NEW YORK (AP) – Donald Trump says he took the moral high ground at the first presidential debate by not mentioning the infidelities of former President Bill Clinton. But he hinted at them, talked about them immediately afterward and then sent his campaign’s top backers out to do the same.
“An impeachment for lying,” Trump said Thursday at a campaign rally in New Hampshire, referring to the effort to remove Bill Clinton from office for lying about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. “Remember that? Impeach.”
The Republican nominee’s decision to dredge up the former president’s sexual history is a risky move in his campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton, whose own team isn’t fazed by the attack line. Trump critics say it could backfire, elevating her in the eyes of female voters and motivating her base.
“The whole notion of trying to get Hillary Clinton to pay for Bill Clinton’s infidelities is just strategically a bad choice,” said Katie Packer, a longtime Republican strategist opposed to Trump’s candidacy. Women in particular, she said, see it as cruel.
Republican pollster Frank Luntz said Trump’s reference to Bill Clinton’s indiscretions was his low point Monday night among the group of voters with whom he watched the debate.