After Trump weighed in on Rob Porter and basically defended him despite the evidence that he’s an abuser, social media has of course lit up.
One of the tweets going around is this one from Trump back in 2012:
If @rihanna is dating @chrisbrown again then she has a death wish. A beater is always a beater--just watch!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2012
Wow. A beater is always a beater.
Look out Hope Hicks.
Phillip Klein with the Washington Examiner argues that Trump’s comments today reveal a ‘loathsome character’.
Here’s Trump’s comments:
NEW VIDEO: President Trump on Rob Porter: “Very sad when we heard about it…as you probably know he says he’s innocent and I think you have to remember that.” pic.twitter.com/DU6UPXSfJa
— Pat Ward (@WardDPatrick) February 9, 2018
And here’s Klein’s argument:
Now, the obvious defense of Trump’s remarks are that it’s true Porter has not been proven guilty in the court of law, so Trump was just applying the legal standard of “innocent until proven guilty” and praising the work he did during his time at the White House. However, that’s a legal standard, it’s not a standard which we have to apply to everybody as we form judgment. Harvey Weinstein, for instance, has not been convicted of anything.
Trump’s words might have some more credibility if he applied the “innocent until proven guilty” line more consistently. However, he didn’t apply that standard when highlighting Bill Clinton’s accusers in the 2016 campaign. And he certainly didn’t apply a high standard of evidence when he questioned Barack Obama’s birthplace, peddled a conspiracy theory linking Sen. Ted Cruz’s dad to the JFK assassination, or claiming that millions voted illegally.
Yet in Porter’s case we have detailed accounts from multiple accusers, and even photographic evidence. And yet Trump wants to emphasize that he says he’s innocent, while praising his work and wishing him a great career.
Since the story broke, there’s been a lot of focus on chief of staff John Kelly’s defense of Porter, Porter’s relationship with communications director Hope Hicks, and a report that White House counsel Don McGahn knew about domestic violence claims against Rob Porter as early as January 2017. But Trump’s comments makes clear that the attitude in the White House toward domestic violence claims comes straight from the top, which reveals a loathsome character.
Look I’ll admit that it’s Friday and I’m honestly outraged out when it comes to Trump stuff. But Klein makes a good point about Trump’s comments, suggesting his indifferent attitude to the credibility of the abuse claims is perhaps why the White House has handled this so poorly.