perpetuating a culture that accepts those types pf discussions as normal male chit-chat. And it’s a short trip from cheerful conversations about molesting women to the actions of an offensive grab here or there or an unwanted kiss. When you joke about or speak dismissively about horrible actions, they become less horrible. We don’t need to normalize those conversations or that conduct.
Mr. Trump has never understood (or maybe he has) that words matter. For example, when in your rallies you talk about the good old days when protesters used to be carried out on stretchers or that you want to punch somebody in the face, then you shouldn’t be surprised when your supporters do just that. Trump’s entire campaign has normalized the type of despicable behavior that he delights in when speaking to his supporters and it could do the same for the disgusting comments he spouts in private.
I’m deeply concerned that we may see an increase in groping of women from Trump’s deplorable supporters. Trump’s denials and deflections aren’t good enough. His weak, insincere non-apology wasn’t good enough. To prove that he “respect[s] women more than anyone” Donald Trump needs to come out with a strong condemnation of his own words and the actions they endorse. Nothing less is acceptable. But I fear nothing can undo the damage he’s already done.