In the world of journalism, if you’ve been around long enough, you’ve heard mayors spew foul language, ministers show you photos of naked clergy, coaches berate players as if they were the scum of the earth, and county officials gossip about their brethren and sistren.
You learn members of Congress cheat on their spouses, the most upstanding federal officials take money under the table and presidents cuss like sailors behind the scenes.
And then there’s Donald Trump.
For 11 years since he came down the golden escalator to announce his first campaign for the presidency, he has been an aberration, someone who publicly would denigrate women, prisoners of war, people with physical deformities as well as Democrats, former presidents of his party and immigrants.
Early on, some of his willingness to answer critics, to defend his policies and to criticize the biased national media was refreshing — something almost none of his predecessors would do, even when it was sorely needed.