In yet another unsurprising turn of events, a video from 2005 of Donald Trump making more inappropriate comments came out of the woodwork this weekend. In this new video, Trump talks about trying to (unsuccessfully) sleep with a married woman, insinuates that her worth is connected to her body, and then proceeds to elaborate on how he can pretty much do whatever he wants with women because he's "a star." Several articles have already been published about the hypocrisy Trump shows by exhibiting this behavior (and by having a very public affair with his to-be second wife while still married to his first) and at the same time criticizing Clinton as a "nasty, mean enabler", blaming her for her husband's affairs. However, the larger problem here isn't who's sleeping with whom (and since Clinton's husband is the one with the accusations, not her, those incidents are irrelevant to her candidacy anyway.) The larger problem with these newly released statements is rather the disregard for consent.
In the video, Trump refers to the Days of Our Lives star Arianne Zucker saying "I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her," and that he's "automatically attracted to beautiful women." Alright, at this point, maybe he's being a little presumptuous. It could be argued that the potential for consent is still there as it hasn't been explicitly stated either way. He then continues that "I just start kissing them, it's like a magnet." OK, now we're pushing it a little bit. It's a casual conversation and people don't always spell out every detail of a process or action in a casual setting, but we're a little bit on the iffy side now. This is followed by "I don't even wait. And when you're a star they let you do it ... Grab them by the pussy." Alright, hard stop, right now. This is where he absolutely and without a doubt crosses a line. This part of the video clearly refers to what would be legally defined as sexual assault. "I don't even wait." "They let you do it." "Grab them by the pussy." Does this sound harrowingly familiar to anyone? It unfortunately should. This is the type of language used by perpetrators of sexual assault and rape every day. Not asking for consent or even looking for non-verbal consent. Assuming that the victim won't fight back or even wants it (especially when the perpetrator is in a position of power). Grabbing the victim, especially in such a sexual manner. This is not just "locker room banter" as Trump tried to pass it off in his "apology". This is a plain and simple example of how casually this man, our Republican nominee for President of the United States, has a disregard for not only women (for we have already seen that plenty of times), but for women's safety and well-being.
Is this who we want to have in the White House? Parents, I implore you. Do you want your daughter to have to deal with this kind of behavior? For it to be expected that they will "let [them] do it"? Men, do you want your mothers, sisters, girlfriends, or friends to face this? To have someone "grab them by the pussy" and everyone think that's ok? Women, do you want to live in this reality? I don't.
