Lurid allegations close in on Trump
With the Wall Street Journal’s reporting, it has become increasingly difficult for Republicans to dismiss what many have long believed based on flight records, photographs, public allegations of sexual misconduct from over two dozen women, his behavior at the Miss Teen USA pageant, and his own words captured on the Access Hollywood tape: Serious and credible accusations surround Donald Trump about sexual abuse and predatory behavior.
Some now claim that the letter attributed to Trump and published by the Journal is fabricated and doesn’t reflect Trump’s manner of speaking. However, it’s worth remembering that in 2003, Donald Trump spoke and wrote more clearly and articulately. In the years since, signs of cognitive decline have become apparent, and the man once known for brazen self-promotion has become a figure defined by erratic speech and inflammatory rhetoric — qualities now celebrated by many in the Republican Party.
When our local, state and federal elected representatives publicly declare that there is no moral or policy gap between themselves and Donald Trump, it raises troubling questions. What does it say about their judgment, integrity and values when they align themselves so closely with a figure facing such serious and unresolved allegations?
Andrew Stephenson