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Donald Trump can still shock us.
The Washington Post posted a secret recording Friday evening of Trump talking about women in 2005 — “When you’re a star, they let you do it. … Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.” And Twitter let out a collective gasp.
Over the 15 months Trump has campaigned for the presidency, he’s lied; he’s insulted vast groups of people, including Mexicans and Muslims; he’s encouraged violence at his rallies; and he’s spread conspiracy theories.
But for many, his comments about women — in which he described sexual assault — went even further. Twitter exploded.
As many pointed out, while Trump’s non-apology tried to brush off the comments as “locker room talk,” not all men talk that way:
Let's get one thing straight.
— Colin Jones (@colinjones) October 7, 2016
That's not locker room talk.
That's sexual assault talk.
[locker room]
— Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) October 7, 2016
BRO: we're going up to the Cape
DUDE: oh nice, how long?
TRUMP: I can sexually assault women, no consequences!
BRO: six days
Actual Adult Male Locker Room Banter:
— Jim Aley (@jimaley) October 7, 2016
- hey got any advil?
- sure, here
- thanks
For those saying Trump's comments are just normal male banter: Your opinion of men is too low.
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) October 7, 2016
Basically the official campaign defense is, "It is normal and healthy for men to casually boast about sexual assault."
— Ned Resnikoff (@resnikoff) October 7, 2016
"Locker room banter" implies "C'mon, this is how men talk about women." Like it's to be expected. That's the grossest part of all.
— Anna Kendrick (@AnnaKendrick47) October 7, 2016
And Trump’s comments weren’t just crude — they were describing sexual assault:
In his behind-closed-doors video, Mitt Romney, at least, was a gentleman.
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) October 7, 2016
Just having a segment meeting w producers *about the tape* feels like creating a hostile work environment.
— Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) October 7, 2016
It's shocking to me in a way other things weren't bc I've been harassed and even assaulted by men who speak that way. A lot of women have.
— Olivia Messer (@OliviaMesser) October 7, 2016
If you don't think this will affect female turn out and crossover, perhaps you should ask a woman to recount all the times she was groped.
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) October 7, 2016
Some argued that we already knew who Trump was, and it hadn’t hurt him before:
I never heard him "apologize" for talking to me & others about his family member's spouse, and especially her breasts. THIS IS WHO HE IS. https://t.co/W9RH1otj0t
— ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) October 7, 2016
This is how we GOT this guy up against HRC. That he's a predatory objectifier of women is among his feature appeals, not a surprising bug.
— Rebecca Traister (@rtraister) October 7, 2016
But it’s also not clear how much more there is that could come out before the election, one month and one day away:
What Republican opposition researchers were doing from June 2015 to March 2016 will forever remain a mystery.
— Taniel (@Taniel) October 7, 2016
Most elections have "October surprises" but this one has an advent calendar.
— Evan Saathoff (@evansaathoff) October 7, 2016
