Several Wisconsin Republicans still back a man who openly brags about using his celebrity status to grope women
Is there no bottom, no low-point that Donald Trump can sink to, that can cause Speaker Paul Ryan to at some point say he will rescind his endorsement of the embattled presidential candidate?
Religious tests for refugees, racist statements on African-Americans, calling immigrants criminals and rapists, promising to prosecute political opponents, and bragging about sexual assaults against women because of his celebrity status -- all of these issues, and more, are not enough for Ryan and several other Wisconsin Republicans to say “no” to Donald Trump.
Ryan has stated that he will not campaign with or directly promote Trump’s candidacy. That proclamation came after it was revealed this weekend that Trump had bragged about grabbing women by their genitalia because, according to him, “when you’re a star ... you can do anything.”
After his dismal debate performance last night and his failure to diffuse the issue with a proper apology (one that doesn’t require a qualifier), Ryan told House Republicans quite plainly that he won’t campaign with Trump any longer.
Ryan spoke to House members on a conference call Monday morning following an intense political weekend, in which many Republicans abandoned their party’s nominee. Ryan also said that he would not campaign for or defend Trump in the weeks before the election.That’s a step in the right direction. However, Ryan didn’t push the caucus on one crucial point:
“He didn’t say anything about the endorsement,” one source said of the call.And as of this writing, Paul Ryan continues to, at least officially, endorse Donald Trump for president. So, too, does Gov. Scott Walker, Sen. Ron Johnson, and 8th Congressional District Republican candidate Mike Gallagher.
Gallagher’s support for Trump helped him to secure the nomination from his party in a contentious primary earlier this year, despite the fact that outgoing GOP Rep. Reid Ribble refused to support Trump long ago.
To his credit, Gallagher has described the Trump recordings on social media as “sickening,” and released an official statement on his campaign site saying that he denounces Trump’s “disgusting and offensive comments and strongly echo the sentiments of my mother, sister, niece and all women who deserve to be treated with our utmost respect.”
That’s great and all, but one question still lingers: will Gallagher, Ryan, and other Republican leaders in Wisconsin still vote for Trump, even after these disgusting comments? There’s nothing to suggest in their official statements that they won’t.
Until they say otherwise, we should assume that these legislative and state leaders still do, on paper, support a man who has admitted to groping unsuspecting women. They should be ashamed for still backing Donald Trump for president.
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