After Trump’s Remarks, Some GOP Female Pols Remain Committed
Republican candidate for president Donald Trump has long had problems attracting women to vote for him and that obstacle only became more difficult when the bombastic billionaire was caught making lewd remarks in an 11-year-old video leaked a couple weeks ago.
Still, some high profile female office holders in New York, like County Executive MaryEllen Odell, and other candidates for office are sticking by their man. Odell was a keynote speaker at a New York GOP event labeled “Women for Trump” last Wednesday several days after Trump made his controversial remarks.
Trump got into boiling hot water last week when a 2005 videotape with celebrity
correspondent Billy Bush captured him using vulgar language about women. The Republican nominee discussed a time when he tried to have sex with a married woman and that as a rich celebrity, he can kiss beautiful women and grab them by their genitals without their permission.
“And when you’re a star they let you do it,” Trump said in the video. “You can do anything.”
The event went on as planned at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center in Albany with about 90 people, mostly women, in attendance according to an article in the Times Union. The event, which was scheduled long before the explosive videotape was released, had Odell, United States senate candidate Wendy Long, and Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump as guest speakers.
While the campaign was catered toward Trump, donations were made payable to the NYGOP and not the Trump campaign directly.
During her remarks, Odell condemned Trump’s remarks, which have forced several high profile Republicans around the country to abandon their support for him.
As a female leader and mother, Odell said she wasn’t happy about the comments and found them disappointing, according to a video posted on lohud.com. While Odell conceded the decision to vote for Trump wasn’t an easy decision for some, it’s the right one for the country, pointing to gun rights and Supreme Court appointments as critical reasons.
“Since when is the right decision an easy decision,” Odell said in her remarks. “My decision is based on my love for my county and my country.”
A day after in an interview, Odell said she attended the rally with the purpose of supporting the entire Republican Party. Her message to the audience, Odell said, was Trump’s “loose comments” shouldn’t distract voters from the bigger issues facing the country.
“It’s important I think that everyone recognize November 8th (Election Day) is the rest of our lives,” Odell said. “And it’s about our families, it’s about law enforcement, it’s about military personnel, it’s about our family values, it’s about where this country goes next.”
After the 2005 videotape that set off like wildfire, Odell said some people suggested to her it might be better to avoid speaking, but she was steadfast in keeping her commitment to the New York GOP.
“I think both parties have a lot to explain to the people of this country on both owning a really ugly presidential race,” Odell said. “Both parties I think owe the people of the United States an apology for a lot of things that went on.”
Odell went on to state, “I still encourage people to exercise their right to vote and vote like your life depends on it, because it does.”
Several hours following the rally, more bad news came out against Trump, with multiple women accusing him of making unwanted sexual contact toward them. Trump has emphatically denied all allegations.
