The Banter Brief: The Rapist In Chief
There are now 26 women who have credibly accused Donald Trump of rape and sexual assault.
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Banter Brief, the only roundup you need to read on the internet!
UPDATE: Supreme Court Justice and warrior for gender equality Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died at the age of 87. Read the latest for Banter Members on why this is terrible for the GOP:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Death Is Actually Terrible For Trump And The GOP
Stealing another Supreme Court seat might could be one of the Republican Party's gravest miscalculations in modern history, says Ben Cohen
1. Most Important Story Of The Week
(Amy Dorris with Donald Trump at the US Open in 1997)
Trump accused of sexual assault…again
26 women have now credibly accused the president of the United States of rape and sexual assault. Reported the Guardian this week:
A former model has come forward to accuse Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her at the US Open tennis tournament more than two decades ago, in an alleged incident that left her feeling “sick” and “violated”.
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Amy Dorris alleged that Trump accosted her outside the bathroom in his VIP box at the tournament in New York on 5 September 1997.
Dorris, who was 24 at the time, accuses Trump of forcing his tongue down her throat, assaulting her all over her body and holding her in a grip she was unable to escape from.
Dorris provided substantial evidence to the Guardian that the assault took place, including photos of herself with Trump, her ticket to the US Open. Her account was also corroborated by her mother, whom she told immediately, her therapist, and a friend. In other words, it is a highly credible accusation.
Will it make a difference heading into November? Given Trump’s supporters have stood by him after learning about the other 25 women who have accused him of rape and sexual assault, it isn’t likely. Nevertheless, it’s still a huge story and further evidence that Trump is a sexual predator who should be in jail rather than running the most powerful country on earth.
Go deeper with a Banter Membership:
Banter In Depth: Which Reality Do You Want To Live In?
The future will be dictated by whether Trumpism lives and metastasizes, or whether it is discarded onto the rubbish heap of history, says Ben Cohen
2. Poll Analysis
Some pretty big news this week — according to FiveThirtyEight, the Democrats are now slightly favored win the Senate. It appears Trump’s lackluster performance in the closing week’s of the election and his disastrous Coronavirus response has dragged Senators in red states down with him.
As for the presidential election, Biden is holding on to his lead in Pennsylvania — the state most analysts now see as being pivotal to the election:
3. Quote Of The Week
“He just shoved his tongue down my throat and I was pushing him off. And then that’s when his grip became tighter and his hands were very gropey and all over my butt, my breasts, my back, everything….I was in his grip, and I couldn’t get out of it…I don’t know what you call that when you’re sticking your tongue just down someone’s throat. But I pushed it out with my teeth. I was pushing it. And I think I might have hurt his tongue.”
- Amy Dorris describing being sexually assaulted by Donald Trump
4. What to Watch
What: ‘The Duchess’ - comedian Katherine Ryan’s Netflix comedy about being a single mother in London debating whether to have a second child with her estranged husband.
Why: The show is good, but Katherine Ryan is better. The Canadian comedian wrote the show based (loosely) on her own experiences in London, and was apparently given free rein to display her full comedic talents. The show is centered on Ryan’s relationship with her daughter, Olive, and her completely dysfunctional dealings with the opposite sex. Ryan is perpetually late, disorganized, bossy, and extremely opinionated. Furthermore, she is completely unapologetic about who she is, and refuses to back down from judgmental school mums, boyfriends, exes, doctors and whoever is brave (or stupid) enough to cross her path. Ryan doesn’t need men, and all the men in her life damn well know it. While the show is a little erratic and doesn’t always hit, Ryan is comedy gold.
Where: Netflix
5. Good News
Early in person voting was supposed to benefit Donald Trump. When you look at what is happening in Virginia today, this might not necessarily be the case. From the Washington Post:
Voters stood in line for up to four hours in the Northern Virginia suburbs on Friday to cast ballots in a bitterly contested presidential election, turning out in force on the first day of early voting to take advantage of a new state law making it easier to cast absentee ballots.
In heavily Democratic Fairfax County, the state’s largest jurisdiction, the wait had stretched to four hours by midday, officials said. By noon, 300 people had cast their ballots, county officials said, with at least 300 more standing outside on the government center front lawn, several camped out on lawn chairs.
Importantly, there are almost no MAGA hats to be seen:
Democrats are clearly hugely energized to get Biden over the line in November and willing to risk their health to do so.
Have a great weekend!
Read the latest for Banter Members:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Death Is Actually Terrible For Trump And The GOP
Stealing another Supreme Court seat might could be one of the Republican Party's gravest miscalculations in modern history, says Ben Cohen
Which Reality Do You Want To Live In?
The future will be dictated by whether Trumpism lives and metastasizes, or whether it is discarded onto the rubbish heap of history, says Ben Cohen
Not mentioned in your article yet because it’s just breaking news, but how long do you think it will be before all Republicans start saying “Biden rule? What ‘Biden rule’? I never said that.”?
I’m betting you can time it with a stopwatch.