Sex scandals topple others, not Trump
Contrasting outcomes offer study in survival
WASHINGTON — What does Donald Trump have that former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, TV newsman Mark Halperin and actor Kevin Spacey don’t? A job.
All four men have been the subject of multiple accusations that they sexually harassed their subordinates. Many of the accounts go back decades.
The volume and graphic nature of the charges have driven Weinstein, Halperin and Spacey from their precious perches.
After a swarm of ugly allegations about Trump kissing and groping unwilling women, American voters sent him to the White House.
Another difference: Weinstein, Halperin and Spacey apologized for their bad behavior, even as they denied some specific accusations. Trump denied everything.
A higher bar for TV?
GOP strategist and CNN contributor Alice Stewart doesn’t think it’s accurate to lump the claims made against Trump in with the more egregious allegations made about Weinstein and Spacey.
Stewart also noted that in one sense, there is a higher bar for TV, where advertisers don’t want to be tainted with creepy guys, than for elected office.
Trump voters were looking for a fighter, Stewart said. Besides, Trump never ran as a “family values” candidate.
Hoover Institution research fellow Bill Whalen compared Trump to another candidate who won office after a large number of women accused him of crude behavior: former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Another factor was that Schwarzenegger’s wife Maria Shriver,amemberofthekennedyclan, was deployed “like a human shield” to vouch for the action hero’s character.
Melania Trump also vouched for her husband after the “Access Hollywood” tape went viral.
In the entertainment world, there has been a stampede away from Weinstein, Spacey and Halperin.
Soft spot in politics
In politics, there always are loyal partisans ready to stand up for someone whom they believe should not be a target, especially if they suspect the timing of a story is politically motivated.
Whalen believes President Bill Clinton, by fighting back when it had been reported that he had been involved with a White House intern, paved the way for Trump.
Hillary Clinton’s defense of her husband hobbled her own presidential campaign in 2016. “How can she attack Donald Trump for bad behavior when she in fact turned a blind eye to her husband’s own behavior?” Whalen asked.
Here’s an odd twist. Actress Amber Tamblyn has a theory on how Trump’s election led to Weinstein’s demise. She told Cosmopolitan magazine, “Honestly, I trace everything back to the election of Donald Trump. I think that without him being elected, if it had been Hillary Clinton, this would’ve never happened to Harvey Weinstein.”
Tamblyn said she understands that not all women see Trump as she does, as she sees his victory as a signal that women don’t matter.
A Hollywood ending? In backing a candidate who does not back down, Trump voters gained a fighter – and from his victory, Hollywood tasted its vaunted values.
Contact Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Debrajsaunders on Twitter.