Actress Matlin: Trump unfit for presidency
Suddenly thrust into the political spotlight, actress Marlee Matlin on Saturday called Donald Trump unfit for office during a stop in Milwaukee, where she addressed reports that Trump mocked her and made derogatory comments about her.
Speaking to about 40 Democratic volunteers at a north side office, the Oscar-winning actress said the Republican presidential nominee "doesn't get people or politics at all." Matlin, who is deaf, appeared on a season of Trump's reality show, "Celebrity Apprentice," in 2011. Trump is accused of making the comments about Matlin during the taping of the show.
"I can say that he has said things in the context of the show, while the camera was rolling, that were not repeatable," Matlin said. "So, based simply on that, there is no way that he could ever run this country, from my personal experience."
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Matlin joined fellow actor and "The West Wing" co-star Bradley Whitford for a meet-and-greet to rally volunteers supporting presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and U.S. Senate challenger Russ Feingold, both Democrats. What was to be a relatively breezy event turned more serious following the report from The Daily Beast, which cited three anonymous staffers who worked on "Celebrity Apprentice" during Matlin's season. The pair had planned to visit Wisconsin before the news article broke.
In the article, the anonymous staffers said Trump called Matlin "retarded" on multiple occasions and openly mocked her voice. Trump previously came under fire after appearing to mockingly mimic a disabled New York Times reporter during a speech. Trump denied he was impersonating the reporter.
Matlin has been careful to not definitively claim Trump made the statements. She corrected Whitford at one point Saturday, saying Trump "allegedly" mocked her. Matlin has also previously been complementary of Trump, telling the New York Post in 2015 that the business mogul "treated me with respect and humor and was always looking after me."
But the article, Matlin said, showed her that "this is how he really felt about me or perceived me."
"I want the best person to be running our country, and I cannot see this person (running it)," Matlin said. She added that Clinton "has a better understanding than anybody I've ever met" about the rights of people who are disabled, deaf or hard of hearing.
Whitford, a Madison native, has made Wisconsin jaunts a regular part of each election cycle. He has campaigned for President Barack Obama during his two presidential runs, opposed Act 10 legislation in Madison and advocated for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke in 2014.
"I love this state, I love its progressive tradition and I knew this election is one I'm very passionate about," Whitford said. "I think it looks really good for the Democratic Party here, but I do not want anybody who hears me to get complacent, because the stakes are high."