In essence, this is “bro code” at the presidential level. Trump wasn’t defending Bill because he believed he was innocent, or didn’t think that adultery was a big deal. He was defending him because, you know, “bros before hos.”
One has to wonder: what else would Trump defend if the reputation of one of his bros was on the line? Do conservatives—or any voters—really want a president who has replaced a moral compass with a sense of loyalty most often seen in frat houses? (Apparently, enough people do—he is beating Clinton in some national head-to-head polls.)
To make matters worse, Trump himself offered a disturbing explanation for his past behavior. “I’m dubbed as a world-class businessman, which frankly that’s what I am, and I got along with everybody,” he told The Today Show. “I got along with the Clintons, the Republicans, the Democrats, the liberals, the conservatives. That was my obligation, as a businessman. But I get along with…the Clintons and I get along with everybody virtually, because that was—when I needed approvals, when I needed something from Washington, I always got what I wanted.”
Hear that? Trump happily overlooked scandals, breaches of ethics and questionable legality among his powerful friends because he need them to get what they wanted. What happens when he’s up against Vladimir Putin? Will he overlook horrific human rights abuses to get what he wants? Will he turn a blind eye to corruption in Washington if it greases the wheel for his pet project? Will he allow his powerful buddies in business to cheat and steal if he’s benefiting from their influence?
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