Current 18-year-olds were only 10 years old in 2016 when Donald Trump was first elected president. So when footage leaked of Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women in that year’s truly horrifying October Surprise, they didn’t fully understand the tape’s meaning. Or even if you know, you know what to do with it.
Now, new Gen Z voters are rediscovering the infamous Access Hollywood tape, and some are hearing it in its entirety for the first time. Young TikTokers have been making videos of themselves reacting darkly to audio from President Trump’s tapes, wincing when the infamous “grab me by the pussy” line appears. The most popular one has been viewed nearly 1 million times.
One video commenter marveled: “This is actually really crazy.” I also add, “Why aren’t we blowing this up more?!” Another said, “I can’t even handle this.” Dozens of them said, “Please boost.” We can see that many new viewers and commenters think this tape is important and want more people to see it. Because this is one of the things about President Trump that other people have largely stopped talking about.
Among adults who have lived through the Trump era, especially among older, exasperated Democrats, it has become a truism that if you laugh, everything will be fine. No matter how depraved President Trump’s words and actions may be, nothing seems to stop his relentlessly exhausting political momentum. Such is the power of his countless scandals. Many of these are far beyond what we naively thought were acceptable and can easily become paralyzing. It’s easy to forget Donald Trump’s many sins.
But as we watch Gen Z absorb this particular Trump scandal anew for the first time, Trump’s misdeeds, especially decades of brazen and unapologetic sexual misconduct, can and will still shock. I am reminded that I should give. It’s worth keeping those details in mind before you head to the polls in 2024. Millions of people will almost certainly vote for a known sexual abuser in this election, which could ultimately see him return to the White House.
Donald Trump brags on a hot mic about sexually assaulting women, saying, “When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”
Remember, just last year, President Trump was found civilly liable for the sexual assault of journalist E. Jean Carroll, and a jury found overwhelming evidence that Trump assaulted journalist E. Jean Carroll violently and non-consensually. It was concluded that this shows that he was forced to do so.
Let’s not forget that President Trump has been accused of sexual assault by at least 21 other women.
Let’s not forget that one of Mr. Trump’s accusers is his ex-wife, Ivana, who said under oath that he violently and persistently raped her. (She later said she didn’t want her words to be taken in a “literal or criminal sense.”)
Let’s not forget that Donald Trump put a judge on the Supreme Court who was accused of sexual assault by multiple women.
Let’s not forget that Donald Trump selected that judge and two others to the court with the express purpose of destroying women’s right to reproductive freedom. Let’s not forget that his Supreme Court did what it was intended to do and removed legal protections for abortion.
Remember, after the courts took away this right, President Trump said their decision was only made possible because I did everything I promised. This includes nominating a highly respected and strong constitutionalist and having him confirmed by the United States Supreme Court.” It was an honor to do so! ”
These are just some of the things President Trump has done to women. There’s a lot more to remember.
One of the values of the new generation of political actors coming of age is that they can help the rest of us see once again clearly and cleanly the tired atrocities of the past. . Moral clarity in young people is powerful. That becomes invaluable when the country is trying to re-elect a sex offender.
Probably (lol) There’s nothing wrong with it. But let’s at least remember.
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