After coming down strong against the men who sexually harass women, former Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina almost went silent when asked about Trump on the same issue.
It was a very strange ending to a pretty good interview.
She discussed her own issues dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace and attacked others for "tolerating this behavior" and then respecting the men who did do it.
However, when the topic of her issues with Trump during the Republican presidential debates debates came up, she wilted.
In a September, 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, Trump mocked her looks, "Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?" Trump reportedly bellowed while watching his Republican presidential rival on the news. "I mean, she's a woman, and I'm not s'posedta say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?”
Fox News Sunday's host then played video of their debate in 2015, where she called Trump's words out and he then replied by saying "I think she's a beautiful women."
Chris Wallace then asked her to describe the real Trump.
WALLACE: Which one is the real Donald Trump?
FIORINA: Oh, you know, we could endlessly analyze Donald Trump. What I focus on always is someone's behavior, how do they behave? Are they leading or are they not leading?
Nobody is asking for an endless analysis on Donald, just an opinion, but she refused. Chris Wallace tried again.
WALLACE: And President Trump?
FIORINA: Well, I think leaders understand that how you do things is as important as what you do. Leaders understand that they need to build support. Leaders focus on solving problems. Leaders serve others.
Leaders other than Trump she means, but she refused to say so in clear terms.
Wallace for a third time tried to get her to render an opinion on Trump.
WALLACE: And -- you seem to be saying you don't think this president meets that test.
FIORINA: Well, I don't think he has yet often enough. He won't be the first president to fail the test of leadership, and he won't be the last, unfortunately.
Politics is too rarely about leadership. Politics is too rarely about problem-solving. Problem is too rarely about serving others.
Politics is to often about my team versus your team. It’s become like sports. And we all know how emotional and irrational sports is."
This was a ridiculous response.
Wallace's questions would seem to be very easy to answer because of her own run-ins with Trump, as well as so many other women who came forward accusing him of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior, but Carly decided to play the politics she just derided with her own answer.
Instead of playing the "both sides do it" game, she re-framed it as "all leaders do it."
So she did exactly what she had been complaining throughout her entire Chris Wallace interview.
Trump called her too ugly to be president and she still refused to acknowledge the truth about Trump.
It's strange after hearing her speak so strongly for taking accusations of violations seriously and holding men accountable for their bad acts, and then wimp out completely at the most prominent violator in the country.
Tribalism at its finest.
