Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump’s presidential campaign manager, was charged Tuesday with battery against Michelle Fields, a reporter who at the time was working for Breitbart.com.
The incident, in early March, was caught on tape. Was it a brutal event? Not at all. But it did happen, and the evidence was convincing enough for the Jupiter, Fla., police to move forward.
The fact that this is now a story at all is entirely the fault of Lewandowski and his boss. Fields probably would not have filed charges had they attacked her instead of admiting a mistake. That’s the most important thing to understand about Trump. He never admits he’s wrong, even when there’s a video to prove it.
The tape makes clear that Lewandowski yanked Fields backward at least hard enough to change the direction she was walking by more than 90 degrees. Given Fields’ height, Lewandowski’s short stature, and the distance from which he pulled her backwards, Fields probably was not exaggerating when she said she thought he was trying to pull her to the ground. Based on photographs that she posted shortly afterward, he bruised her arm.
As indicents go, it was mild. But when the incident became public, Lewandowski lied, saying he had not touched her. Then the Trump campaign launched a coordinated effort to disparage its victim as an “attention-seeking” serial liar who concocted the entire incident. They demanded that she either file a police complaint or shut up.
So, goaded by them, she filed a police complaint. Lewandowski has now been formally charged with simple battery in the state of Florida.
Trump, for his part, has gone from asserting earlier this month that “nothing happened” to ridiculously claiming that Lewandowski’s heroic yanking of a female reporter might have saved his life.
This incident, which can be summed up as an alleged battery, plus lie after lie by Trump’s henchmen — falsehoods doubling down on falsehoods — illuminates the Trump ethos. This is actually the secret of his success. He never apologizes or admits error in any matter. Contrition, for Trump, is weakness. It would contradict the image of “strength” he cultivates, the image which throughout history has attracted the weak-minded to authoritarian figures.
Trump’s campaign organization reflects this ethos, as does his support base. That Trump routinely digs in to defend his false statements and ignorant claims is actually part of his appeal. No one who can remain shameless for long enough can ever be shamed by others. Trump has said that he doesn’t even ask God himself for forgiveness. Why would he or his inner circle ask forgiveness from mere men?
But every now and then, the truth comes in video form and cannot be mistaken. That’s when you find out who Donald Trump really is.
