Dismissing risks, Trump goes all-in on Bill Clinton’s past
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016, in Bedford, N.H. (AP Photo/John Locher)
NEW YORK >> Donald Trump says he took the moral high ground at the first presidential debate by not mentioning the infidelities of former President Bill Clinton. But he hinted at them, talked about them immediately afterward and then sent his campaign’s top backers out to do the same.
“An impeachment for lying,” Trump said today at a campaign rally in New Hampshire, referring to the effort to remove Bill Clinton from office for lying about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. “Remember that? Impeach.”
The Republican nominee’s decision to dredge up the former president’s sexual history is a risky move in his campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton, whose own team isn’t fazed by the attack line. Trump critics say it could backfire, elevating her in the eyes of female voters and motivating her base.
“The whole notion of trying to get Hillary Clinton to pay for Bill Clinton’s infidelities is just strategically a bad choice,” said Katie Packer, a longtime Republican strategist opposed to Trump’s candidacy. Women in particular, she said, see it as cruel.
Republican pollster Frank Luntz said Trump’s reference to Bill Clinton’s indiscretions was his low point Monday night among the group of voters with whom he watched the debate.
“They were laughing about it because they thought that was Trump at his worst,” Luntz said, adding that undecided voters are especially turned off by personal attacks.
The effort also risks drawing attention to the thrice-married Trump’s own unflattering history with women. His first marriage ended following a well-publicized affair, and two of his top advisers, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, have had their own well-documented infidelities. The three have had nine wives combined.
Trump first touched on Bill Clinton’s sexual past the weekend before the debate, threatening to seat Gennifer Flowers in the front row. She has said she and Clinton had an affair and he has admitted to one sexual encounter. She didn’t appear. Trump did not directly mention Bill Clinton’s affairs on stage with the Democratic nominee, but he did refer to them afterward.
“You want to know the truth? I was going to say something extremely rough to Hillary, to her family, and I said to myself: I can’t do it. I just can’t do it,” he said.
“I’m very happy I didn’t mention Bill’s indiscretions because that’s out of respect,” he told The Associated Press, adding that he’d held his tongue because the Clintons’ daughter, Chelsea, was in the audience.
That restraint didn’t last. In talking points later distributed by the campaign and obtained by AP, Trump supporters were advised that “Mr. Trump has never treated women the way Hillary Clinton and her husband did when they actively worked to destroy Bill Clinton’s accusers.”
The document mentions Flowers, former White House intern Monica Lewinsky and Paula Jones, a former Arkansas state worker who sued Clinton for sexual harassment. The former president eventually agreed to an $850,000 settlement with Jones, but acknowledged no wrongdoing.
Trump supporters are advised to say they are not “blaming Hillary for Bill’s infidelities,” but rather are pointing out that she has “been an active participant in trying to destroy the women who has (sic) come forward with a claim.”
His backers got the message. Giuliani said that Bill Clinton “disgraced this country with what he did in the Oval Office.”
As for Hillary Clinton, he said, “After being married to Bill Clinton for 20 years, if you didn’t know the moment Monica Lewinsky said that Bill Clinton violated her that she was telling the truth, then you’re too stupid to be president.” That was in an interview posted by a reporter from the news website Elite Daily.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge told MSNBC on Wednesday that, “If we want to dig back through the ’90s on comments made about women, we can certainly look to Secretary Clinton referring to Monica Lewinsky as a neurotic loony toon.”
While Hillary Clinton’s aides aren’t thrilled about having her marriage back in the spotlight, they argue Trump’s new focus prevents him from making an affirmative case for his candidacy and only underscores the concerns some voters have with his temperament.
“She is steady. She is unflappable and so whether he’d done it at the debate or does it at the next debate it’s not going to throw her off her game,” said Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon. “She’s not wired in the same way he is, prone to outbursts.”
GOP strategist Packer, who has spent years working to draw women to the Republican Party, said independent, Republican-leaning and Democratic-leaning women alike don’t blame Clinton for her husband’s affairs or for being angry with the women he slept with. And reminders of them only boost her popularity.
“Hillary is never stronger than when she was when she’s a victim,” Packer said.
79 responses to “Dismissing risks, Trump goes all-in on Bill Clinton’s past”
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This is rich coming from a guy that bragged about his affair and how “good the sex was” with Marla Maples WHILE he was still married to Ivana then he divorced Ivana to marry Marla. Then he did the same to Marla: he fooled around with Melania then divorced Marla for Melania. This guys hypocrisy knows no bounds…
Clinton is a sexual predator. There’s no doubt about it, nor is there any doubt about his wife’s role in dragging all the accusers through the dirt. During his first term, Hillary made it her full-time job to lay waste to all those who came forward. They are both complete pieces of Sh. Why is it you libs are so willing to go after Bill Cosby, but when it comes to Bill Clinton, not so much? Couldn’t be a racist thing now could it? You guys are pathetic.
You may have just awoken from a coma, but Mr. Clinton is not running for President. Mr. Trump is, and Mr. Trump is the one who is a serial adulterer who abandoned his wife and his children.
Just figured I’d fill you in. You’re welcome.
Klastri, it was Ms Hillary that protected Mr. Clinton and the women that Mr. Clinton assaulted and “raped” has and will make the whole issue public. The problem for Ms Hillary is the Millinials who were not around 20+ years ago and face similar sexual assaults in colleges, workplace and even the military. The 18 to 35 age women will not like what Ms Hillary did to the Mr. Clinton’s women.
kuroiwaj – You’re wrong, at least when compared to Mr. Trump. He’s working hard to lose the vote of every single woman in the United States. He’s done.
kuro, you might want to share your “Hillary supported Bill’s raping of thousands of women” theory with your therapist. Things can only get better, if you stop fighting it….
Klastri, there you go again tooting your horn. You should know we don’t need a sex predator anywhere near the White House. That would be a bad message. It is appropriate to show the voters the Clintons’ past, present and no doubt future corrupt behavior and their devious pass in and out, through and through. After all, and you must’ve agree, she started with the drag a $100 bill through a white trailer camp.
4 of her staff and 1 from Platte. Immunity? That will be their downfall. But of course you know that. You are the self professed attorney. They better win or it’s the jail house.
Man Klastri, you are so smart.
lespark let me see if I understand your logic: Hillary is disqualified from the Presidency because her husband had affairs but Trump is qualified because Trump had affairs?
Haroldm, like the emails the coverup is worse than the transgressions and Hilliary was in on all of it.
Trump has been a playboy all his life. Seducing women, many willingly, and now he wants to bring up Bill Clinton infidelities. He needs to look in the mirror of his mind
Many willingly? Unlike Mr. Clinton, has any woman suggested rape by Mr. Trump? Mr. Clinton took advantage of a young intern half his age, and then lied to the American people until he was cornered by the truth. As our head of state, he didn’t have the ability to “man up” to his behavior. Ms. Clinton verbally chastised all women involved.
@DPK, indeed, there are women who have said Trump raped them. Through a quick google search I found this article, “All the rape allegations against Donald Trump that cable news won’t talk about.” Now, I’m not saying it’s accurate. But you’d said “has any woman suggested rape by Mr Trump?” and so I’m simply point out that “yes, they have.”
Please tell us what is your source? You neglected to present it. Who are these women?
True but he is desperate and is losing big time now. What do Bill’s extra marital affairs have to do with Hillary or the Presidential race? Trump is a looney and it is really a stunner that he is even in this race as doltish as he is.
Unfortunately, you don’t understand that it’s not Mr. Clinton’s affairs that matter. It’s Ms. Clinton’s derogatory remarks about the women that Mr. Clinton had relationships with. Does “narcissistic bimbo” ring a bell?
Dishonest Donald at his best. He of three marriages and who knows how many he has paid off on the side.
Trump has a thing about calling plump women, Miss Piggy. Trump is in reality Mr. Very Piggy. Just look at him.
nothing wrong going after Hillary on her husbands pass, they went after trumps wife about her pass, so turn about is fair play.
“her pass?”
Ho bah, its in da pass…
Bill has made plenty of “passes” and so has Trump! On this topic, Trump needs to get out of his own glasshouse before he starts throwing rocks at Bill.
trump is a joke even to himself. He is an entertainer building his brand. He never thought his act would get him this far.
The issue is not whether it is “fair play.” The more important issue is how effective going after Bill would be. It will be less meaningful than Melania’s possible immigration violations and the fact that Trump was dating her while still married to Marla (with whom he had an affair while married to Ivana).
Again, the issue is whether Trump and his blind followers have any sense at all.
Not an issue for Trump. How can HiLIARy followers support a criminal and her corrupt Clinton Foundation. Benghazi–HiLIARy lied and four men died. Never forget.
Not a criminal; not a liar. end story.
“Never forget”? Yet you have conveniently forgotten all the embassy attacks and deaths during other administrations:
Jan. 29, 2005: Unknown attackers fired either a rocket or a mortar round at the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad. The strike killed two U.S. citizens and left four others injured.
March 2, 2006: An unidentified driver detonated a car bomb while driving past the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, killing a himself, a U.S. Consulate worker and at least three others.
Nov. 27, 2008: A Taliban suicide car bomber targeted the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing four civilians in addition to the suicide bomber and wounding 18 others. The embassy was hosting a Thanksgiving Day event as Americans and other foreigners were arriving at the venue at the time of the attack.
I put it to you that you are not at all concerned with deaths at embassies if they happen during the administration of someone you support. Otherwise you would be saying “never forget” about all of them. (and what’s llisted here is the tip of the iceberg).
I am concerned about all the deaths and don’t really care whose administration. On the other hand how many families of the deceased were lied to by the Secretary of State?
It was kind of funny to hear Chelsie talking about the way Trump talks about women… wonder if she knows how her dad, Bill, treats women and how her mom, Hillary, treats women that say anything about Bill????
And all the time the Clintons are the champion of women around the world. Wonder how the women in Muslim countries are treated by the men who give all that money to the Clinton Foundation??????
Yes, Hillary said you cannot believe everything the accuser says when he got caught. Mighty noble of her. But now that she wants the female votes, she now says we must believe the accuser. She says things to get votes!
Donald, No one cares about Bill and his indiscretions. He’s not running for President. Not to mention, isn’t this a case of the pot calling the kettle black?
Many people do care, especially about some of the specific accusations, the cover-ups, the threats.
Are you talking about Bill? Or the Donald?
It’s not about Mr.Clinton’s affairs, it’s about the derogatory way in which Ms. Clinton referred to these unfortunate women. Does calling a young intern a “narcissistic bimbo” ring a bell? This was the term she used during her “denial” dance.
He was going to lose anyway, now this just pads a victory for HRC. First, people, as the saw goes, in glass houses should not throw rocks, especially when your glass house has three wives. Two, you are conflating HRC with, yes, the indiscretions of your husband, he is not running—huge difference. Three, when you have a entire history of both actions and remarks, like, “I could have b@nged lady di…..you are at best an utter hypocrite and at worse, a sexist and misogynistic doofus.
It’s remarkable that Mr. Trump is doubling down on a strategy that is guaranteed to make him even more unpopular with educated women. It’s like we’re watching a psychotic meltdown.
Klas…it’s not even like watching an accident in slow motion, as he repeats the loop, again and again. One, he could never pull pass the 40-41% percent threshold, which means, there was never a sufficient amount of folks that were going to vote for him. Two, even with the gaffes of the HRC campaign, he was his own worse enemy, and has only himself to blame for what will be a convincing loss. I heard through the grapevine, he plans to cheer himself up by taking a fourth wife, this time around from Moldova.
I was thinking Trump wants to try Russian next time, which would explain his complimenting words for the Russian dictator. Maybe his bro Vladimir can set him up with a nice, long-legged devooshka.
I was thinking Trump wants to try Russian next time, which would explain his complimenting words for the Russian dictator. Maybe his bro Vladimir can set him up with a nice long-legged devooshka.
Da.
What “grapevine” is that?
“With Trump, it’s always the tyranny of the urgent and right now it is he has to have people believe he won, or that if he didn’t it was rigged and unfair,” said Rick Tyler, a GOP operative who worked on Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign. “The purpose of having 84 million people watch is to get more people on his campaign; that’s winning. In his mind, it’s just about winning the debate. The objective is actually winning the election.”
Trump’s backers have been more consistent in their adherence to another fatuous talking point, stating that Trump deserved credit for being “gentlemanly” and even “courageous” for not bringing up the subject of Bill Clinton’s infidelities that they are themselves bringing up, increasingly in less uncertain, veiled terms.
And the candidate has compounded the damage by failing or refusing to recognize the damage done by his assertion that avoiding paying income taxes “makes me smart” and his repetition of comments about how a former Miss Universe “gained a massive amount of weight” after he awarded her crown was “a real problem.”
In reality, both Trump’s tacit references to the Lewinsky scandal and his explicit references to the Miss Universe story—something Clinton’s campaign used knowingly to bait Trump and has since pushed into the news cycle—are likely to prevent him from expanding support among undecided women voters, a bloc that may tip the balance of the election more than any other.
“What has been relatively true in the general [election] is that when the news is about Trump, his numbers stagnate and drop. And it’s been the same pattern with her. Right now the story is all about him,” said Sarah Isgur Flores, whose former boss, Carly Fiorina, was also criticized by Trump for her appearance. “After the Megyn Kelly thing, after Carly’s thing, his voters know him. That doesn’t mean they approve of it. They just think country has reached a point where they need big change. But holding his supporters is not enough heading into November.
He had to build and this doesn’t help building.”
Tyler put it bluntly: “He needs more women supporters, and reminding people he called someone Miss Piggy or Miss Housekeeper is not helpful.”
Desperate to put any sort of positive gloss on a disappointing debate performance, Trump’s campaign claimed to have seen an $18 million windfall in small-dollar online donations in the 24 hours after the debate.However, it’s not yet clear if that money is all from online contributions or how much of it will be available to Trump, as POLITCO reported Thursday.
Clinton’s campaign, meanwhile, is starting to put the pedal down. Even before the candidate mentioned Machado, her communications and rapid response operations had laid the groundwork. Machado had already done a photo shoot and interview with Cosmopolitan that popped online less than 24 hours after the debate. The campaign quickly organized a press call with Machado. They cut a video encapsulating the debate exchange and Machado’s story, which has been a staple of cable news coverage for 48 hours now. In swing states, women surrogates have been amplifying Clinton’s argument.
And Democrats have said they would love to see Trump try to tar Clinton for her husband’s cheating past, something veteran Republican operatives and GOP lawmakers desperately want their candidate to avoid.
“What you’ve seen in the last 48 hours is that Clinton actually has a campaign,” said Stuart Stevens, the GOP strategist behind Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign. “What you see is the Clinton campaign has an extra gear they can go into, and the Trump campaign really doesn’t.”
I actually saw Stuart at a conference about a month ago and the things he had to say about Trump were beyond unflattering. In short, Trump has a plethora of vices, with hubris at the very top of the list, he just cost the Rs about 20 years….
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/donald-trump-bill-clinton-attacks-228921#ixzz4LhN9i2eF
and you are perfect? Hope the Clintons pay well. You get paid for ever word you write? Are you a comedian in your real job?
A very well paid one….
News just out. The Trump Foundation was never certified to solicit money, and he lied about that. And then solicited money, illegally.
An absolutely clear violation of law.
True Kiastri but what will be more serious? Soliciting money illegally or going to Cuba and spending money. The Donald might just end up in jail. lol
Clinton Foundation investigation underway. Wiki wiki
No beachbum, Ike is not a comedian. He’s a garden variety group-think leftist with too much time on his hands. Hence the rambling, dis-connected, needlessly verbose and self adulatory posts. Just ignore him and he’ll eventually go away.
Rambling posts??? These are verbatim articles usually from the following: NYT, Atlantic , the National Review n American Spectator (so is to be mildly balanced) and Politico.
When is the last time you wrote some for a national publication, that is fact checked and has an editorial board? Or I forgot you are still pouting that we busted you and your fake degrees and purported careers….
No, he won’t. Keep up your fantasy.
trump should submit dna samples of his family. the female felon will never do the same.
Just wondering when you start scraping the bottom of the barrel. You’re getting down there.
Mr. Trump is losing. Badly. It’s over for him. He’s done.
For what reason would Hillary need to submit dna?
Who is the father of her daughter.
oh, the webb of lies woven by the female felon.
What a dilemma! I don’t want to vote for Trump because I don’t want an internationally acclaimed idjit for president. I don’t want to vote for Clinton because I don’t want someone who has breached national security for president. And, I don’t want to vote for a third party because I don’t want the diversion of votes resulting in Trump being elected. It is a sad day when decision-making is based on who of the candidates is least problematic!
Vote for Jill Stein. I know many democrats who have mustered the courage and intestinal fortitude to do so.
Now that Johnson has stiffed himself, he’s not likely to go much further in his run. Not voting may be an option for some, but then what you get is what you get. I’m sticking with Gary for now, but if he drops out of sight, it’s gonna have to boil down to one ideology over another, and the damage potential either frontrunner will necessitate. Trump is a huge pill to swallow, but being as outrageous as he his, he’s not likely to see much support from congress. Anything he may be able to do by executive order most probably would be challenged in court. Hillary brings political savvy to the table, but has a lot of baggage and an mediocre career. Her influence and owed favors undoubtedly will get things done, but are they really the things we want done. Hanging over all of this are the impending court changes. Each of us has to mull over the possibilities, and then try and do what we feel is best, and if that means we have to bite the bullet for four years, so be it.
Very thoughtful post. I guess you have to come to terms with the fact that a third party vote deprives one or the other main party of a vote. Remember Ralph Nader tipped the scales toward GW Bush in the 2000 election.
Four national polls have been conducted entirely since the debate: They have Clinton ahead of Donald Trump by 5 percentage points, 4 points, 3 points and 1 point. There’s also a new national tracking poll from the New Orleans Times-Picayune conducted mostly since the debate, and that has Clinton up 5 points. Considering that the 1-point lead was from Rasmussen Reports, which typically produces Republican-leaning results, the polls show a reasonably clear consensus so far of Clinton being up by 3 to 5 points nationally….with more to come that way.
538
He has essentially no path to 270 electoral votes. Thankfully, the debate finished him off. And the best news is that he dragged the Senate down with him. Two to one favorite now for Democrats to take control.
Don’t know about the rest of you but I would not feel safe having a woman scorned with her hand on the nuke button. What happens if she catches Bill jumping on the Lolita Express again?
That doesn’t strike you as being the least bit sexist? The profound dichotomy of that incorrect stamtent is that Donald has proven time and time again, regardless of individual, party, philosophy or even good sense, to take on petty feuds and grudges. But, what would you know, you have fake college degrees in sci-fi.
Reality, my over-educated common sense deficient friend, is that a woman scorned can be as dangerous as a hive of wet hornets. They’re wired like that courtesy of our maker. Waldo is no different. It is well known that she took out her frustrations on her secret service protectors while Bill was dipping his beak in just about everything that moved. That’s why I don’t want her to have the nuke codes.
CEI, I’ll ask you this: Why do you want Donald Trump to have the nuke codes?
Trump going after Bill is desperation, grasping at straws as he free-falls to reality. It’s stoopid.
Trump fans, DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF MY SMART PHONE?
Warning: Trump’s campaign news can cause extreme stress, anxiety, and post stress debate disorder, which may also include other apparently unrelated video not suitable for responsible and sane audiences who possess common sense.
Here’s a guy who is on his third wife and by the way haven’t been around since the RNC. Wonder if he has her locked up in his penthouse so Bill wouldn’t get his hands on her.
Bill Clinton, was has he got to do with him running for President, when he should be running his mouth in what are some of his plans he has for America. A man without a plan.
seems fair to evaluate the stain’s presidency which was advertised as a two for one deal with the female felon being the loose cannon. the female felon has constantly claimed her time as first lady of the stained oval office qualifies her to be president.
during the stain’s presidency, whitewater papers, missing since the 1980s were suddenly located in the female felon’s private quarters in the white house.
during the stain’s presidency, the female felon directed the firing of the white house travel staff falsely claiming that they embezzled travel benefits.
during the stain’s presidency, the female felon directed the fbi’s secret background checks into several hundreds of political opponents.
during the stain’s presidency, the female felon conducted secret meetings to foist national health care upon the nation. because of her penchant for secrecy the planned health care never passed.
before and during the stain’s presidency, the female felon attacked and demonized the victim’s of the stain’s sexual assaults and rapes.
during the stain’s presidency, vince foster . . . , well vince is no more.
looking at the stain’s presidency is justified when seeking insight into this presidential election. the female felon’s congenital history of lying, tampering and destroying evidence and personal attacks on rape and sexual assault victims are valid issues to consider.
then, consider the recent issues: the criminal money laundering enterprise operating as a tax exempt clinton charity, the intentional mishandling of classified information, intentionally destroying evidence in the email investigation, lying to benghazi widows and families and her spiraling health. the logical conclusion is that the female felon is morally bankrupt and should never be allowed to hold public office of any kind.
So we get to choose between female felon and bagdad bob?
Vote for Gary Johnson or Jill Stein!
Wasted votes. Distractions
More good news for you Trumpers….even the white washed vanilla USA Today won’t support Trump–see:http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/09/29/dont-vote-for-donald-trump-editorial-board-editorials-debates/91295020/
Haven’t seen anything from the Black Panthers lately. Are they gearing up to secure the polling places?
Hillary shows poor judgement in sticking with Bill and the question should be Why. How many of our female voters would remain with a hubby who engaged in so many extra marital affairs with females during his terms in office? Not few. Most would get rid of the bum and move on. Of course, Hillary has other thoughts of her own future campaign in mind, so she plays the sympathy card to the hilt and her supporters love it. Two faced Hillary.
LOL. And Dishonest Donald isn’t two faced with his three wives and multiple side affairs that he bragged about on TV over the years?
juanita broaddrick
kathleen wiley
paula jones
sandra allen james
eileen wellstone
christy zercher
carolyn moffet
helen dowdy
becky brown
regina blakely hopper
monica lewinsky
elizabeth ward gracen
gennifer flowers
connie hamzy
dolly kyle browning
sally miller (perdue)
lencola sullivan
all rape, sexual assault or sexual harassment survivors.
“crooked” hillary might be trump referencing part of paula jones’ rather specific identification of the stain’s “crooked” willy.
STD, and a few filed charges in court and the Clintons paid them off to stay quiet.