Trump gets a rare newspaper endorsement

Cooper Allen , USA TODAY 11:33 a.m. EDT October 17, 2016


Donald Trump smiles at an event in Edison, N.J., on Oct. 15, 2016. (Photo: Evan Vucci, AP)

When Donald Trump alleged in a tweet Sunday that "the election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary," he apparently wasn't referring to the St. Joseph (Mo.) News-Press.

In an editorial published over the weekend endorsing the GOP nominee, the newspaper said Trump "represents something different for a broad swath of America that is serious about wanting a less intrusive government, a more robust economic recovery and leadership that protects our interests around the world."

While acknowledging Trump is not "without flaws and a personal history that is best left in the past," the News-Press said, "these matters do not rise to the point of disqualifying him in a race against a candidate who has done so much over the last 30 years to abuse the public’s trust." Beyond that, the newspaper doesn't directly reference the recent controversy that has surrounded Trump following the release earlier this month of a recording in which he's heard graphically discussing women and subsequent accusations of sexual misconduct the week after.

Endorsements of Trump's candidacy by editorial boards of newspapers have been nearly non-existent, though the Santa Barbara News-Press is also backing the New York billionaire. Many newspapers that have historically backed Republican presidential nominees, such as The Arizona Republic and The Cincinnati Enquirer, are breaking with decades of tradition by supporting Democrat Hillary Clinton, citing concerns over Trump's fitness to be commander in chief.

For the first time in its 34-year history, USA TODAY's editorial board also weighed in with a view on the presidential race, urging readers not to vote for Trump.

In its endorsement of Trump, the News-Press blasted Clinton over everything from her handling of security at the Benghazi diplomatic compound in Libya, site of a 2012 attack, to her use of a private email system while she was secretary of State.

"Donald Trump became relevant due to the glaring failings of an entrenched governing bureaucracy defined by Obama and Clinton," the newspaper wrote. "A vote for Trump is a vote to change this dynamic and to cast our lot with a movement that is bigger than Trump alone."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...ment/92284582/