Donald Trump has once again demonstrated the lowest, most shameful nature of our society once he had time to build up the head of steam that drives his twisted sense of propriety and justice.
On Tuesday in the span of just hours he amazed the civil people among us who have sadly followed the sometimes sordid twists and turns in the Senate hearings over the nomination of federal judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court.
Expressing his ignorance about and fear of the #metoo movement, it seems the greatest lesson Trump sees is that young men in America are in peril because women are beginning to speak up and speak out about sexual assaults, attempted assaults and bullying they endured in the past.
Apparently the ostensible leader of our nation is less concerned about the fate of older men who face accusations of past sexual misconduct, because on the White House lawn Tuesday he talked about the need for young men to fear such accusations. What the president failed to talk about was the easiest way to avoid such accusations: just don’t do it.
It was bad enough that Trump, who was once caught on tape bragging about his technique for sexually bullying women who caught his attention, showed more concern for the accused than the abused, but few people were surprised when he took another step beyond propriety Tuesday night with a vile display of the exact behavior that for years, actually for decades and even centuries, has discouraged the victims of rape, attempted rape and sexual harassment or bullying from coming forward with their accusations when the transgressions occur.
While in Mississippi for a political rally in with his “base,” the sick puppy occupying the West Wing decided to openly and mercilessly mock Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Kavanaugh of attempted rape. In a riff that was clearly well-planned and well-scripted., the president stirred up a crowd of his supporters, prompting them to hoot and holler as he belittled and mocked the mild-mannered woman who just a few days ago he had called a compelling, credible sounding witness after her appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
For generations we have known that the majority of sexual misconduct goes unreported because victims have feared either their attackers or public humiliation and a justice system that often falls short in pursuing their cases. But some of those fears began to fade when past victims saw the courage of women like Ford or the two women who helped convince Sen. Jeff Flake to hold his vote for Kavanaugh’s nomination hostage until there was an FBI effort to find witnesses or evidence to support the allegations that have been made against the judge.
Until Tuesday -- five days after the Senate hearing where Ford and Kavanaugh both testified in front of the Senate committee -- Trump did a pretty good job of toeing the line that calls for us to respect women who come forward with their stories of sexual assault or misconduct. Even his supporters were breathing a sigh of relief because of his tempered, seemingly thoughtful reaction to last week’s committee hearing where Ford made her accusations against Kavanaugh public.
But now, not even his most ardent supporters can be surprised at the way Trump quickly shifted gears and started sounding more like a crass schoolyard bully than a serious world leader. On Tuesday, Donald J. Trump made it clear that he does not have a clue when it comes to what it means to be civil, be fair and be respectful.
I’m not sure why anyone would be surprised when we consider his own words on the tape that came out late in the 2016 presidential campaign. The guy who bragged how he liked to grab women, force his kisses on them and grope their most private areas is not someone we should ever expect to show any measure of compassion or respect for women who stand up to say they have been sexually assaulted or abuse in the past.
And shame on anyone who would make excuses for him.
