The internet was on fire today with news that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made sexually aggressive comments in 2005. His comments, which included the phrase “grab them by the pu**y,” go beyond lewd and into the category of assault. Billy Bush, the man hosting the Donald Trump interview in which those comments were made, has spoken out.
Billy Bush: ‘I’m Embarrassed And Ashamed’
Donald Trump had a bad day today. So did Billy Bush. Most of the ire today focused on Trump, and with good reason. Billy Bush, though, did not escape unscathed. Bush, now a host of the “Today” show on NBC, issued the following apology today, as reported by Variety:
“Obviously I’m embarrassed and ashamed. It’s no excuse, but this happened eleven years ago — I was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along. I’m very sorry.”
Oh, Billy. There was no reason for that “but” in there. You’re not the one who made the comment, yet it still cheapens your apology.
It is, however, far better than Trump’s non-apology:
“I apologize if anyone was offended.”
I cannot believe this man is the Republican presidential nominee.
Does Donald Trump Interview Signal Beginning Of The End?
Donald Trump’s interview with Billy Bush happened a long time ago, I know. But really, who was shocked by this? While I think these comments go beyond the pale, they’re just par for the course for The Orange Menace. This is a man who has incited violence, who regularly makes racist comments (and made another dog whistle one today with his comments on the “Central Park Five”), who brought up Rosie O’Donnell’s weight in a debate, who blamed a poor performance on Megyn Kelly’s menstrual cycle, and so on, and so on.
And yet, he still stands.
I don’t understand it. Or, perhaps, I don’t want to understand it. The idea that I live in a country in which a large swath of people find this man not only palatable but admirable is unfathomable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kde0-BHzVU8
Featured Image by (cc) Kenneth Yeung – www.thelettertwo.com via Flickr under a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license
