Will Trump’s Twitter attack backfire?
Developments on Day 327 of the Trump Administration:
See also Podcasts: A Victory for Decency in Alabama
Trump Tries to Humiliate Legislator Into Silence
Under renewed pressure over allegations of sexual harassment by at least 15 women, Donald Trump lashes out at a Senator by implying that she offered favors in return for campaign contributions.
The latest episode over Trump’s claimed sexual misconduct started Monday when three women gave their testimonies of his sexual advances and harassment including groping and forced kissing. Later in the day, 56 Democratic women legislators called for an investigation and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said Trump should resign.
Trump responded on Twitter on Tuesday morning, accusing Gillibrand of acting for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and adding his innuendo before an unclear reference to Bill and Hillary Clinton:
Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office “begging” for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017
Senator Gillibrand responded, “It was a sexist smear attempting to silence my voice, and I will not be silenced on this issue. Neither will the women who stood up to the president yesterday.”
We won’t be silenced. pic.twitter.com/Di2J4hvn1R
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) December 12, 2017
Dozens of congressional Democrats, led by women, supported Gillibrand. Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii tweeted:
.@realDonaldTrump is a misogynist, compulsive liar, and admitted sexual predator. Attacks on Kirsten are the latest example that no one is safe from this bully. He must resign. https://t.co/7lNI23K7ib
— Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) December 12, 2017
The reaction to Trump’s tweet further indicates that he is in a different situation than in 2016, when he survived the testimonies of the 15 women and a video tape in which he bragged of his sexual accosting of women. Attention to the sexual harassment of Hollywood figures, politicians, and journalists has already led to the resignations of three legislators — and Trump’s derisory tweets about one of them, Senator Al Franken, has risked the spotlight returning to his own record.
See VideoCast: Trump’s Alleged Sexual Harassment
TrumpWatch, Day 326: Women Testify About Trump’s Alleged Sexual Harassment
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders sought to push aside any “slut-shaming” in Trump’s tweet, telling journalists that “only if your mind is in the gutter would you have read” the post that way. She insisted that he was referring to general corruption in the US political system: “There’s no way that this is sexist at all.”
Trump tried to dismiss any controversy by tweeting that Democrats “are moving on to the false accusations and fabricated stories of women who I don’t know and/or have never met”.
But that defense quickly evaporated as news outlets posted photographs of Trump alongside his accusers and more women offered their accounts of encounters with the businessman and reality TV star.
.@realDonaldTrump claims he ‘never met’ accusers like PEOPLE’s Natasha Stoynoff, but we have the photo https://t.co/3oIcMyRFWW pic.twitter.com/GwnmjFKzUm
— People (@people) December 12, 2017
“Suck It, Bannon”: GOP Civil War Over Alabama Senate Defeat
The defeat of GOP candidate Roy Moore in the special Senate election in Alabama — the deepest-red of GOP red states — has immediately sharpened the war within the Republican Party.
Meghan McCain, the daughter of Senator John McCain — a target of hard-right former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon — reacted soon after the election was called for Democrat Doug Jones:
Suck it, Bannon
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) December 13, 2017
The Wall Street Journal also took aim, “Roy Moore’s Defeat Shows that Steve Bannon is for Losers”.
But Bannon’s Breitbart attack site fought back, “Establishment Republicans Cheer Roy Moore’s Loss in Alabama”.
See Podcasts: A Victory for Decency in Alabama
Soon after his dismissal from the White House, Bannon promoted Moore as part of his insurgency against “establishment” Republicans, helping the controversial judge win the Republican primary over interim Senator Luther Strange.
Donald Trump, who endorsed Strange in the primary, quickly swung behind Moore for the general election and staked his reputation on a high-profile rally for the judge last Friday. However, after the stinging defeat in a state he won by 28% last November, Trump tried to cut his losses on Wednesday morning:
The reason I originally endorsed Luther Strange (and his numbers went up mightily), is that I said Roy Moore will not be able to win the General Election. I was right! Roy worked hard but the deck was stacked against him!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2017