WATCH: Waleed Takes On Donald, As ‘The Project’ Commits To Not Make Any More Jokes About Trump
In the aftermath of the leaking of tapes by The Washington Post, which included Donald Trump saying some abhorrent things about women – the reaction has been split in two.
Some have sought to laugh at him, to make light of this complete joke of a human being. While others have taken the ordeal more seriously, alarmed at the wider ramifications of this man possibly becoming America’s next president and his admissions of sexual assault.
Tonight on The Project, Waleed Aly took to the panel for his famed ‘Something we should talk about’ segment, where he dissected what was said in the tapes and what they reveal about Trump. As he says:
“This is the moment when everything we suspected about Donald Trump was confirmed. Behind closed doors, there is everything that makes our stomach’s turn. The predatory nature, the privilege, the sexism, the double standards, the sinister motivation. Behind closed doors: this is what Donald Trump sounds like.” he said.
“We see the Trump he wants us to see.”
The revelations in these tapes led to the hashtag #NotOkay rising, where women shared their experiences of sexual assault.
Aly said that he’s realised that none of this is funny, initiating the hashtag #TrumpIsNoLaughingMatter.
“We’ve spent the last 15 months since Trump announced he was running for president, laughing at him and it seemed the only appropriate response for someone so ludicrous,” he said.
“But the problem in this case is we’ve been laughing when we should have been taking a breathe. By treating Trump like a clown, we failed to recognise him as a potential president. We all need to change that. Me included.”
Aly went on to vow that The Project will no longer make light of Trump.
“We feel as part of the media we can’t continue to be so narrow in our thinking,” he said.
“You deserve better than that and we need to own up to that. Donald Trump hasn’t been a laughing matter for a long time. So we’re making this commitment. Between now and the election, no more jokes about Trump. Because sexism is no laughing matter, racism is no laughing matter, inciting violence is no laughing matter, sexual assault is no laughing matter.”
It’s some pretty moving stuff, and we’ll have to check back to make sure the team at The Project stick to their word.