President Donald Trump sank to a new low Tuesday night. During a rally, he mocked Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault and attempted rape when the two were teenagers in high school.
Trump’s presidency has been made up mostly of low points, cringe-worthy moments and embarrassing statements and actions, so it is easy to dismiss Trump’s mockery of an alleged sexual assault victim as par for the course. But we cannot.
{mosads}Trump was not merely “stating facts” as press secretary Sarah Sanders unconvincingly tried to spin. Trump was denigrating and diminishing Ford’s experience as an alleged sexual assault survivor, and it is a slap in the face of every woman and man who has experienced the fear, guilt and shame of surviving a sexual assault.
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), on average, there are 321,500 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States. Every 98 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. This means Trump has shunned and ridiculed the excruciating experiences of millions of Americans.
Never mind what this says about the political landscape for Trump as it relates to women. He is already suffering from a massive gender gap with respect to his popularity.
Never mind what it says politically for Republican candidates who have wrapped themselves so tight around Trump that you can’t tell where they end and the president begins. Never mind that this will make it harder for Republicans in a midterm election cycle that is already likely to be brutal for them.
What does this say about America? What does this say about Americans who voted for this man as their commander in chief? What does this say about America’s place in the world? Importantly, what does this say about our humanity, decency and values?
We’ve seen an erosion of America’s image abroad that started its decline when Trump became president. That decline continues as Trump nears the end of his second year in office.
Sadly, it has become crystal clear that many Republicans do not care. They voted for Trump on one core issue — to dramatically shift the Supreme Court to the right. They have looked the other way as Trump has bulldozed the values that Americans hold so dear — equality, diversity, decency and respect.
Sadly, this has occurred as all the eyes of the world look upon us, appalled that we are becoming a country that:
- shames alleged sexual assault survivors;
- is considering putting a judge on the Supreme Court who has allegations of sexual assault in his past;
- does not care whether a Supreme Court nominee lied under oath and behaved in a belligerent manner, attacking political foes and blaming them for conspiracy theories that have no place in the highest court in the land.
Brett Kavanaugh should be withdrawn from consideration to be a Supreme Court justice. He has demonstrated he lacks the temperament and honesty to serve on our high court and pass judgement on so many issues that will impact so many lives.
Contrary to many Republicans who demand due process and the presumption of innocence, I disagree, as do most legal analysts. Brett Kavanaugh is entitled to neither. This is not a criminal trial. He is going through a job interview.
He is supposed to prove he has the integrity, experience, temperament and capacity to be an objective arbiter of the laws of our land. He has proven he cannot be.
People have been fired or not hired for much less than what has been alleged of Kavanaugh and for much lesser positions than a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.
The bigger problem is that the GOP’s cavalier attitude about Kavanaugh’s history, attitude, temperament and qualifications speaks volumes about what they think of American women.
President Trump and Republicans have already demonstrated that they do not care about sexual assault survivors. Why would they? In 2016, most Republicans voted for a man who has sexual assault allegations against him and who boasted about sexually assaulting women.
The Republican Party and the president have an abysmal record when it comes to demonstrating they care about the rights of alleged sexual assault survivors.
But Tuesday’s rally not only put that disdain on full display, it continues to put the Republican Party on record as to where it stands on issues important to the dignity and humanity of all Americans.
Interestingly enough, only three Republican senators have thus far come out and condemned Trump’s disgusting comments about Ford. But they could be the only three that matter, as they could sink this nomination.
Will more come out and say, “Shame on the president for what he is doing to an alleged survivor of sexual assault?” Will more come out and say that they cannot vote for Kavanaugh because of what he has revealed about himself?
I hope so. Kavanaugh’s nomination hangs in the balance. If Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) stand up for women and vote “no” on Kavanaugh, they can start a long-awaited healing process for the country. If they don’t, in a month, voters will.
Maria Cardona is a principal at the Dewey Square Group, a Democratic strategist and a CNN/CNN Español political commentator. Follow her on Twitter @MariaTCardona.