Accounts from two different women have emerged in recent weeks, Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, credibly detailing sexual relationships they carried out with President Trump in the early years of his marriage to the first lady.

This does not buck the narrative Trump himself has deliberately crafted, posing on the cover of Playboy, openly admitting to cheating on his first wife with his second. Conservatives grappled with that narrative during the primaries, and rumblings of those questions have never faded entirely, but recent reports present another challenge.

The sitting president, a Republican representative of the conservative movement, likely carried out extramarital affairs at the expense of the first lady. It’s not earth-shattering information — other presidents have done the same (even while in office) and Trump’s habits have long been known — but it’s nothing for conservatives to excuse. And ignoring, by the way, is excusing.

The character of a president is the bedrock of his moral credibility — an important currency to have as a leader and one that sets an example for children.