President Obama’s spokesman said Tuesday that a tape of Republican Donald Trump making lewd boasts about groping women 11 years ago constitutes “sexual assault” in the view of most Americans.
“The president found the tape as repugnant as most Americans did,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters traveling aboard Air Force One. “There has been a pretty clear statement by people all along the ideological spectrum that those statements constituted sexual assault. That’s why many people I believe have concluded that those statements are worthy of sharp condemnation.”
Mr. Trump, who has apologized, said his vulgar comments about grabbing women’s genitals were only words, while he maintains that former President Bill Clinton actually committed sexual assaults on at least three women years ago.
At a Democratic fundraiser in Chicago on Sunday, Mr. Obama said Mr. Trump has been “degrading women.”
“It tells you that he’s insecure enough that he pumps himself up by putting other people down. Not a character trait that I would advise for somebody in the Oval Office,” Mr. Obama said.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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