On Friday, the Washington Post released 2005 footage of Donald Trump making extremely lewd comments about women on an Access Hollywood hot mic. Trump had bragged how being famous allowed him to kiss women whenever he wanted and how he can “grab them by the p*ssy.” He then issued a rather flippant statement that excused his words as “locker room banter.” He brought up Bill Clinton, who Trump claimed had uttered “far worse to me on the golf course.” He then issued a sorry-not-sorry ending: “I apologize if anyone was offended.” This was typical of Trump, who did not appear to express remorse but only paid lip service to those who happened to be upset.
A lot of people were disgusted, including GOP Chair Reince Priebus, who stated, “No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever.” Likewise, Paul Ryan was “sickened” by Trump’s remarks and scrapped a joint Saturday appearance in Wisconsin. The Trump campaign knew this scandal could present a breaking point. So, Trump filmed the above video statement on Friday night, in which he admitted his words were wrong and promised to do better in the future:
“I never said I was a perfect person nor pretended to be someone I’m not. I’ve said and done things that I regret, and the words released today on this more-than-a-decade-old video are one of them. Anyone who knows me knows these words don’t reflect who I am. I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize.”
However, Trump’s statement was not altogether geared towards repentance. While he claimed to be a changed person by his travels and time as a candidate, Trump still found a way to throw dirt at Hillary and Bill Clinton:
“I have gotten to know the people of our country, and I have been humbled by the faith they’ve placed in me. I pledge to be a better man tomorrow, and I will never, ever let you down. Let’s be honest, we’re living in the real world. This is nothing more than a distraction from the important issues we are facing today … Hillary Clinton and her kind have run our nation into the ground. I’ve said some foolish things, but there’s a big difference between the words and actions of other people. Bill Clinton has actually abused women, and Hillary has bullied, attacked, shamed, and intimidated his victims.”
Trump then promised to talk more about all of this in the coming days. This may mean that he’ll simply trash the Clintons more, but before Trump began the insults, he issued more of an apology than he ever has before. Was it completely sincere, and does he feel true remorse? He was likely forced into saying anything at all, but he did actually use words that are conventionally associated with an apology.
(Via Donald Trump on Facebook)
