Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) asked host Jake Tapper to stop talking about “Arnold Palmer’s penis” after numerous mentions.
Tapper said, “You heard President Trump’s remarks. Let me read you the lead of the Associated Press story about Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania, ‘Donald Trump’s campaign suggested he would begin previewing his closing arguments Saturday night with election day barely two weeks away, but the former president kicked off his rally with a detailed story about Arnold Palmer at one point, even praising the late legendary golfer’s genitalia.’ Mr. Speaker, you’re crossing all over the country. You’re working hard to get Republicans over the line in this election. You’re talking about substantive issues. Is this really the closing message you want voters to hear from Donald Trump stories about Arnold Palmer’s penis?”
Johnson said, “The headline that I read about the rally in Pennsylvania yesterday was the big question, and it’s the one that Kamala Harris has not been able or willing to answer, and that is, are you better off now than you were under the Trump administration four years ago. No one can answer that question with a yes.”
Tapper said, “I’m sure that you think that a policy debate would be better than a personality debate, but if President Biden had gone on stage and spoke about the size of a pro-golfer penis, I think you would be on this show right now saying you were shocked and appalled. You would suggest it was evidenced of his cognitive decline. I wonder how Trump’s remarks, not just the one about Arnold Palmer on his quote, manhood, but everything we’ve heard from Trump this week, how it fits in with the analysis that The New York Times offered a few days ago, they looked at his speeches from 2015 and 2016 and looked at his speeches today and said, ‘with the passage of time, the 78-year-old former president’s speeches have grown darker harsher, longer, angry or less focused, more profane, and increasingly fixated on the past.’ I know you want to talk about policy, and I respect that, but the reason that Donald Trump is not up ten points is because of comments like that one, where people do have concerns about his fitness, his acuity and his stability. Why is he talking about Arnold Palmer’s penis in front of Pennsylvania Voters?”
Johnson said, “Jake, you seem to like that line a lot.”
Tapper said, “Let’s say something I don’t want to be talking about. Donald Trump is out there saying it.”
Johnson said, “OK. Don’t say it again. We don’t have to say it. I get it.”
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