Apparently, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) holds principles that trump party loyalty. On Friday, October 7, 2016, the Washington Post revealed a recording of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump making incredibly lewd comments about women. Trump bragged that he can walk up to women and without asking permission kiss them and even grope them by the p***y.
Video Courtesy of YouTube
The Ryan Reaction
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) reacted promptly:
I am sickened by what I heard today. Women are to be championed and revered, not objectified.”
(By the way, Mr. Speaker, we’re happy with respect. We don’t need worship.)
Ryan added that he hopes the Donald will take the reaction to his comments seriously and demonstrate that he has more respect for women than the clip would suggest.
The Campaign Event
On Saturday, October 8, Trump was supposed to attend the Wisconsin Fall Fest with Ryan, Senator Ron Johnson, Governor Scott Walker, and several other prominent Wisconsin Republicans. This would have been the first event where Speaker Ryan campaigned with Trump. But Ryan told the Trump campaign that the candidate was no longer welcome at the event. Trump released a statement that Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence (R-IN) would attend the event in his place.
Debate Preparation
Trump is now scheduled to return to New York prepare for Sunday night’s town hall style debate. He will meet with several republicans, including New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Alabama Republican Senator Jeff Sessions, and Republican National Committee chair Reince Preibus.
Other Republican Reactions
Preibus also expressed disgust at the latest revelations about his party’s candidate, saying:
“No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever.”
Republican Congressman Jason Cheffetz of Utah withdrew his endorsement of Trump’s candidacy. He said he could no longer support Trump if he couldn’t look his 15-year-old daughter in the eye and tell her about Trump’s demeaning comments. Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman said that Trump should step aside and allow Mike Pence to be the party’s nominee. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that Trump’s comments were repugnant and unacceptable, and he should apologize to women.
Featured image by DonkeyHotey via Flickr. Available through Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike Generic 2.0 license.
