It’s pretty hard to spin the reality that the Trump administration has knowingly staffed white, male aggressors who have been accused of all kinds of abuse toward women throughout their lives, including the president himself.
But self–described “Christian” and Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany did her best on Saturday morning, following the departure of two senior White House staffers within 48 hours over domestic abuse allegations.
Unfortunately, almost immediately after McEnany had claimed to MSNBC’s Alex Witt that, “This is a White House that stands with women, unmistakably,” Donald Trump proved the exact opposite by tweeting out a defense of accused domestic abuser Rob Porter, the White House staff secretary who resigned this week after two of his former spouses came forward to describe horrendous physical attacks and verbal abuse during their marriages.
“Can you understand, Kayleigh, why some people are upset at the president because he didn’t acknowledge the women or the abuse that they allegedly took?” Witt asked the GOP spokeswoman. “I mean, it’s unlike what you did in your response. Does he have an insensitivity for women?”
“Absolutely not,” McEnany replied with a straight face. “This is a president that’s hired women at record rates, he appreciates women, he’s empowered them throughout his administration, and his response is one we’ve seen from countless individuals, um, in media…”
“I get that, Kayleigh,” Witt interrupted. “But these are women that are saying, ‘My husband beat me and he works for you.’ And [Trump] does not bother to mention them, acknowledge them in any way in his public statements. There seems to be a tone deafness to that.”
Asked about Trump’s infamous Access Hollywood tape, the GOP spokeswoman said, “Those were words. He apologized for those words. I look at the actions of this administration empowering women throughout the administration, lifting up women economically. Our unemployment numbers are lower than they’ve ever been. This is a White House that stands with women unmistakably.”
By “standing with women,” McEnany actually means standing against them. On Friday, Trump defended Porter and refused to even mention his alleged victims at all. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, “We wish him well,” referring to Porter. He added: “He also, as you probably know, says he’s innocent and I think you have to remember that.”
On Saturday, shortly after McEnany’s shameful comments on MSNBC, Trump ranted in a tweet that the alleged aggressors in his administration are the actual victims, not the women the GOP spokeswoman said Trump “empowers.”
“Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation,” Trump tweeted. “Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new. There is no recovery for someone falsely accused - life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?”
At this point, anyone who still stands with the Republican Party is inextricably linked to the support of domestic abuse and the further victimization of those who are abused. There simply is no way to spin that.