For Immediate Release
October 10, 2016
PRESS CONFERENCE STATEMENTS ON REPUBLICAN SUPPORT OF DONALD TRUMP
Columbia, SC – The South Carolina Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign held a press conference today condemning Donald Trump’s depravity and calling out South Carolina Republican “leaders” for supporting his candidacy. Video of the press conference is available . Below is the text of participants’ remarks, as prepared for delivery:
SCDP Chair Jaime Harrison
I am Jaime Harrison, Chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party.
Four months ago, in this exact spot, I called on South Carolina Republicans to withdraw their endorsements of Donald Trump. Displayed behind me then was a poster showing some of the most egregious things Trump had said. One of them was: “Women, you have to treat them like blank.” I won’t say the word, but Donald Trump did. Another quote on the poster was Trump calling breastfeeding “disgusting.” The poster displayed Donald Trump’s quote calling married working women “a very dangerous thing.” Again, this was four months ago.
Of course, we’ve seen Donald Trump treat women deplorably time and time again, from Megyn Kelly to Rosie O’Donnell, from Carly Fiorina to Alicia Machado, and many more.
Given all we’ve known for so long about Donald Trump’s treatment of women, the video released last week was appalling, but it was not surprising. We’ve long known that Republicans nominated a misogynist for president.
Of course, misogyny is only one of many disgusting attributes of the other party’s nominee. There is also undeniable proof that he is a racist, a bigot, a nativist, a xenophobe, a narcissist, and a huckster.
Donald Trump’s moral degeneracy has been clear long before this week. The video is simply a disgustingly vivid manifestation of Trump’s low character, and it is yet another reason why we must elect Hillary Clinton, who showed once again last night that she will be a president all Americans can be proud of.
Throughout this campaign, I have frequently recited a poem written by German pastor Martin Niemöller in the aftermath of World War II.
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Donald Trump has come for just about all of us: Mexicans, Muslims, African Americans, POWs, disabled veterans, generals, and, of course, women. It’s long past time we speak out for each other. It’s long past time for South Carolina Republican officials at all levels to stop supporting their nominee and to apologize for supporting him for this long—from Governor Haley and Lieutenant Governor McMaster down to state legislators and candidates like Kirkman Finlay and Susan Brill here in Columbia.
It’s long past time to come together to elect Hillary Clinton and Democrats all the way down the ballot who have stood against Trump’s depravity.
Rep. Mandy Powers Norrell, Coordinated Campaign Co-Chair
I am Mandy Powers Norrell, member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Lancaster County and a Co-Chair of the Coordinated Campaign.
The video that came out last Friday is further confirmation of what we have known for many months: by supporting Donald Trump for president, South Carolina Republican leaders have chosen party and ideology over decency and humanity. Governor Nikki Haley; Lieutenant Governor Henry McMaster; Senator Tim Scott; and Congressmen Mick Mulvaney, Trey Gowdy, Mark Sanford, Joe Wilson, Jeff Duncan, and Tom Rice should have known better.
As for these Republican members of Congress, I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised that Trump is their preferred candidate, given that every one of them voted against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
They’ve shown us where they stand when it comes to women. It’s not as if Donald Trump has always been respectful of women until last Friday; we know that he is not. This was not a shocking revelation.
No, any politician who withdraws their support of Trump only now is clearly acting out of calculation, not out of their own personal principles. And any politician who continues to support Donald Trump is even further beyond the pale.
The moral bankruptcy of Donald Trump and his enablers will not be forgotten.
Pastor Thomas Dixon, U.S. Senate candidate
Good afternoon. I am Pastor Thomas Dixon, and I’m running for the U.S. Senate against Senator Tim Scott.
Most of the attention has been focused on the video that came out on Friday. But we can’t forget that not only does Donald Trump view woman as less than human, it is well known that he has similar views regarding African Americans, Mexicans, and Muslims, just to name a few.
Donald Trump became a right-wing celebrity by leading the racist birther movement, perpetuating the lie that the first black president wasn’t born in America. He started his campaign by calling Mexican immigrants rapists. On board the USS Yorktown in the Charleston Harbor, he called for a hateful, unconstitutional, and counterproductive ban on Muslims. Earlier this year, Donald Trump alleged that Judge Gonzalo Curiel, a federal judge born in Indiana to Mexican immigrant parents, could not uphold the law fairly because he was, and I’m quoting Trump’s words here, “a Mexican.” Just last week, he said that the Central Park 5, five young men of color who were falsely accused of a crime and then totally exonerated by DNA evidence, should have been executed despite their innocence.
This is the man Tim Scott thinks should be president of the United States. Now, he says he doesn’t like Trump’s remarks, calling the un-American attack on Judge Curiel “racially toxic.”
Apparently, Senator Scott thinks it’s okay to support a candidate for president who says racially toxic and sexist things from time to time.
Well, Senator, if you think a racist and a sexist should be president, South Carolinians think you shouldn’t be senator.
And this will remain true regardless of whether you continue to support Donald Trump between now and Election Day. This video isn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back; the camel’s been dead for months. And the fact that Tim Scott hasn’t recognized the danger posed by Donald Trump indicates that he doesn’t have the judgment to continue serving as our senator.
Reject Donald Trump and Tim Scott on the November 8. Hillary Clinton will be a president for all Americans, and I will be a Senator for all South Carolinians.
Chris Fedalei, U.S. House candidate (SC-4)
Good afternoon, I’m Chris Fedalei and I’m running for Congress against Rep. Trey Gowdy.
This latest release of Trump’s own words only serves to confirm what we already knew about his character and underscores how ill-prepared he is to serve as our Commander-in-Chief.
Since Friday, he has managed to come up with a growing list of excuses. In last night’s debate, he said repeatedly that it was all “locker room talk,’, as if this behavior is casually accepted behind closed doors.
I’ve played competitive soccer my whole life and been in my fair share of locker rooms. I have never heard any man, student, or athlete brag about treating women the way that Donald Trump does on that tape. What he describes is quite simply sexual assault.
After decades of struggle, the women of the United States have won landmark victories: moving down the road to equal opportunity, and changing the nature of the discussion of consent on our college campuses. In 2016, women do not deserve to be represented by a President viewed as the embodiment of the very rape culture they have worked so hard to defeat.
Despite all of this, Trey Gowdy has stood by Donald Trump. He has sacrificed his integrity as a leader for party loyalty.
As Donald Trump disparages women, Trey Gowdy has said nothing. As Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked veterans and minorities, Trey Gowdy has said nothing. And when votes come up, like the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, that would support these groups, he votes no. Neither candidate deserves to represent the people of South Carolina.
By supporting such a candidate, Trey Gowdy has shown that he no longer has the judgment to be our representative in Congress and the people of the Upstate will make that clear on November 8th. Trey Gowdy cannot claim to be a friend or advocate for women while supporting a man who does not afford them basic human decency.
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