Appearing Monday morning on Fox & Friends, President Trump’s favorite television news program, radio host Larry Elder categorically rejected any comparison between Trump, who was accused of sexual assault by numerous women before the 2016 election, and Harvey Weinstein, who has been accused of sexual assault by numerous women over the last week.
Elder began by claiming that “President Trump has not admitted to being a sexual assaulter at all.” He is apparently unfamiliar with the infamous Access Hollywood tape, which was released during the campaign last year. Trump was recorded bragging about his history of sexual assault.
“You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything…Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything,” Trump said in 2005.
Elder then argued that “whatever Donald Trump has done is child play” compared to Weinstein.
Certainly, the allegations leveled against Weinstein are extremely serious. Thus far, 39 women have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault, including several allegations of rape.
But 15 women have publicly accused Trump of sexual assault. A year ago, Trump claimed to have secret evidence proving his innocence.
“We already have substantial evidence to dispute these lies, and it will be made public in an appropriate way and at an appropriate time — very soon,” Trump said in October 2016. No such evidence has been released. Instead Trump claimed some of the women who accused him of sexual assault were too ugly for him to be interested.
Nothing ever happened with any of these women. Totally made up nonsense to steal the election. Nobody has more respect for women than me!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2016
Trump’s accusers include Natasha Stoynoff, a People Magazine writer who says Trump pinned her against a wall and jammed his tongue down her throat at Mar-a-Lago in 2005. She has six people who confirm her story.
Jill Harth, who worked for Trump in the 1990s, says she was repeatedly sexually harassed by Trump, and claims Trump groped her underneath a table. Summer Zervos says Trump invited her to the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2007 to discuss business, then began kissing her, grabbing her breasts and thrusting his genitals.
Zervos is suing Trump for defamation — he claimed she was lying about the incident — and recently subpoenaed his campaign for “all documents concerning any woman who asserted that Donald J. Trump touched her inappropriately.”
Some of Trump’s accusers have expressed frustration that the accusations against Weinstein are being taken more seriously. “We have women coming out that are celebrities and of course it gets more traction. They have more credibility than I do,” said Melinda McGillivray, who accused Trump of groping her in 2003.