Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s history of misogyny has already hurt him among female voters, and the final nail in the coffin may have been Friday’s release of a bombshell video of him bragging about sexual assault.
So it was striking on Monday when the hosts of the popular daytime talk show “The View” unanimously condemned the recording ― in which Trump boasts of groping women “by the pussy” ― and praised his opponent Hillary Clinton’s handling of the issue during Sunday’s presidential debate.
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg called out Trump’s “piggish behavior” and blasted the former reality TV star for suggesting that “when you’re a star, you can do anything.”
The show’s primary demographic is women between the ages of 25-54. Monday’s episode was the show’s first since the release of the video on Friday, which dominated headlines throughout the weekend and sent Trump’s campaign into free fall ahead of Sunday’s debate.
The show’s panel of hosts took issue with Trump and his campaign’s main defense of the remarks ― that he and then-”Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush were simply engaging in “locker room talk.”
“He’s talking about it like he was some kid in a locker room,” panelist Jedediah Bila said. “Yeah, maybe you’ll find some stray person in a locker room that’s talking like that, but they’re not all running for president! They’re not all trying to be the leader of the free world, Donald!”
Bila also had some advice for the Republican lawmakers who have condemned Trump’s remarks but continue to support his candidacy, from former GOP presidential hopefuls Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Marco Rubio (Fla.), to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). “If you don’t withdraw your endorsement, you are putting your stamp of approval on this.”
Trump has a long history with the talk show. He has appeared on the show as a guest, including during his run for president, as the show frequently features political candidates. In 2011, he used an appearance on the show to tout his birtherism, demanding that President Barack Obama release his birth certificate.
Most notably, in 2006, he got into a public feud with then-host Rosie O’Donnell, calling her a “slob” and a “loser,” and saying that she has “a fat, ugly face.”
Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.
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