'Don’t say it again': Johnson skewered for sidestepping Trump’s latest vulgar comment

20 October 2024

During Sunday morning's episode of CNN's State of the Union, host Jake Tapper discussed Donald Trump's latest "off the cuff" remark with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), and whether or not it will impact the GOP nominee's campaign with two weeks until Election Day.

Tapper cited that Associated Press reported, "Donald trump's campaign suggested he would begin previewing his closing arguments Saturday night with Election Day barely two weeks away, but the former president kicked off his rally with a detailed story about Arnold Palmer, at one point, even praising the late legendary golfers genitalia."

The former president told MAGA fans attending the Saturday, October 19 Pennsylvania rally that when the late golfer, Arnold Palmer, "took the showers with other pros, they came out of there. They said, 'Oh my God. That’s unbelievable.'"

According to The Daily Beast, when he was alive, Palmer was "appalled" by the former president.

Johnson, on the other hand, is not.

"Mr. Speaker, you're crossing all over the country. You're working hard to get Republicans over the line in this election. You're talking about substantive issues. Is this really the closing message you want voters to hear from Donald Trump? Stories about Arnold Palmer's penis?" the CNN host asked the Louisiana lawmaker.

"The headline that I read about the rally in Pennsylvania yesterday was the big question, and it's the one that Kamala Harris has not been able or willing to answer," Johnson replied. "And that is, 'Are you better off now than you were under the Trump administration four years ago?' And no one can answer that question with a yes."

Johnson then proceeded to claim that "everywhere" he travels across the country, people are "fed up and they're fired up about the cost of living that's unaffordable now, rising crime rates everywhere, and the weakness on the world stage, and the wide open border."

Tapper replied, "I'm sure that you think that a policy debate would be better than a personality debate, but if President Biden had gone on stage and spoke about the size of a pro-golfer's penis, I think you would be on this show right now saying you were shocked and appalled and you would suggest it was evidenced of his cognitive decline." The CNN host added, "I wonder how Trump's remarks — not just the one about Arnold Palmer on his 'manhood' — but everything we've heard from Trump this week, how it fits in with the analysis that The New York Times offered a few days ago. They looked at his speeches from 2015 and 2016, and looked at his speeches today, and said, 'With the passage of time, the 78-year-old former president's speeches have grown darker, harsher, longer, angrier, less focused, more profane, and increasingly fixated on the past.'"

"I know you want to talk about policy and I respect that," Tapper continued, "but the reason that Donald Trump is not up ten points is because of comments like that one, where people do have concerns about his fitness, his acuity, and his stability. Why is he talking about Arnold Palmer's penis in front of Pennsylvania voters?"

The GOP leader replied, "Jake you seem to like that line a lot."

Tapper interrupted, saying, "Let me just say something. I don't want to be talking about this. Donald Trump is out there saying it."

Johnson shot back, "You continue to talk about it."

"Because you won't address it," Tapper replied.

The speaker then said, "I'll address it. Don't say it again. We don't have to say it. I get it. When President Trump is at a rally, sometimes he'll speak for two straight hours. You're questioning his stamina, his mental acuity. Joe Biden couldn't do that for five minutes. He couldn't fill the room. Donald Trump does. You know why? Because they see him as a change agent, and they understand he has a record of performance."

Watch the video below or at this link.

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