Hillary Clinton commented on a series of sexual assault allegations leveled against Donald Trump on Friday when she told supporters in Seattle that the “the disturbing stories keep coming.”
Clinton has largely avoided commenting directly on allegations that have rocked Trump’s campaign, instead leaving that to her surrogates while she tries to focus on a more positive message.
“The whole world has heard how Donald Trump brags about mistreating women and the disturbing stories keep coming,” Clinton said at a fundraiser here. “This is who Donald Trump really is. We know that. Now we have to demonstrate who we are. America is better than this.”
Clinton avoided discussing specifics related to the accusations against Trump. Several women have come forward in the past week to accuse the GOP nominee of groping them, and Trump has vehemently denied the charges.
Clinton said that she didn’t care about the attacks Trump planned to level against her, but that she would “stand up and defend everyone else that he insults, he degrades, he demeans.”
“As you know, that takes a lot of time,” she quipped.
Later in the day, Clinton told supporters at a field office outside Seattle that she takes “absolutely no satisfaction” in what is happening to Trump because of the damage she said it is doing to the United States.
“This election is incredibly painful. I take absolutely no satisfaction in what is happening on the other side, with my opponent,” Clinton said. “I am not at all happy about that because it hurts our country. It hurts our democracy.”
The line is an acknowledgment that even if Clinton wins in November, considerable time will need to be invested to help Trump supporters get over a hypothetical loss.
“Damage is being done that we’re going to have to repair,” Clinton said. “Divisions are being deepened that we’re going to have to try to heal, so our job doesn’t end after this election.”
Clinton is in the midst of a two-day fundraising swing through the West Coast, the last of her campaign.
She raised more than $10 million in California on Thursday and her event in Seattle, which included appearances by hip-hop artists Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, is expected to be a substantial earner.