The Impact of Trump’s Response to Hillary Clinton
Ideally, he should have never made those comments in the first place. Since they are easily fact-checked and his supporters often don't believe in the validity of fact checkers, he could have simply denied the accusation. The best approach would have been to mention his experience as a father of two daughters and express understanding for the body image issues young women face. However, he completely lacked the ability to show remorse or humanity. He did not take any of these steps.
The Context and Truth Behind the Question
The issue with the question posed is that it assumes Trump believes he answered it incorrectly. However, Gina Langridge's response came closest to the truth of the matter, but even it may not stand up under the rigorous scrutiny of the Quora Machine.
It’s closest to what Donald Trump and his supporters actually think, as any other measured response would not fit. This is because they do not think the statement he made was in any way incorrect!
A Moral Lesson from History
The story of Simon Wiesenthal and Eichmann provides a powerful illustration of the importance of a moral center. Wiesenthal, during the surveillance of Eichmann, asked him to reflect on the hundreds of thousands of young Jewish children who were murdered by Eichmann himself. “You obviously love your son very much but what about ‘them’” Eichmann replied matter-of-factly, “But they were Jews.”
Understanding the history behind it, we see that good people do not talk this way about others. If we slip and break that moral contract, we can think of dozens of ways to 'make it right.' For example, “What I said was deplorable, I feel awful about it, and can only hope the young lady I offended could find it in her heart to forgive me.” However, this never occurred to Trump. His response was a denial, a lie, a deflective question, and a petulant reaction.
Note that he first denies ever saying it, then denies it again, then deflects the blame, and finally shows petulance. This is just further proof of Donald Trump's utter lack of a moral center. In his mind, he never said anything objectionable, so he had no reason to try to come up with a better response!
Implications and Future Concerns
There is a part of me that feels intense pain for Trump. He must know that most of his life is behind him, and he has far fewer years ahead than have passed. After all the scandals, infidelities, opulence, and casual dismissal of others' work, he has caused immense pain. But where is his conscience and soul? He could be a genuinely happy man, blessed beyond measure, capable of so much good and benevolence. But all that comes through is the dark, stingy, angry, forever grasping, angry heart of the Never Content. Pity.