"I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p*ssy. You can do anything."
The Washington Post posted a video on Friday, October 7 containing a conversation Donald Trump had with Billy Bush in 2005 on the set of "Days of our Lives." In it, Trump brags about his sexual assaults against women. He moves on them "like a b*tch." His main concern when making his advances is how his breath smells.
I’ve got to use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her. You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. I just kiss. I don’t even wait.
A candidate for the United State's presidency is now caught on tape explicitly stating that he assaults women, and it does not matter if you are married; what Trump wants, Trump gets. This is not the first time, and probably not the last, that he makes disgusting remarks towards women. He is on record stating that women are pigs, slobs, dogs, disgusting animals, and simply a "beautiful piece of ass."
According to Rainn, every two minutes, an American is sexually assaulted. One out of every 6 American women has been a victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. According to Donald Trump, this is acceptable if you are a star.
As a female, college student, I am three times more likely than the general population to be a victim of rape or sexual assault. This year, I learned a term that you should know too. That term is "rape schedule" and both you and I live under. Jessica Valentini writes about it in "Full Frontal Feminism" and here is how she describes it:
"Because of their constant fear of rape (conscious or not), women do things throughout the day to protect themselves. Whether it's carrying our keys in our hands as we walk home, locking our car doors as soon as we get in, or not walking down certain streets, we take precautions. While taking precautions is certainly not a bad idea, the fact that certain things women do are so ingrained into our daily routines is truly disturbing. It's essentially like living in a prison--all the time. We can't assume that we're safe anywhere..."
To imagine a world where the president believes that he can have any woman he wants and pursues them, at any time, at any place, simply because he wants to is a close comparison to hell. In this world, he encourages people to rape and to assault simply because they can.
To have Donald Trump demean women on national tv, week after week, is something we should not allow. How can the young women grow and flourish under the constant idea that she is fair game to anyone whenever he or she pleases.
This is unacceptable.
No one should have to live under the constant threat of attack. especially from someone who wants to be the leader of this nation. Trump cannot do anything just because he is "a star." He is bound by the laws of this nation and if he is to be our president, he needs to understand that he represents the women of this country too. No one should perpetuate rape culture, especially not the man young boys and girls will look up to.
We need a leader that will put forth the idea that both boys and girls can aspire to do anything. We need a leader that will be an outspoken feminist because both men and women deserve the same rights. Most of all, we need a president that understands that women rights are human rights.
