Trump reportedly thinks sexual misconduct allegations are mostly a ploy to undermine powerful men

In public, President Trump has offered praise for women who speak up to expose sexual misconduct by powerful men. "I think it's very, very good for women," he said late last month, "and I'm very happy a lot of these things are coming out."

In private, however, he is reportedly singing a different tune. Trump has complained "that the avalanche of charges taking down prominent men is spinning out of control," Politico reported Monday, citing multiple unnamed sources with knowledge of the president's conversations on the subject.

Particularly in the case of Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, who has been accused of sexual misconduct toward girls as young as 14, Trump reportedly believes the allegations are a ploy to undermine their target's success. When Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called Trump to ask for his help in pushing Moore out of the race, the Politico story says, Trump's response shocked him. "Who were these women," Trump reportedly asked, "and why had they kept quiet for 40 years only to level charges weeks before an election?"

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This perspective, paired with a combative instinct to react against the desires of establishment figures like McConnell, is how Trump "came around to an accused child molester," the Politico piece argues. Read the rest here.