Blake Shuart: Trump continues to dodge his accusers

It’s a difficult time in our country for men who prey on women, thanks in large part to the bravery of Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein’s victims.

Cosby got us started on our path to self-reckoning a few years ago, after an onstage rant by a stand-up comic evolved into over 50 separate claims of sexual assault. Cosby pulled out all the usual weapons of self-defense, sending a fleet of vicious lawyers out into the streets to cry foul, evade, deny, threaten, deflect and shame victims. It was a yeoman’s task for the lawyers, but it did Cosby little good – his career and legacy are in shambles.

He helped us finally acknowledge things we already knew, but were hesitant to accept in a society far too enamored with celebrity: that famous and well-respected men sometimes wear two faces, and that incomprehensible wrongs can indeed lay dormant and unrevealed for years – even decades.

Cosby also prepared us for Weinstein and those who followed. We no longer needed to ask ourselves whether someone so famous could be such a serial and unabashed abuser and still suppress his victims. It could happen. It does happen. It will happen again.

Like Cosby, Weinstein will pay a mighty price for his despicable wrongs. As will the scores of other famous men who now stand accused – their victims empowered; the shields of celebrity forever splintered. Politicians – respected ones, too – are also going down in droves. Rep. John Conyers and Sen. Al Franken will not be the end of the line. Roy Moore’s once-inevitable campaign is another recent casualty.

Donald Trump also stands accused. Yet the president has managed to deflect numerous accusations without being condemned as a liar, and without being stripped of his mantle. While the victims have not relented, there is no indication at this point that his presidency is in serious jeopardy.

Why is this? Why is the president different from these other powerful men? Are the accusations not credible enough? Have the circumstances simply worked out in the president’s favor – that is, did Bill Clinton’s sordid past overshadow the accusations when they first surfaced during the presidential campaign? Or has Trump simply found a way to overcome the odds, as he is apt to do?

We can – and should – debate this point, for the sake of the entire movement. Do these specific accusations really seem improbable, knowing the president’s brash nature and playboy background – not to mention his admissions in that now-infamous video? Hardly. How is it that powerful men are falling like dominoes, and our president can evade his accusers by arguing they are not attractive enough to be victimized?

For now, the most likely explanation seems to be that Trump is held to a lower standard. The public is aware of his flaws and past sins, and some have forgiven them in exchange for the perceived benefits of a Trump presidency. For those who want him gone, these accusations are more than enough to justify removal from office. But for the president’s most loyal supporters – of which there are still many – his steadfast denials are quite good enough.

This story was originally published December 18, 2017 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Blake Shuart: Trump continues to dodge his accusers."