It won’t matter for Donald Trump’s presidency if Stormy Daniels gets to tell her story of a purported 2006 affair with the president.
Put simply, the public won’t be terribly concerned.
Why?
Because Trump’s presidency is already sustained by a unique manifestation of public despondency. Voters knew what they were getting into when they voted for Trump, they just didn’t care. And with Trump’s approval rating currently hovering around a not-so-terrible 40 percent, it seems clear the public isn’t terribly upset over the president’s more recent outbursts. This is striking in that Daniels’ claimed experiences with Trump pertain to an affair: she alleges that they occurred after the president had married his wife, Melania Trump.
In turn, were Daniels to release more salacious details about her purported encounter with the president, the public would probably listen and laugh. But many voters wouldn’t demand he step down or even apologize. At the end of the day, it wouldn’t be a major problem for Trump’s administration. The people knew the Donald when they elected him to be commander in chief of the United States.
This speaks to a truth some Americans might find hard to swallow: we’re all French now.
At least, that is, when it comes to politicians and affairs.
The French, after all, are masters of disinterest when it comes to the extramarital adventures of their senior leaders. Take former president of the fifth republic, Francois Hollande. In 2014, Hollande who was photographed scootering back and forth to his mistress, Julie Gayet, while his girlfriend remained at the Élysée Palace.
By and large, the French found it darkly funny.
That’s not because it is funny, of course, but rather because the French have come to expect corruption and deception from their leaders.
And now we’re the same. Which is sad, but still.
