Entering the second debate, everyone watching wanted to hear about how Donald Trump would defend what he said in the recently published Access Hollywood tapes. He released a lackluster apology statement — his only response to what has been dubbed the “Trump Tapes.” At the start of the debate, he was asked to provide a more detailed statement about the tapes, but instead responded in the worst possible way: he claimed that it was simply “locker room talk.”

Throughout the election, Trump voters have been repeatedly asked to defend Trump’s character. This is now a virtually impossible task. There is no justification for what he said, but a few have still tried to excuse him. Some supporters have said Trump should not be judged for something he said more than a decade ago, but his performance during the second debate proves that he hasn’t changed a bit. All of the controversy in the recent weeks should push conservatives to start weighing other options, such as Gary Johnson.

It’s clear Trump thinks bragging about committing sexual assault is acceptable as long as it is done in a “locker room” setting. Somehow, this isn’t a shocking assertion, and it goes to show his ignorance as to how he is a part of the problem. What would it say about our country if we elected a leader that is proud of taking advantage of women?

The second debate set off an alarm for all conservatives: prior to the debate, several Republicans who endorsed Trump withdrew their support after hearing the tapes. As dozens of elected Republicans stand against Trump, including local Rep. John Katko (R-NY), it is clear that the Republican party is in a state of chaos. Trump has, for all intents and purposes, lost this election, and practically handed the office to Hillary Clinton on a silver platter.

This leaves a number of Republican voters confused, as now it’s really not an option to vote for Trump or Clinton. But not voting isn’t an option either.

Still, it’s inevitable that Clinton will be the next president. In fact, Fivethirtyeight currently has Clinton’s chances of winning at more than 80 percent. Trumps aggressiveness during the debate — which was characterized by constantly interrupting Clinton and making inappropriate comments — is a reminder of how he has given a horrible reputation to Republicans.

In all, the major takeaway from this debate for conservatives is that Trump is clearly unfit for office, and that Republicans should start weighing other candidates.

Alex Deitrich is a freshman history major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at amdeitri@syr.edu.

Published on October 10, 2016 at 12:28 am