Trump slammed for ‘vicious, vile’ mockery of rape claim woman
US president’s defence of Kavanaugh at rally backfires
DONALD Trump faced a backlash yesterday after he mocked the woman who accused his Supreme Court nominee of trying to rape her.
The US president used a speech at a rally on Tuesday night to impersonate Christine Blasey Ford and parody her testimony, in which she admitted forgetting details of the alleged attack.
But his belittling comments appeared to backfire as two wavering senators who could block judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination criticised the comments as ‘plain wrong’.
Mr Trump drew laughter from the cheering crowd in Southaven, Mississippi, as he mimicked Dr Ford, saying: ‘I had one beer. Well, do you think it was – nope, it was one beer.
‘How did you get home? I don’t remember. How’d you get there? I don’t remember. Where is the place? I don’t remember.
‘How many years ago was it? I don’t know. What neighbourhood was it in? I don’t know. Where’s the house? I don’t know. Upstairs, downstairs – where was it? I don’t know – but I had one beer. That’s the only thing I remember.’
Dr Ford’s lawyer Michael Bromwich called Mr Trump’s attack ‘vicious, vile and soulless’.
He said: ‘Is it any wonder she was terrified to come forward, and that other sexual assault survivors are as well? She is a remarkable profile in courage. He is a profile in cowardice.’
At a hearing last week in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dr Ford accused Mr Kavanaugh and a friend of attempting to rape her at a party in the early 1980s. After her testimony Mr Trump said she was ‘very compelling’ and a ‘very credible witness’. But since then he has grown frustrated and has started lashing out.
Mr Kavanaugh denies the allegations. A vote on his nomination to America’s top court is expected later this week after the FBI completes an investigation into the claims. But the result hangs in the balance and, if just two Republican senators went against Mr Kavanaugh, it is likely he would be defeated – in what would be a major blow for Mr Trump. Two Republicans known to be wavering over the nomination condemned the comments.
Senator Jeff Flake said: ‘To discuss something this sensitive at a political rally is just not right... it’s kind of appalling.’
And Senator Susan Collins said: ‘The president’s comments were just plain wrong.’
Mr Trump’s critics on the committee pointed out that Dr Ford’s life has been turned upside down and her testimony was deeply painful for her.
Democrat Mazie Hirono said: ‘We can always count on the president to go down to the lowest common denominator. The thing that Dr Ford did remember with 100% recollection was that Brett Kavanaugh attacked her.’
During the 2016 election Mr Trump was accused by at least 15 women of a range of inappropriate behaviour including sexual assault. In separate comments this week he claimed that it was a ‘very scary’ time for young men because they could be accused of rape with no evidence.
‘Trump is a profile in cowardice’