The White House said Monday that President Obama and his advisers don’t believe that Donald Trump’s attacks on Hillary Clinton’s marriage will prevent former President Bill Clinton from campaigning effectively.
“President Clinton I would expect will be a very powerful and effective advocate for his wife on the campaign trail,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest. “And his own personal experience in the job will be part of what makes him such a persuasive advocate for her.”
Mr. Trump has criticized Mrs. Clinton for enabling her husband’s infidelities and for assailing publicly women who complained about his behavior.
Mr. Earnest said Mr. Clinton has campaign credentials because “sitting in the Oval Office and being the commander in chief of the United States is a weighty responsibility.” And he noted that neither of the living Republican ex-presidents, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, have endorsed Mr. Trump.
“There are only a handful of individuals who are still alive who have been charged with that responsibility [of the presidency],” Mr. Earnest said. “And I’m not aware that any of them, even the Republicans, have indicated that they’re prepared to support the Republican nominee. And I think that’s an indication of how seriously those men — it’s only men who have held the job so far — believe that temperament and judgment are when choosing the next president of the United States.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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