S.E. Cupp: Can MAGA go any lower defending Donald Trump?
On October 7, 2016, a seismic event shook the political landscape just a month before the presidential election, as The Washington Post released a recording of Donald Trump making lewd comments about women during an “Access Hollywood” interview from 2005. In the tape, Trump boasted about his celebrity status allowing him to engage in sexual misconduct, famously stating, “grab ’em by the p*ssy.” The fallout was immediate and intense, with many Republican lawmakers publicly calling for Trump to withdraw from the race. This moment marked a significant low point in political discourse, where a presidential candidate’s admission of sexual assault dominated headlines and debates, overshadowing other pressing issues. Despite the uproar, this scandal did not derail Trump’s candidacy, raising questions about the moral compass of voters and the Republican Party at large.
Fast forward to the present, and the political climate appears to have plunged even deeper into a moral abyss. Current narratives involve influential figures in the MAGA movement, such as Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, who have been accused of normalizing extremist ideologies, including white supremacy and pedophilia. Carlson’s recent interview with Nick Fuentes, a self-proclaimed Holocaust denier, was characterized by a troubling lack of critical engagement, as Carlson seemingly downplayed Fuentes’ hateful rhetoric. Meanwhile, Kelly’s defense of Jeffrey Epstein’s predatory behavior, suggesting that Epstein’s preference for “barely legal” girls does not classify him as a pedophile, has sparked outrage and disbelief. Such comments not only distort the reality of sexual exploitation but also reflect a disturbing trend among certain conservative commentators who appear willing to overlook heinous acts for the sake of political allegiance.
The normalization of extremist views and the defense of abhorrent behavior among influential right-wing figures signal a troubling shift in political discourse. As S.E. Cupp points out, the willingness of these influencers to defend neo-Nazis and downplay the severity of pedophilia in the name of loyalty to Trump raises critical questions about the future of conservatism and the moral implications of their rhetoric. This trend, which seeks to radicalize and embolden their base, exemplifies a dangerous trajectory where no line seems too low to cross. In a time when political accountability is more crucial than ever, the implications of such discourse could have lasting effects on societal values and the political landscape in America.
I remember it well. It was Oct. 7, 2016, a Friday. That afternoonÂ
The Washington Post
 dropped a bombshell, the perfect October surprise, just a month before the presidential election.
Earlier in the week, Hillary Clinton had beenÂ
hammering
 Donald Trump on the news that he may not have paid taxes for 18 years.
The vice presidential candidates, Sen. Tim Kaine and Gov. Mike Pence, had had a feisty debate at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia.
It had already been a campaign full of crazy turns and fireworks, and it was about to get even crazier.
âTrump Recorded Having Extremely Lewd Conversation About Women in 2005.â
In a never-heard-before recording from an âAccess Hollywoodâ interview, Trump describes how he seduces women as a celebrity to host Billy Bush: âI donât even wait. And when youâre a star, they let you do it. You can do anything ⊠grab âem by the p*ssy. You can do anything.â
It was mayhem after that. Was this the end of Trumpâs candidacy? Dozens of Republican lawmakers called for him to drop out. The topic took up a considerable amount of attention at the next presidential debate, just two days later. Professional coaches, offended by Trumpâs excuse that it was merely âlocker room talk,â condemned the statement.
But while the tape certainly put Trump on defense, as we all know, the revelation that the Republican nominee for president admitted to sexually assaulting women did not derail his candidacy.
For those of us covering this, it was a low point. I remember sitting across from Jake Tapper at CNN, a friend and colleague and someone I admire and respect, and having to talk about this sordid, lewd, crass, gross comments, and the sordid, lewd, crass, gross man who said them.
I felt embarrassed â I couldnât believe that this is what we were talking about. Nowhere in my journalism career did I think Iâd be discussing a presidential candidate who bragged about grabbing a womanâs genitalia.
Flash forward about nine years, and it feels like weâre in a similar place, having crossed yet another unfortunate Rubicon into the moral abyss.
Two of the major story lines in politics today involve MAGA influencers with massive platforms, who are inexplicably white-washing white supremacy and pedophilia.
If you havenât heard, Tucker Carlson has devolved into aÂ
conspiracy-theory spouting
,Â
despot-defending
,Â
neo-Nazi protecting
 weirdo. He recently interviewed Nick Fuentes, aÂ
self-proclaimed
 Hitler lover and Holocaust denier who has said some of the most vile and disgusting things Iâve ever heard any person say ever. Carlson didnât press Nick on his hideous ideas, but instead gave him a very friendly interview where the implied takeaway was, âThis neo-Naziâs not so bad!â
The fawning conversation sparked an internecine battle on the right over whether laundering the reputations of white supremacists is a good idea. Believe it or not, many areÂ
defending it
. Including the president.
Enter Megyn Kelly, another Fox News washout whoâs found a new pool of paid subscribers to rile up, and using all the predictable foils:Â
Bad Bunny
,Â
Zohran Mamdani
,Â
Michelle Obama
and
Meghan Markle
.
In addition to defending Carlson, sheâs also â and I canât believe Iâm saying this â white-washing Jeffrey Epsteinâs crimes, too, questioning whether his preference for 15-year-old girls or âbarely legal typesâ actually made him a pedophile.
Referring to someone who was âvery close to this case,â sheÂ
said
 âEpstein, according to his individual, was not a pedophile.â
âHe wasnât into, like, 8-year-olds,â she said. âBut he liked the very young teen types that could pass for even younger than they were, but would look legal to a passer-by.â
Of course, 15 isnât âbarely legal,â itâs clearly illegal. But what point is she making in doing pedophile math other than a morally bankrupt one â that Epstein, and by extension Trump, isnât so bad because he didnât sexually abuse or traffic an 8-year-old girl?
The decision to protect neo-Nazis and pedophiles, just because it might benefit Trump in some way, is a precipice I never thought Iâd see so-called conservatives walk up to. And yet, here they are, giddily leaping off of it.
Trump ushered in so many ugly elements, from white supremacy to rank misogyny. And the MAGA influencers who hitched their wagons to his star have to out-gross each other to prove their loyalty and keep their subscribers sufficiently radicalized.
For these unconscionable ghouls and sell-outs, nowhere is too low. Seriously, if theyâre able to normalize neo-Nazis and pedophilia, what else is left?
S.E. Cupp is the host of âS.E. Cupp Unfilteredâ on CNN.
