Donald Trump has come under fire for a lot of things he has said since he first launched his bid to become the most powerful person in the world last summer.
But it’s his most recent comments that have generated the biggest scorn.
In an 11-year-old tape that was conveniently released two days before second U.S. presidential debate, Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, made a number of lewd and disgusting remarks about women. They were so appalling that a number of high-ranking Republicans withdrew their support for him, and there have been calls to remove him as the party’s flag-bearer.
Not surprisingly, Trump didn’t handle the situation very well.
His apology will rank among the worst ever uttered. It came across as feeble and insincere. And his attempts to deflect, by bringing up the previous indiscretions of his opponent, Hillary Clinton, and her husband Bill, only made the situation worse.
And while the Clintons certainly have their own black marks, this was not the time to bring them up.
An effective apology would have been simple, contrite and honest. Trump’s “apology” contained none of those traits. Perhaps it’s because the bombastic Trump lacks the humility to make an honest apology.
Trump also made the mistake of describing the comments as locker room talk. If he were to say something like that in most locker rooms, regardless of whether it’s a major pro sports team or a recreation league team, he would be silenced.
It’s true that locker rooms can be the site of some coarse language and colourful conversations, but most athletes wouldn’t tolerate those kinds of statements.
Trump’s apologists have pointed out that these comments were from 2005. But let’s not forget that Trump was nearing 60 years of age when he uttered them.
This wasn’t a young man in his early 20s who said something crude, and could use the immaturity of youth as an excuse.
And based on his public persona, it doesn’t seem like Trump has changed much in the last 11 years. He’s as arrogant as he ever was.
Trump’s support from the Republican establishment has been contentious at best. A lot of members wanted nothing to do with him as the candidate in the first place. But his bluster, his candor and his celebrity appealed to a certain percentage of voters. And he has often dictated the narrative of this election.
So it’s not surprising that the Republican elite has turned on him when given the chance.
And nobody should be surprised that Trump would make such disparaging remarks.
But it is amazing that the Republican Party has had eight years to prepare for this election. They knew Hillary Clinton, who has all sorts of baggage, was likely going to be the Democratic candidate. And the best they could for a challenger was Donald Trump.
