By Wayne Gates –
Donald Trump’s 2005 remarks about how he and other celebrities can treat women is affecting his support from political figures in Ohio.
In a tape released from an interview for “Access Hollywood,” Trump is heard to say that he can grope and kiss women without their consent because he is a celebrity.
The comments were made public on Friday, October 7. On the evening of October 8, Ohio Senator Rob Portman withdrew his support of Trump, releasing the following statement.
“As I said yesterday, Donald Trump’s comments were offensive and wrong. I had hoped to support the candidate my party nominated in the primary process. I thought it was appropriate to respect the millions of voters across the country who chose Donald Trump as the Republican Party nominee. While I continue to respect those who still support Donald Trump, I can no longer support him. I continue to believe our country cannot afford a Hillary Clinton presidency. I will be voting for Mike Pence for President.”
Congressman Brad Wenstrup also released a statement on the matter.
He continues to support Trump as the GOP nominee for President, but takes issue with the comments.
“I found Donald Trump’s private comments to be disgusting and revolting. I’m raising my two-year-old son to be gentleman who respects women. This was a horrible example.
Jesus spoke to those who were ready to “cast the first stone”. What if Jesus got down in the sand and began writing before each of these two presidential candidates?
I’ve been asked by some in the media if I will withdraw my support for the Republican nominee, yet no one in the media asked my Democratic colleagues if they would withdraw their support for the candidate who defended the degrading actions of her husband, destroyed evidence after being subpoenaed, lied about destruction of official e-mails, lied about – and is unable to recognize – classified or top secret material, called fellow Americans “deplorable” and “irredeemable,” and lied about the events in Benghazi – even to the mother of one of the slain American heroes.
Actions speak louder than words, and this election is about the future of our nation. The Supreme Court matters. Our national defense matters. Honesty matters. Trust matters. Following the Constitution matters. American lives matter.
The House of Representatives has put forward a bold agenda that speaks to all Americans on important issues. We have united to address our nation’s needs and our goodness in regards to poverty, the economy, healthcare, tax reform, constitutional authority, and national defense. These ideas, which I support, are available for all to see at www.better.gop.
Only one presidential candidate, Donald Trump, is willing to help advance these principled ideas that can serve to improve the lives of all Americans today and well into the future.”
Trump was already losing ground in Ohio prior to the comments being released.
The website realclearpolitics.com lists four Ohio polls taken between September 27 and October 7, showing that Trump went from an average lead of 3.8 percent on September 27 to being behind by .5 percent on October 7.
There is no polling posted on the site as of yet that reflects voter attitudes after the release of the comments and the presidential debate on October 9.
A national NBC/Wall Street Journal poll taken on October 8-9, after the comment and before the debate, shows that Hillary Clinton is leading Trump 46% to 35% among likely voters, but the electoral map will be closer than that because only a handful of states are truly competitive in the presidential race, including Ohio.
What could be a larger issue for Trump is that only 72% of Republicans in the poll said they would vote for Trump, compared to 85% of Democrats who said that they would vote for Clinton.
