Trump mocks the 'rules of #MeToo' for stifling his speech

President Trump is ridiculing the #MeToo movement yet again.

During a rally Wednesday night, the president suggested the movement against sexual harassment and assault is preventing him from using the phrases he wants to. This came as he was talking about the fact that in 2016, he was the first Republican to win Pennsylvania in decades. Trump then suddenly interrupted himself to say that "there's an expression, but under the rules of #MeToo, I'm not allowed to use that expression anymore."

He went on to apparently self-censor by saying that for Republicans, Pennsylvania was "the person that got away" instead of what he presumably wanted to say, "the one that got away," or perhaps "the woman that got away." He added that "in the old days, [the phrase] was a little different," and he suggested he couldn't say what he wanted to because the media was there.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Trump has repeatedly offered criticism of the #MeToo movement, especially in light of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation process, during which Kavanaugh was accused of sexual misconduct by three women. Kavanaugh denied the allegations. The president said last week that it's a "scary time" for young men in America because a person can be accused of something and then "you're automatically guilty." Even before the Kavanaugh hearings, though, Trump was mocking the movement, such as when he derisively referred to the "#MeToo generation" in a July rally, per CNN. Watch Trump's comments below. Brendan Morrow