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| Believing Him: For Trump, Sticking With Men Like Stephen Moore Is Nothing New | Believing Him: For Trump, Sticking With Men Like Stephen Moore Is Nothing New |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| WASHINGTON — Stephen Moore, President Trump’s preferred choice for the Federal Reserve, has written that women should not serve in the military or serve beer at men’s basketball games — unless they look like his favorite female ESPN commentator and dress in halter tops. He has scraped through a messy divorce, failing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in alimony and child support to his ex-wife. | WASHINGTON — Stephen Moore, President Trump’s preferred choice for the Federal Reserve, has written that women should not serve in the military or serve beer at men’s basketball games — unless they look like his favorite female ESPN commentator and dress in halter tops. He has scraped through a messy divorce, failing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in alimony and child support to his ex-wife. |
| Confronted by his history, Mr. Moore has been defiant, saying he views the attacks on his character as a “badge of honor.” | Confronted by his history, Mr. Moore has been defiant, saying he views the attacks on his character as a “badge of honor.” |
| If Mr. Moore sounds a lot like Mr. Trump, that may be no coincidence. Gleefully indiscreet, politically incorrect and unrepentant about his views of women, Mr. Moore is not just similar to the president, but also the latest in a long line of male malefactors for whom Mr. Trump displays a strange affinity. | If Mr. Moore sounds a lot like Mr. Trump, that may be no coincidence. Gleefully indiscreet, politically incorrect and unrepentant about his views of women, Mr. Moore is not just similar to the president, but also the latest in a long line of male malefactors for whom Mr. Trump displays a strange affinity. |
| Mr. Trump, who has his own troubled history with women and has bragged about sexual misconduct, has displayed an almost across-the-board disdain for accusations of harassment, assault or just plain sexism lodged against men who also proclaim their innocence, as he does. | Mr. Trump, who has his own troubled history with women and has bragged about sexual misconduct, has displayed an almost across-the-board disdain for accusations of harassment, assault or just plain sexism lodged against men who also proclaim their innocence, as he does. |
| The president has not formally nominated Mr. Moore, who now finds himself on a bumpy road to the Federal Reserve Board. But it’s not because the recently unearthed writings, or juicy details about his extramarital affair and subsequent divorce, have diminished him in the eyes of the president. Mr. Trump is still backing him, as he has other men under fire for their own alleged conduct. And in turn, so are the people around him. | The president has not formally nominated Mr. Moore, who now finds himself on a bumpy road to the Federal Reserve Board. But it’s not because the recently unearthed writings, or juicy details about his extramarital affair and subsequent divorce, have diminished him in the eyes of the president. Mr. Trump is still backing him, as he has other men under fire for their own alleged conduct. And in turn, so are the people around him. |
| “I don’t think it’s germane,” Larry Kudlow, Mr. Trump’s top economic adviser, told Bloomberg News, referring to Mr. Moore’s past writings about women. “I think he was making a spoof. Our support is still there.” | “I don’t think it’s germane,” Larry Kudlow, Mr. Trump’s top economic adviser, told Bloomberg News, referring to Mr. Moore’s past writings about women. “I think he was making a spoof. Our support is still there.” |
| For Mr. Trump, it’s par for the course. He stuck with Roy S. Moore, the failed Republican candidate for Senate in Alabama, after he was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with underage girls. He praised Bill O’Reilly, the former Fox News host, as “a good person” whom he did not believe “did anything wrong,” days after The New York Times reported that he had settled with five women who filed harassment claims against him. | For Mr. Trump, it’s par for the course. He stuck with Roy S. Moore, the failed Republican candidate for Senate in Alabama, after he was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with underage girls. He praised Bill O’Reilly, the former Fox News host, as “a good person” whom he did not believe “did anything wrong,” days after The New York Times reported that he had settled with five women who filed harassment claims against him. |
| More recently, the president went out of his way to note that Robert Kraft, the New England Patriots owner charged with soliciting prostitutes in a massage parlor, had proclaimed his innocence. | More recently, the president went out of his way to note that Robert Kraft, the New England Patriots owner charged with soliciting prostitutes in a massage parlor, had proclaimed his innocence. |
| Mr. Trump was angered by “the terrible pain and suffering” endured by Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmation process, which was almost derailed by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Justice Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when they were both teenagers. | Mr. Trump was angered by “the terrible pain and suffering” endured by Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmation process, which was almost derailed by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Justice Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when they were both teenagers. |
| “Think of your husbands, think of your sons,” Mr. Trump said at a rally in Mississippi in October, warning that such accusations could cost innocent men their jobs. | “Think of your husbands, think of your sons,” Mr. Trump said at a rally in Mississippi in October, warning that such accusations could cost innocent men their jobs. |
| Inside his own shop, he threw a lifeline to Bill Shine, when he offered him the position of White House communications director. Mr. Shine had been pushed out of his management role at Fox News over his handling of harassment scandals at the network. | Inside his own shop, he threw a lifeline to Bill Shine, when he offered him the position of White House communications director. Mr. Shine had been pushed out of his management role at Fox News over his handling of harassment scandals at the network. |
| Mr. Trump’s other preferred choice for the Fed, Herman Cain, decided to drop out of the running just as old sexual harassment allegations against him resurfaced. Mr. Trump accepted his decision, but wrote on Twitter that he still considered Mr. Cain a “truly wonderful man.” | Mr. Trump’s other preferred choice for the Fed, Herman Cain, decided to drop out of the running just as old sexual harassment allegations against him resurfaced. Mr. Trump accepted his decision, but wrote on Twitter that he still considered Mr. Cain a “truly wonderful man.” |
| Mr. Trump’s “I Believe the Man” stance is something his Democratic challengers hope will harm him with suburban women voters in the 2020 election. “He cares more about our sons than our daughters,” Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat of New York who is running for president, said in an interview. | |
| Of his preference for Mr. Moore, Ms. Gillibrand said that “it shows us again who President Trump actually is. | Of his preference for Mr. Moore, Ms. Gillibrand said that “it shows us again who President Trump actually is. |
| “We’ve seen it in who he appoints, we’ve seen it in the language he uses and how he treats people,” she continued. “He has time and time again through words and deeds shown that he does not value women.” | “We’ve seen it in who he appoints, we’ve seen it in the language he uses and how he treats people,” she continued. “He has time and time again through words and deeds shown that he does not value women.” |
| In choosing staffers and appointees, people who work with him said, Mr. Trump does not necessarily know in advance about their history with women. In fact, administration officials blamed the issues with Mr. Moore on the office of presidential personnel, whose vetting system did not turn up his checkered past for Mr. Trump to review in full before mentioning him for the Fed. | In choosing staffers and appointees, people who work with him said, Mr. Trump does not necessarily know in advance about their history with women. In fact, administration officials blamed the issues with Mr. Moore on the office of presidential personnel, whose vetting system did not turn up his checkered past for Mr. Trump to review in full before mentioning him for the Fed. |
| But Mr. Trump is often drawn instinctively to men who share his indiscretions — and to men he sees as having made a comeback after scandals that could have destroyed them, the way he thinks that he did. | But Mr. Trump is often drawn instinctively to men who share his indiscretions — and to men he sees as having made a comeback after scandals that could have destroyed them, the way he thinks that he did. |
| To wit: Mr. Trump tweeted effusively about Tiger Woods, the golf champion whose life and career blew up a decade ago amid allegations of adultery and a public apology for “transgressions,” who then came back to win the Masters tournament earlier this month. “Love people who are great under pressure,” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter. “What a fantastic life comeback for a really great guy!” | To wit: Mr. Trump tweeted effusively about Tiger Woods, the golf champion whose life and career blew up a decade ago amid allegations of adultery and a public apology for “transgressions,” who then came back to win the Masters tournament earlier this month. “Love people who are great under pressure,” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter. “What a fantastic life comeback for a really great guy!” |
| The president also admires men who flout societal norms because he relishes such behavior in himself, said Michael D’Antonio, who wrote a biography of Mr. Trump. He views men who never misbehave as “suckers.” | The president also admires men who flout societal norms because he relishes such behavior in himself, said Michael D’Antonio, who wrote a biography of Mr. Trump. He views men who never misbehave as “suckers.” |
| “If you’re a person who’s willing to advocate aggressively on two or three sides of an issue, as Stephen Moore does, you’re announcing something about your integrity,” Mr. D’Antonio said. “There is an odor about such people. Trump knows the scent, and he sniffs it out.” | “If you’re a person who’s willing to advocate aggressively on two or three sides of an issue, as Stephen Moore does, you’re announcing something about your integrity,” Mr. D’Antonio said. “There is an odor about such people. Trump knows the scent, and he sniffs it out.” |
| Mr. Trump’s backing of men under fire, former employees said, also has to do with his attempt to buttress his denials about his own behavior. | Mr. Trump’s backing of men under fire, former employees said, also has to do with his attempt to buttress his denials about his own behavior. |
| Jack O’Donnell, a former president of the Trump Plaza casino in Atlantic City, recalled having a conversation with Mr. Trump about extramarital affairs. “He said to me, ‘if you’re ever caught cheating, you deny, deny, deny, and wear them out, and they will believe you eventually because you’ve denied so long,’” Mr. O’Donnell said. “Trump defends himself based on others. Supporting people like this, it just supports him.” | Jack O’Donnell, a former president of the Trump Plaza casino in Atlantic City, recalled having a conversation with Mr. Trump about extramarital affairs. “He said to me, ‘if you’re ever caught cheating, you deny, deny, deny, and wear them out, and they will believe you eventually because you’ve denied so long,’” Mr. O’Donnell said. “Trump defends himself based on others. Supporting people like this, it just supports him.” |
| Over the years, Mr. Trump has defended himself by pointing to women like Louise Sunshine and Barbara Res, whom he promoted to top management jobs at the Trump Organization. Women in his administration have defended him by pointing to themselves. | Over the years, Mr. Trump has defended himself by pointing to women like Louise Sunshine and Barbara Res, whom he promoted to top management jobs at the Trump Organization. Women in his administration have defended him by pointing to themselves. |
| Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and senior White House adviser, has talked about her own experience growing up, noting that her father treated her as an equal to her two brothers. “There was no difference,” she has said. | Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and senior White House adviser, has talked about her own experience growing up, noting that her father treated her as an equal to her two brothers. “There was no difference,” she has said. |
| Kellyanne Conway, the White House counselor, has noted that after a long career as a pollster in Republican politics, it was only Mr. Trump who elevated her to the position of campaign manager in 2016. | Kellyanne Conway, the White House counselor, has noted that after a long career as a pollster in Republican politics, it was only Mr. Trump who elevated her to the position of campaign manager in 2016. |
| While it is true that a number of women held prominent jobs at the Trump Organization, and in his White House, former associates said the playing field to get there wasn’t always even. “When I promoted a man to a vice president position, he would automatically go on the operating committee,” Mr. O’Donnell said. “When I promoted a woman to a vice president position, I had to get approval to get her on the operating committee.” | While it is true that a number of women held prominent jobs at the Trump Organization, and in his White House, former associates said the playing field to get there wasn’t always even. “When I promoted a man to a vice president position, he would automatically go on the operating committee,” Mr. O’Donnell said. “When I promoted a woman to a vice president position, I had to get approval to get her on the operating committee.” |
| Mr. Trump’s double down philosophy means that he is unlikely to abandon someone over criticism. But in Mr. Moore’s case, even though he is well liked by conservative allies of Mr. Trump, some say his checkered personal history and lack of professional credibility make his nomination a fight not worth having for the White House. | Mr. Trump’s double down philosophy means that he is unlikely to abandon someone over criticism. But in Mr. Moore’s case, even though he is well liked by conservative allies of Mr. Trump, some say his checkered personal history and lack of professional credibility make his nomination a fight not worth having for the White House. |
| So far, no Republican senators have said publicly that they would oppose Mr. Moore’s confirmation if Mr. Trump nominates him. Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, declined to comment on Mr. Moore. Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, who has previously said she would vote against Mr. Cain before he pulled his name from contention, said she wanted to know more about Mr. Moore’s specific policies. | So far, no Republican senators have said publicly that they would oppose Mr. Moore’s confirmation if Mr. Trump nominates him. Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, declined to comment on Mr. Moore. Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, who has previously said she would vote against Mr. Cain before he pulled his name from contention, said she wanted to know more about Mr. Moore’s specific policies. |
| And Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader who has some ability to sway Mr. Trump on his nominees, would be unlikely to weigh in unless he counted four Republican “no” votes, according to a person familiar with his thinking. | |
| For now, Mr. Trump’s aides are shrugging their shoulders at the whole controversy, noting that certain assumptions about the president’s behavior and views are by now well-known to voters, who will continue to support him because of his record on judicial nominations, border security and a roaring economy. | For now, Mr. Trump’s aides are shrugging their shoulders at the whole controversy, noting that certain assumptions about the president’s behavior and views are by now well-known to voters, who will continue to support him because of his record on judicial nominations, border security and a roaring economy. |