REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DONALD TRUMP is welcomed to the stage by Maine Gov. Paul LePage in Portland in this March file photo. In a radio interview Tuesday, LePage said Trump would “show some authoritarian power in our country.”
Republican Maine Gov. Paul LePage says the country needs Donald Trump “to show some authoritarian power in our country” because Democratic President Barack Obama has acted like “an autocrat” during his tenure as president.
LePage, a Republican like Trump, made the comments during an appearance on WVOM-FM on Tuesday. The comments follow the release last week of a videotape showing Trump using predatory language regarding women.
LePage also addressed the videotape during the radio appearance. Trump is heard on the 2005 video bragging about how his fame allowed him to “do anything” to women.
LePage said “it’s one thing to be in a locker room and talk, it’s another thing to be in the White House and do it.” He then went on to compare Trump’s comments to former President Bill Clinton’s extramarital affair with Monica Lewinsky.
The Maine governor qualified by saying Trump is “not the ideal guy I’d want my daughter going after.”
LePage endorsed Trump months ago and stumped for him at the state’s caucus. His daughter, Lauren, works for Trump’s campaign.
The governor also criticized Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. Collins has spoken out against Trump’s behavior during the presidential campaign.
Maine Democratic Party Chairman Phil Bartlett Tuesday issued the following statement in response:
“Our forefathers fought and died to build a government that is of, by, and for the people. The rights to speak freely, debate openly, protest peacefully, and vote for your candidate of choice are all fundamental to a democracy. When people hear Donald Trump threaten those rights with repercussions — such as the loss of their livelihoods, their freedom, or even their physical safety — then our democracy is under threat. Governor LePage has a long history of intimidating anyone who disagrees with him, and of refusing to be held accountable by the press or the public. The last thing our country needs is Governor LePage’s vision on a national scale. His remarks and those of Donald Trump cannot be taken lightly. Absolute rule is not the American way.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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