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The Washington Post just released a video of Donald Trump discussing women in impossibly disparaging terms, and it's damning. In the below video, you can hear the recording, which was captured while Trump was speaking to Access Hollywood's Billy Bush while on a bus during an appearance on Days of Our Lives. Fair warning, it's awful. If you're having a great day, I can't really advocate pressing play:
Here's an excerpt from the Post's transcription. Emphasis mine. Trump is describing actress Arianne Zucker:
“I’ve gotta 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.”
A spokeswoman for NBC Universal, which produces and distributes “Access Hollywood,” declined comment.
Trump's excused his remarks by calling them "locker-room banter," which is a fine way to describe trash-talking the other team, but a piss-poor descriptor for behavior that fits the Justice Department's definition of sexual assault.
Similar behavior from Trump is well documented—his habit of kissing women without consent is discussed at length in this piece from the NY Times, and his ex-wife, Ivana Trump, once accused him of rape, although she later recanted. Jill Harth, a former business associate of Trump's, also accused him of an attempted rape.
Pair Trump's apparently profound boundary issues with women and running mate Mike Pence's evident disdain for women who have abortions, and you've got the ticket from hell. Here's what Bitch Media's Andi Zeisler had to say in the matter.
Can we officially rename this ticket Sexual Assault/Abortion Punishment 2016 or
— Andi Zeisler (@andizeisler) October 7, 2016
Sounds about right to me.
Trump has his second debate with opponent Hillary Clinton this Sunday. If Clinton brings this up, be prepared to hear some very "not nice" remarks from Trump about Clinton's husband.
If you need me, I'll be in the whiskey and crying closet. Please register to vote.