Hours after Stormy Daniels spoke of her sexual encounter in July 2006 with Donald Trump — and the attempts to force her silence through intimidation and a payoff — I spoke with George Howell of CNN about the wider significance of the affairs.
*Will the episode hurt Trump politically with his supporters, including evangelical Christians? Probably not.
*Does it have legal implications, including a possible connection to the Trump-Russia investigation? Definitely.
*Will it have broader political effects, both immediately and as part of the run-up to the Congressional elections in November? Absolutely.
*As shown by Saturday’s March For Our Lives, there is a shift in America, including gun control but also encompassing our approach to each other over economic and social issues.
Q: How do you explain this to your kids?
A: The Presidency is no longer a role model, it’s a spectacle, even a circus.
How do I explain that to my kids? In October 2016, Michelle Obama — in the midst of other scandals around sexually inappropriate behavior and issues about respect for men and women — said, for our young boys and young girls, we’ve got to raise them where they see each other as equals and not as someone to be demeaned.
It’s at that personal level of values that you maintain a dialogue, even if others don’t do so.
Socialist Mitterrand had lifelong mistresses. So Trump had sex with a prostitute 12 years ago. Was it illegal? No. Big deal and get over it.