The Twitter message from Donald Trump invited “join me on #FacebookLive as I conclude my final #debate preparations.”
But viewers of the Facebook Live saw something other than Trump going over talking points or policy briefing books. Instead, Trump had convened a panel of women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct over the years. Barely an hour before the second presidential debate, it was a striking signal that Trump will continue to use Bill Clinton to deflect attention from a 2005 video that showed Trump of boasting in vulgar terms that his star power allowed him to grope women.
Join me on #FacebookLive as I conclude my final #debate preparations. https://t.co/gAbNvI8Fd7
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9, 2016
At the Four Seasons Hotel in St. Louis, Trump was seated at a table with Paula Jones, Kathy Shelton, Juanita Broaddrick and Kathleen Willey, according to a pool report.
“He’s going to make America great again,” Jones said.
Broderick said “actions speak louder that words.”
Trump in recent days has elevated claims from Broaddrick that Clinton once raped her. Broaddrick once signed an affidavit denying that account.
A reporter posed a question to Trump: “Mr. Trump, does your star power allow you to touch women without their consent?”
Trump ignored the question.
You can watch the Facebook Live below.
Update: Clinton’s campaign issued a statement, condemning Trump’s press conference as a “destructive race to the bottom.”