Donald Trump should lay off his attacks on the Clintons’ marriage because his own personal life is far from perfect, says Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri.
“If he really wants to compare his character as it relates to how he has conducted his personal life over his adult life with that of Hillary Clinton, even on that score she comes out ahead,” McCaskill said on Fox News Sunday.
“I mean, this is a guy who goes on national radio and talks about his sex life in detail that is disgusting. Who does that? Who does that?”
She said Trump’s choice to focus on the Clintons’ marital woes during his presidential campaign reflects badly on his character. Trump has been married three times. And he started a relationship with his second wife, Marla Maples, while he was still married to his first wife, Ivana Trump.
“The American people understand that Hillary Clinton and her marriage is not what’s important in this election,” McCaskill said.
But McCaskill herself once said she didn’t want Bill Clinton near her daughter, as Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace reminded her.
Wallace played a 2006 television clip of McCaskill criticizing former President Bill Clinton for “his personal issues,” and saying “I think he’s been a great leader, but I don’t want my daughter near him.”
Wallace asked McCaskill why it was OK for her to criticize Bill Clinton’s character, but not for Trump to do it.
McCaskill responded that it wasn’t OK for her, and that she “regretted it the minute it came out of my mouth.”
She said she had apologized immediately, which is something Trump doesn’t know how to do.
“If only he would show some humility and the kind of character traits that we need in a president, emotional stability, the ability to be introspective and listen to others,” McCaskill said.
“I regret those things. I apologized for saying that,” McCaskill said. “I don't think we’ve ever heard Donald Trump say he's sorry for anything.”
McCaskill is a supporter and media surrogate for Hillary Clinton.
Lindsay Wise: 202-383-6007, @lindsaywise
Comments