Seth Meyers explains why Donald Trump's new sex assault allegations are so devastating
Donald Trump's presidential campaign was already shaky before it was pummeled Wednesday by new allegations of unwanted sexual assault from at least four women, Seth Meyers noted on Thursday's Late Night. Still, "the Trump camp continues to spin every negative as a positive," he said. "I'm pretty sure no matter how badly Trump does on Election Day, he's still going to give a victory speech." As an example, he noted an interview in which Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway argued that Clinton should be winning by more than just 9 points, for novel reasons. "You think Hillary should be further ahead because she's running as the first female president?" Meyers asked. "If running as the first female president was an advantage, it probably would have happened before 2016."
"The Trump campaign was already desperate, and now, in response to these latest allegations, Trump is lashing out like a wounded badger at the end of a three-day coke binge," Meyers said. "He's launched a series of paranoid, unhinged attacks on virtually every aspect of our political system." Yes, "Trump denied the allegations," Meyers noted, "but here's the problem for Trump: There's very good reason to believe he did what he's accused of. Why? Because an irrefutable, inside source told us so: Donald Trump. Donald Trump is his own Deep Throat. He's Creep Throat."
Meyers closed out his closer look with an amused recap of the "absurd lengths" Trump's supporters have gone to this week "to try to excuse or dismiss the comments on that tape." And when the sex assault allegations added gasoline to the dumpster fire, instead of addressing the substance, they questioned the motive and the timing, 26 days before an election. "When people ask why women wait to report sexual assault, that's why," Meyers said. "Because instead of believing them, you question their motive."
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It should be noted that this is the accusation the Trump camp has lobbed at Hillary Clinton: That she tried to discredit Bill Clinton's accusers when conservative groups first brought the women forward in the 1992 campaign. "These new bombshells could very well bury Trump for good," Meyers said, but in the 1992 race, with a strong third-party candidate, they did not stop Bill Clinton from being elected.
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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