S.E. Cupp: Can MAGA go any lower defending Donald Trump?
On October 7, 2016, a pivotal moment in American politics unfolded when The Washington Post released a recording of Donald Trump making lewd remarks about women during an “Access Hollywood” interview from 2005. This revelation coincided with a heated presidential campaign where Trump was already under fire from Hillary Clinton for allegedly not paying taxes for 18 years. The tape, which included Trump boasting about how his celebrity status allowed him to engage in sexual misconduct, sent shockwaves through the political landscape. In the immediate aftermath, many Republican lawmakers called for Trump to withdraw from the race, and the topic dominated the subsequent presidential debate. Despite the outrage and condemnation from various quarters, including professional coaches who criticized Trump’s dismissal of his comments as “locker room talk,” the scandal did not derail his candidacy. This moment marked a low point in political discourse, as journalists grappled with the implications of discussing a candidate who openly bragged about sexual assault.
Fast forward to the present, and the political climate appears to have taken another troubling turn. S.E. Cupp, a commentator on CNN, reflects on how the landscape has evolved, noting that the same troubling themes of white supremacy and the normalization of pedophilia have resurfaced among influential figures within the MAGA movement. Cupp highlights the alarming trajectory of media personalities like Tucker Carlson, who has been criticized for giving a platform to neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes without challenging his extremist views. This has ignited a fierce debate within conservative circles about the implications of legitimizing such ideologies. Additionally, Cupp points to Megyn Kelly’s controversial remarks regarding Jeffrey Epstein, where she attempted to downplay the severity of Epstein’s crimes by suggesting that his preference for underage girls was not indicative of pedophilia. Such statements raise serious moral questions about the lengths to which some are willing to go to defend figures like Trump and Epstein, revealing a disturbing trend where the boundaries of acceptable discourse continue to be pushed further into the realm of the grotesque.
Cupp’s commentary serves as a stark reminder of how far political discourse has strayed from its traditional norms, with figures in the MAGA movement seemingly competing to outdo each other in their defense of morally reprehensible actions and ideologies. The attempt to normalize extremist views and behaviors raises critical questions about the future of American conservatism and the ethical responsibilities of those in positions of influence. As the political landscape evolves, it remains to be seen what other lines will be crossed in the quest for loyalty and radicalization among supporters of Trump and his ilk.
I remember it well. It was Oct. 7, 2016, a Friday. That afternoon
The Washington Post
dropped a bombshell, the perfect October surprise, just a month before the presidential election.
Earlier in the week, Hillary Clinton had been
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.
“Trump Recorded Having Extremely Lewd Conversation About Women in 2005.”
In a never-heard-before recording from an “Access Hollywood” interview, Trump describes how he seduces women as a celebrity to host Billy Bush: “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything … grab ‘em by the p*ssy. You can do anything.”
It was mayhem after that. Was this the end of Trump’s 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 Trump’s excuse that it was merely “locker room talk,” 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 — I couldn’t believe that this is what we were talking about. Nowhere in my journalism career did I think I’d be discussing a presidential candidate who bragged about grabbing a woman’s genitalia.
Flash forward about nine years, and it feels like we’re 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 haven’t heard, Tucker Carlson has devolved into a
conspiracy-theory spouting
,
despot-defending
,
neo-Nazi protecting
weirdo. He recently interviewed Nick Fuentes, a
self-proclaimed
Hitler lover and Holocaust denier who has said some of the most vile and disgusting things I’ve ever heard any person say ever. Carlson didn’t press Nick on his hideous ideas, but instead gave him a very friendly interview where the implied takeaway was, “This neo-Nazi’s not so bad!”
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 are
defending it
. Including the president.
Enter Megyn Kelly, another Fox News washout who’s found a new pool of paid subscribers to rile up, and using all the predictable foils:
Bad Bunny
,
Zohran Mamdani
,
Michelle Obama
and
Meghan Markle
.
In addition to defending Carlson, she’s also — and I can’t believe I’m saying this — white-washing Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, too, questioning whether his preference for 15-year-old girls or “barely legal types” actually made him a pedophile.
Referring to someone who was “very close to this case,” she
said
“Epstein, according to his individual, was not a pedophile.”
“He wasn’t into, like, 8-year-olds,” she said. “But he liked the very young teen types that could pass for even younger than they were, but would look legal to a passer-by.”
Of course, 15 isn’t “barely legal,” it’s clearly illegal. But what point is she making in doing pedophile math other than a morally bankrupt one — that Epstein, and by extension Trump, isn’t so bad because he didn’t 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 I’d 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 they’re able to normalize neo-Nazis and pedophilia, what else is left?
S.E. Cupp is the host of “S.E. Cupp Unfiltered” on CNN.
