It was only a matter of time. I held out hope that maybe we'd seen the worst of Donald Trump. Of course, I was wrong. The comments made in the video released by the Washington Post are inexcusable, no matter how long ago they were said.
Trump has lost us the election. For his own sake, he needs to step down. Pence can run, and he will lose, but at least Trump could leave and not make this next month worse for himself, and the Republican Party.
In the apology video Trump released, he mentions Hillary's involvement in silencing her husbands victims. I think this is worth noting, because it is something many people my age don't know about. My parents could talk at length about the terrible things Bill and Hillary did during his presidency. But most people under the age of 30 have no clue.
The name Juanita Broaddrick doesn't mean anything to most younger people. But this woman, who accused Bill Clinton of rape and claims Hillary threatened her to keep her quiet, is speaking out about her thoughts on a potential Clinton victory. She did an interview with Breitbart News that was released today. In it, she recounts the memory of being raped by Mr. Clinton, and then being kept quiet by Hillary. Former top aides in the Clinton presidency have also have been quoted recounting Hillary's attempts to blackmail Bill's accusers and destroy their stories.
This is not to say Trump is justified in the comments he made. He absolutely is not. But Hillary should not be free of criticism. What many of Bill's victims have accused her of is terrible. The idea that she stands up for women is false. You cannot silence the victims of rape and sexual assault for your own political gain, and then claim to be an activist for women's rights.
We're faced with two severely flawed candidates. I have no idea who will get my vote in November. Hopefully, Trump isn't even a option. But I cannot look past what Hillary has done, just as I cannot look past what Trump has said. I'm saddened to see the very likely loss of this election for the Republican Party, and what it means for our country moving forward.
As the national College Republicans chair tweeted this morning, "Definitely not with her, but not with him."
Kathryn Hinderaker is a sophomore at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. She is a Political Science major with concentrations in Management and Media Studies. She is originally from Apple Valley, Minnesota.
