Trump Calls on Clinton to Apologize for ‘Deplorables,’ but Said Romney Shouldn’t for ’47%’ in 2012
Today, in an ad and later a speech, Donald Trump hit Hillary Clinton hard for not yet apologizing or retracting the entire statement she made last week about half of his supporters being in a “basket of deplorables.”
He’s been campaigning off of her comment for days, even calling it her “47% moment” in a reference to the dismissive soundbite that was leaked and torpedoed Mitt Romney‘s 2012 presidential campaign:
Hillary Clinton just had her 47% moment. What a terrible thing she said about so many great Americans!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2016
Clinton’s “deplorables” comment differed slightly from Romney’s, of course. For one thing, she was at a fundraiser and knew she was being recorded whereas he was secretly filmed. For another thing, Trump went on the record four years ago to say that Romney should absolutely not apologize.
According to an old article in the Washington Post, he appeared on NBC’s Today Show on September 18, 2012, where he said this:
We’ve seen enough apologizing already. He cannot apologize. What he said is probably what he means, and he did say [it was] inartfully stated. The fact is he cannot apologize, he is going for those independents, but he won’t get the votes of a lot of people he’s discussing, and if you’re not going to get their votes, let’s go on with it, but do not apologize.
This determination to stand by quotes is right in line with Trump’s unapologetically “I am who I am” mindset, but it makes for an interesting thought experiment to replace all the male pronouns with “she” and note how well the statement would work even if he were talking about Clinton and her basket of deplorables.
Romney said his comment was inartfully stated. Clinton said hers was something she regrets. Only one of these nominees whose quotes caused a stir in the September of an election year is expected by Donald Trump to apologize to the roughly half of the opposing party’s voters who may half felt disenfranchised.
[image via Gage Skidmore]
