On Oct. 8, news sources around the country released audio caught on a hot microphone from 2005 capturing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump with Billy Bush, then of “Access Hollywood,” bragging in vulgar terms about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women. In the video, Trump says that “when you’re a star, they let you do it.” He also admits he would commit sexual acts with a married woman and grab any woman by their genitalia.
Trump began to receive sharp criticism by Republican leaders, with many of them going as far as to drop endorsements of his political campaign. Many individuals, however, still seem to take Trump’s words as an example of the behavior typically associated with the phrase “boys will be boys.” Phrases such as these are expressing that this behavior is typical and should be of no surprise. Trump apologists also dismissed the comments as “locker room banter,” which implies that this is how all men talk about women behind closed doors and is to be expected. That in and of itself is gross.
As much fun as it is to watch Trump crash and burn, I don’t really understand why his most recent comments have come as such a surprise to everyone. This is the same man who said he thinks women look better on their knees and that he’d probably be dating his daughter if they weren’t related.
While he’s undoubtedly said incredibly misogynistic things before, his recently released set of comments demonstrate a clear disregard for consent and that is what I find most alarming about this incident. We are all well aware by now of his obvious lack of respect for women and therefore expectations for him are unbelievably low, but it always comes as a surprise when a human being shows that level of conceit and ignorance. Trump’s comments basically imply that it is okay for him to sexually assault women because he is rich and famous.
The argument of “You and I both said and did things in our younger years that we wouldn’t have wanted to be recorded. You can’t hold onto mistakes someone made 10 or 20 years ago and hold it against the individual” uses logic that only applies to when you’re in your thirties, max. Not seventies. Trump was barely under sixty years old when he made those comments. Can you really argue for an immature 59 year old? I think not.
Trump admittedly issued an apology for his leaked statement, making the claim that he’s not a perfect person. Isn’t it a bit of a stretch to say you are not perfect when you are found saying you will grab a woman by her genitals because you are famous? You use the phrase “I’m not perfect” when you show up late to class or you forget to get your lab partner a birthday present, but I believe it doesn’t cover it when you use it in Trump’s case.
With the GOP stuck with Trump on the ballot, some Republican officials have abandoned Trump. But why haven’t the voters done the same? According to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll conducted immediately after the audio was unearthed, fewer than 39 percent think Trump should end his presidential campaign, while only slightly more voters, 45 percent, think he should not drop out. What is unfathomable is that Americans hear a man tell someone he has no issue committing an act of sexual assault and yet some of us still find him fit to become president.
Donald Trump has a decades-long history of misogynistic comments and crude sex talks, from discussing how he got away with going backstage when the contestants were naked in beauty pageants he hosted, to saying a woman past age thirty-five screams “check-out time.” Americans need to wake up and realize this man is a misogynistic pig who will not and cannot change; even if he could, few actually believe he would want to. He’s a truly disgusting human being and it is beyond me that anyone could vote for him, especially women. It seems, at this point, as if the only thing that would stop Trump supporters for rallying behind him is if he said he actually respected women.
Lilly is a junior majoring in journalism and communication arts. Why do you think Trump’s supporters continue to advocate for him despite his comments? Please send all comments, questions and concerns to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
