Donald Trump has yet to earn a single endorsement from a daily newspaper in the United States — which is quite remarkable.
That isn’t stopping The Sanford Herald — which announced last month it wasn’t endorsing anybody this election cycle — from defending the orange-hued GOP presidential candidate’s latest recent controversy of an audio tape from 11 years ago where he openly bragged about sexually assaulting women and grabbing them “by the pussy” because he’s a celebrity.
Trump’s defense was that the recording — a hot mic on a bus with Access Hollywood dimwit Billy Bush — was nothing more than “locker room talk,” a defense that many of the nation’s athletes (those who practically live in locker rooms) are distancing themselves from faster than their 40 times.
The Herald accepted Trump’s defense and “dove in” to the subject of locker room talk in a tone-deaf editorial published today (subscription required). The editorial suggests Trump’s “privacy was compromised” and that we all have private conversations with friends “that could probably be described as off-colored.” The second part is true. But very few of us have talked about sexually assaulting women or have bragged about the many times we’ve sexually assaulted women.
Alas, we’ve written too much. As we did when The Herald endorsed future casino boss Mike Stone a few years back, we’ll provide excerpts from today’s editorial with our response in the form of Saved By The Bell gifs. Enjoy.
The 2016 presidential race took another bizarre twist late last week when a decade-old video featuring Donald Trump surfaced.
Trump later expressed remorse for his remarks, saying in a statement, “Anyone who knows me knows these words don’t reflect who I am,” but he also defended his actions, pointing out that “This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago. Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course — not even close.”
The concept of “locker room talk” can be an uncomfortable subject to discuss. It is well within our rights to say and do as we please during private moments.
When that privacy is compromised, like Trump’s was with the video, severe backlash is sure to follow. We have all said things amongst friends or family that could probably be described as off-colored – how would you feel if the most intimate of conversations was publicized for the world to scrutinize?
In no way are we condoning what Trump said. His words are offensive, and as described by Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, “despicable.”
But “locker room talk” is an interesting argument Trump raised that should be mulled over before immediately reacting to the crude nature of the comments.
Most [athletes] … have denounced Trump’s point, saying his “locker room talk” argument paints a broad picture that doesn’t mesh with reality. Others, like Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib and former MLB pitcher Ron Darling, say “locker room talk” is an unfiltered, raw insight into the lives of the athletes and coaches. “There’s a lot of locker room comments, man,” Talib said. “We talk about everything in here. Trump may fit in if he came in here, who knows?”
Clearly, Trump’s words have introduced yet another wrinkle to this circus of a presidential race that is fast approaching (but probably not fast enough to some) its conclusion next month. It will be intriguing to see if this development has an impact on the vote, which is something people across the nation, whether they are at their local barber shop, the confines of their home, or in a locker room, are surely discussing.
Gifs via GIPHY