Jonah Goldberg: Will the GOP finally do something about its Trump problem?
When The New York Times magazine published its first cover story about Donald Trump, it was a story that told readers about the new front in the culture wars.
“He’s not just the world’s worst businessman,” the article’s title declared. “He’s also a narcissist, and a racist.”
And there was Trump’s racist “grab ’em by the p***y” comments to make it into the piece, along with an excerpt from his infamous 2005 interview with Howard Stern in which Trump joked about grabbing women by the “p***y” and trying to rape them.
It was a story that was long overdue. It was the most high-profile story the Times had ever published on its pages, a serious look at what a modern-day Trump would look like. It was a story that exposed the GOP’s biggest problems.
But since then, much has happened.
Since the story’s publication, Trump has become a much bigger story. His comments have been much more overt. He’s been caught making racist remarks, about both African-Americans and Mexicans; he threatened a member of Congress, even though he made the remark on the record; and, most recently, he was caught in other ways trying to violate U.S. campaign finance laws.
The Times covered some of that in its story, too. It noted Trump’s comments about grabbing women’s genitals were, “rare.” And it quoted Republicans who said they believed the GOP would do better if it could get rid of Trump and the “narcissistic personality” he presents to voters.
But there was more.
Since the Times story was published, Trump’s comments about Mexicans and Hispanic immigrants have become more troubling. And Trump’s “grab ‘em by the p***y” remarks to Howard Stern have been made public.
At the same time, many Republicans have been saying for months that they would like to have more to say — and much more
