Lowlights from an American election that set a new standard for scandal
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WASHINGTON — A big U.S. election controversy used to involve revelations of an old affair or a drunk-driving allegation. Al Gore caused a small one by rolling his eyes during a televised leaders’ debate in 2000.
Those standards have been obliterated by a campaign filled with eye-popping moments. Here are just a few:
— Mexican-bashing. In his first campaign speech, Donald Trump said of Mexicans in the U.S.: ”When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best…. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” Later in the campaign, he questioned the credentials of a judge of Mexican heritage, overseeing a case against Trump University.
— Muslim-banning. His campaign called for a temporary, “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” He’s walked it back, to a large extent. He also took a dig at the Muslim family of a dead soldier. He used Islam as a slur on the president, suggesting Barack Obama would have attended Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s funeral if it were held in a mosque.
