Trask Avenue

So The Washington Post got their hands on an 11 year old recording of Donald Trump where he casually talks about women as if they were his personal playthings. Is anyone surprised? If you have paid the least bit of attention to this man since he slithered into the public eye this can only be completely expected. Say what you want about his “evolving” political positions. This is the one area in his life where he has been remarkably consistent, perhaps only matched by his desire for wealth and status. If this tape shocked you…well, I’m sorry for your shock, but glad you have finally seen the truth.

Public and political reaction has been predictable. People are horrified and disgusted, even though this jocular exchange was completely true to his established character. You see, stable humans understand basic human dignity. Thus the outrage was virulent. It was so virulent that a remarkable thing happened early this morning. Many hours after the story broke, Donald Trump sort of apologized in a video released on his Facebook page. The video was 90 seconds. Based on what he unenthusiastically read with his trademark end-of-days scowl, it was about 70 seconds too long.

“I’ve never said I’m a perfect person, nor pretended to be someone that I’m not. I’ve said and done things I regret, and the words released today on this more than a decade-old video are one of them. Anyone who knows me knows these words don’t reflect who I am. I said it, I was wrong and I apologize.”

I suspect those words released today reflect *exactly* who is he. Maybe if he stopped after “I apologize” we could let that go but, unsurprisingly, he did not. He soldiered on in typical Trump fashion without any clear acknowledgement for the damage he has caused.

“I have traveled the country talking about change for America, but my travels have also changed me. I’ve spent time with grieving mothers who’ve lost their children, laid-off workers whose jobs have gone to other countries, and people from all walks of life who just want a better future. I have gotten to know the great people of our country and I’ve been humbled by the faith they’ve placed in me. I pledge to be a better man tomorrow, and will never, ever let you down.”

Donald Trump is 70 years old. It is more likely I will grow a third arm before he changes who he is. Hey, I’m not saying people can’t change at 70. I’m saying he can’t. He has gotten away with this type of shit his entire life. It brought him all the riches his little Grinch heart desires. Who really believes he is going to change now because the politically correct world has a problem with his juvenile boorish behavior? As for never, ever letting us down…I hate to break it to you, Big D. I know you think you have the power to control how people feel, but you don’t. Just look at your shrinking poll numbers.

“Let’s be honest, we’re living in the real world. This is nothing more than a distraction from the important issues we’re facing today.”

No, don’t go there. Please don’t turn this moment of forced contrition into something it is not.

“We are losing our jobs, we are less safe than we were eight years ago and Washington is totally broken. Hillary Clinton and her kind have run our country into the ground. I’ve said some foolish things, but there’s a big difference between the words and actions of other people. Bill Clinton has actually abused women, and Hillary has bullied, attacked, shamed and intimidated his victims. We will discuss this more in the coming days. See you at the debate on Sunday.”

But he did.

Spin as he might for those last 70 seconds, this particular abomination is not about Hillary Clinton. It is not about Bill Clinton. It is not about jobs or walls or political gridlock or Muslims or guns or nuclear weapons or federal judges or Russia or emails. It is about one thing: Donald Trump’s sustained and persistent objectification and disregard of women in pursuit of personal pleasure. That is the issue. And his refusal to admit it will put the final nail into his narcissistic political fantasies. In a few weeks he will hear the words he so loves to say – You’re fired. And the most beautiful thing is women will be the ones to tell him. That should register with him because, as he said in 2005, “I’m automatically attracted to beautiful.”