Trump On Grabbing P****

Last updated on: October 7, 2016 at 10:06 pm by Libby Anne

Trump On Grabbing P**** 2016-10-07T22:06:30-04:00 Libby Anne

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I’m absolutely horrified that so many Americans are planning to vote for Donald Trump. I’ve felt this way for a while now, but it’s only getting worse. Today, tape surfaced of Trump making appalling, horrifying, disgusting comments about women—I’m running out of adjectives here—while speaking privately on a mic back in 2005. Trump’s past comments about women ought to have disqualified him from seeking the presidency a long time ago. How they haven’t is completely baffling to me.

From the Washington Post, Trump’s “extremely lewd” conversation:

Donald Trump bragged in vulgar terms about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women during a 2005 conversation caught on a hot microphone — saying that “when you’re a star, they let you do it” — according to a video obtained by The Washington Post.

The video captures Trump talking with Billy Bush of “Access Hollywood” on a bus with Access Hollywood written across the side. They were arriving on the set of “Days of Our Lives” to tape a segment about Trump’s upcoming cameo on the soap opera.

First Trump described trying to seduce a married woman:

“I moved on her, and I failed. I’ll admit it,” Trump is heard saying. It was unclear when the events he was describing took place. The tape was recorded several months after he married his third wife, Melania.

“Whoa,” another voice said.

“I did try and f— her. She was married,” Trump says.

Trump continues: “And I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her out furniture shopping. She wanted to get some furniture. I said, ‘I’ll show you where they have some nice furniture.’ ”

“I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn’t get there. And she was married,” Trump says. “Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony tits and everything. She’s totally changed her look.”

Then they noticed the actress Trump was to appear opposite:

“Your girl’s hot as s—, in the purple,” says Bush, who’s now a co-host of NBC’s “Today” show.

“Whoa!” Trump says. “Whoa!”

“I’ve got to use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her,” Trump says. “You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait.”

“And when you’re a star, they let you do it,” Trump says. “You can do anything.”

“Whatever you want,” says another voice, apparently Bush’s.

“Grab them by the p—y,” Trump says. “You can do anything.”

As Vox pointed out, these comments aren’t just lewd, they describe sexual assault.

I cannot for the life of me understand who someone as casually and appalling sexist as Trump got anywhere near his position, in 2016. This isn’t 1960 anymore, after all. It’s not 1992 either. It’s 2016. How has Trump responded?

“This was locker-room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago. Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course — not even close,” Trump said in a statement. “I apologize if anyone was offended.”

This is deflection at its finest. Note that Trump doesn’t apologize for his words themselves. Instead, he apologizes “if anyone was offended.” That’s not the same thing as acknowledging that it was wrong to say those things. In fact, Trump’s statement suggests that he doesn’t think he was wrong to say what he did—it was “locker-room banter,” he explains. And then he imagines for a moment that he’s running against Bill Clinton. Or something.

I’ve been wondering whether Trump’s comments on tape may hurt his position among evangelicals. It’s hard to imagine my parents voting for someone who talks so freely about grabbing women by the p****, or about attempting to seduce married women. It may actually be to shore up his support among evangelicals that Trump mentioned Bill Clinton—he’s reminding evangelicals that they have a choice between him and a woman whose husband was the most infamous adulterer of the 1990s.

Still, Trump’s comments about women have been dogging him for some time. Trump did an interview about the way he talks about women earlier this week, even before this particular tape came out:

Trump has been criticized in this campaign for derogatory and lewd comments about women, including some made on TV and live radio. In an interview Wednesday with KSNV, a Las Vegas television station, Trump said that those comments were made for entertainment.

“A lot of that was done for the purpose of entertainment. There’s nobody that has more respect for women than I do,” he told the station.

The conversation from the 2005 tape took place in private. Perhaps he Trump means he says those things to boost his playboy image, or his to undergird his masculinity? If so, his desired image and his view of masculinity are toxic. And that is perhaps what Trump doesn’t understand—his critics don’t care whether he “meant” those things (though I seriously think he did). His critics are concerned that he was willing to say those things, regardless of his reasons for doing so. The thought of my daughter growing up in Trump’s America fills me with rage.

Politics

Donald Trump

Previous Post

October 7, 2016

Anonymous Tip: Peter Finds a Work-Around

Next Post

October 7, 2016 Trump: Central Park Five Guilty Despite DNA Evidence

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atheism Evangelicalism/Fundamentalism Family Feminism Homeschool Meta Parenting Patriarchy Politics Purity Quiverfull Social Justice Uncategorized Worthwhile reads

Select a Month February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Levi" mean in Hebrew?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Set apart Joined God is my strength Chosen