Portman finally dumps Trump

Spend some time talking to U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and one thing becomes abundantly clear: He’s a decent man with strong moral underpinnings.

Yet, Portman continued to support Donald Trump’s presidential bid for at least 24 hours after the release of a video that showed the New York billionaire businessman boasting about being a sexual predator.

To be sure, the senator, who is seeking a second term in November, expressed his outrage at the comments made by the GOP standard-bearer.

But it wasn’t until Saturday night that Portman announced he was withdrawing his endorsement of Trump.

UNFORTUNATE DELAY

The delay is unfortunate because it had the effect of portraying the straight shooter as a political opportunist. He should have been one of the first Republican officeholders in the country to repudiate Trump.

By the time he did, the list of Republicans abandoning ship was growing by the hour.

There’s no way anyone watching the 2005 Trump video isn’t repulsed.

Although Trump sought to dismiss his comments as locker room banter, the Washington Post story that contained details of those comments show otherwise.

According to the Post, Trump bragged about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women.

The conversation in 2005 was caught on a hot microphone. The audio and video features Trump and Billy Bush, at the time a host on “Access Hollywood,” now a co-host of NBC’s “Today” show. They were talking on a bus, which was taking them to the set of “Days of Our Lives” to tape a segment in which Trump made a cameo appearance.

The 2005 video includes audio of Bush and Trump talking inside the bus, as well as audio and video once they emerge from it and talk with an actress from the show.

In that audio, Trump discusses a failed attempt to seduce a woman, whose full name is not given in the video, the Post’s story said.

“I moved on her, and I failed. I’ll admit it,” Trump is heard saying. It was unclear when the events he was describing took place.

The tape was recorded several months after he married his third wife, Melania, according to the newspaper.

“Whoa,” another voice said.

“I did try and f--- her. She was married,” Trump says.

Trump continues: “And I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her out furniture shopping. She wanted to get some furniture. I said, ‘I’ll show you where they have some nice furniture.’”

“I moved on her like a b----, but I couldn’t get there. And she was married,” Trump says. “Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony t--- and everything. She’s totally changed her look.”

At that point in the audio, Trump and Bush appear to notice Arianne Zucker, the actress who is waiting to escort them into the soap-opera set, according to the Post.

“Your girl’s hot as s---, in the purple,” says Bush.

“Whoa!” Trump says. “Whoa!”

“I’ve got to use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her,” Trump says. “You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful – I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait.”

“And when you’re a star, they let you do it,” Trump says. “You can do anything.”

“Whatever you want,” says another voice, apparently Bush’s.

“Grab them by the p----,” Trump says. “You can do anything.”

In his initital response, Trump said he apologized to anyone who was offended.

Then late Friday night, he issued a video apology, but even then appeared to hedge.

“I’ve never said I’m a perfect person, nor pretended to be someone that I’m not. I’ve said and done things I regret, and the words released today on this more than a decade-old video are one of them.

“Anyone who knows me knows these words don’t reflect who I am. I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize. I’ve traveled the country talking about change for America, but my travels have also changed me. I’ve spent time with grieving mothers who’ve lost their children, laid-off workers whose jobs have gone to other countries, and people from all walks of life who just want a better future. I have gotten to know the great people of our country, and I’ve been humbled by the faith they’ve placed in me. I pledge to be a better man tomorrow and will never, ever let you down.

“Let’s be honest – we’re living in the real world. This is nothing more than a distraction from the important issues we’re facing today. We are losing our jobs, we’re less safe than we were eight years ago, and Washington is totally broken. Hillary Clinton and her kind have run our country into the ground.

“I’ve said some foolish things, but there’s a big difference between the words and actions of other people. Bill Clinton has actually abused women, and Hillary has bullied, attacked, shamed and intimidated his victims. We will discuss this more in the coming days. See you at the debate on Sunday.”

Even that apology did not silence the critics or end the demands for Trump’s withrdrawal from the race.

Portman released this statement early Saturday: “The comments were offensive and wrong and he was right to apologize.” At the time, however, he continued to support Trump.

By contrast, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who has refused to endorse Trump and has said he will not vote for the GOP presidential nominee, was one of the first to react. Here’s what Kasich tweeted:

“Make no mistake the comments were wrong and offensive. They are indefensible.”

In other words, there’s nothing Trump can say that will excuse his admitted sexual predatory behavior.

Sen. Portman, who has a comfortable lead in the polls against his challenger, former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, may lose a few votes by withdrawing his support for Trump. But he will gain the respect of Ohioans who are offended by Trump’s attitude toward women.