Supporting Trump means discarding decency

Republican+Presidential+candidate+Donald+Trump+addresses+supporters+during+a+rally+at+the+Henderson+Pavilion+on+Oct.+5%2C+2016+in+Henderson%2C+Nev.+

Tribune News Service

Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses supporters during a rally at the Henderson Pavilion on Oct. 5, 2016 in Henderson, Nev.

By Isabella Winkler, Columnist

winklerisabellaDonald Trump has proved once again that he really is as deplorable as Hillary Clinton claims him to be.

A new video from 2005 of Trump saying truly disgusting things about women surfaced Friday night, adding just another instance to his list of atrocious offenses.

“I’m automatically attracted to beautiful women — I just start kissing them, it’s like a magnet,” he says in the tape. “Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.”

His supporters jumped to defend him in the most fallacious way they know how.

“Can we focus on what Hillary DID not what Trump SAID,” tweeted Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

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“When people voted for Donald Trump, they knew he wasn’t an angel,” said Corey Stewart, Trump’s Virginia campaign chairman. “They are not concerned that, at times, Donald Trump acts like a frat boy. Sometimes he does, but that’s okay.”

Corey Lewandowski told CNN that “we’re not electing a Sunday school teacher,” as if the leader of the free world should be held to lesser standards than those of a Sunday school teacher.

What these men fail to realize is the impact of these statements and how Trump’s comments about women have piled up since day one of his candidacy.

If they imagined Trump talking this way about their wives, daughters or mothers, perhaps they could see why these comments are indeed deplorable. Basic human decency should be a value expected of a presidential candidate.

Trump defended his statements by calling them “locker room banter,” but his character has never been so obvious. There’s a difference between harmless guy talk and condoning sexual assault.

Reducing Trump’s comments down to banter not only dismisses his sexually aggressive tendencies, but it tells women that their experiences with sexism are no big deal because, well, boys will be boys.

What’s worse is that Trump’s supporters truly believe that Clinton’s email scandal is unforgivable but continue to let Trump get away with far worse.

“People are human, they do human things,” said Ben Carson’s spokesperson. “It’s nothing unusual that somebody committed adultery on their spouse. Women do it. Men do it. Should we be shocked by it? No.”

But Clinton will never be able to live down her history as secretary of state or her use of a private email server in their eyes. If Trump supporters are willing to forgive his vile and derogatory comments because “people are human” and “they do human things,” then forgiving Clinton should be a piece of cake.

If we expect a man who uses his money and power to have his way with women to act with decency in the oval office, we are mistaken.

This should also be an epiphany for anyone who was planning on not voting because they hate both of the candidates.

It’s up to you to decide who to cast your ballot for, but think about the little girls who will have Donald Trump to look up to for the next four years.

Think about the three reported sexual assaults on campus during the first week of school and how Donald Trump would do nothing to better the sexually violent climate that our society lives in. Think about the countless women who Trump takes advantage of as perks of being a celebrity.

If you’ve been a Trump fan since day one, and you’ve stuck with him through all of the dirt that’s been dug up, then this revelation may not change your mind.

But to anyone who is on the fence or trying to decide between the lesser of two evils, the choice has become even more obvious.

Isabella is a sophomore in ACES.

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