This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

Donald Trump Vows To Crack Down On Pornography (Yes, Really!)

The same guy who graced a Playboy cover and said, “If you need Viagra, you’re probably with the wrong girl.”
UNITED STATES - DECEMBER 05: Donald Trump is flanked by Victoria Silvstedt, 1997 Playmate of the Year, and his girlfriend, Melania Knauss, at Playboy magazine's 50th anniversary celebration at the Lexington Ave. armory. (Photo by Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images
UNITED STATES - DECEMBER 05: Donald Trump is flanked by Victoria Silvstedt, 1997 Playmate of the Year, and his girlfriend, Melania Knauss, at Playboy magazine's 50th anniversary celebration at the Lexington Ave. armory. (Photo by Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump shows a police officer his photo on the cover of a Playboy magazine during a campaign event at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts on July 5 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Sara D. Davis via Getty Images
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump shows a police officer his photo on the cover of a Playboy magazine during a campaign event at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts on July 5 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Donald Trump, who appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine and whose misogynistic comments might only be outnumbered by his racist remarks, has pledged to crack down on pornography if elected president.

Anti-pornography group Enough is Enough praised Trump’s “leadership” in an announcement Monday, after the Republican presidential nominee signed The Children’s Internet Safety Presidential Pledge.

By doing so, Trump has promised not only to fight child pornography and sex trafficking, but “give serious consideration to appointing a Presidential Commission to examine the harmful public health impact of Internet pornography on youth, families and the American culture,” the nonprofit group said.

“Making the Internet safer for children and families is a critical step in making America safe again,” said Donna Rice Hughes, president and CEO of Enough is Enough in a statement, echoing one of Trump’s favorite campaign slogans.

Ironically, the announcement came as The New York Post featured on its cover ― not once, but twice ― risqué 1995 photographs reportedly showing Trump’s wife, Melania, in the nude.

While the pledge Trump signed on July 16 mainly pushes for protecting children from sexual exploitation online, the group behind it has been clear about its opposition to pornography of all kinds. Enough is Enough says on its website that it’s “dedicated to continue raising public awareness about the dangers of Internet pornography” and in favor of “a society free from sexual exploitation,” among other things.

The group claims to have also sent the pledge to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who it said supports the document’s goals but declined to sign the declaration because of a campaign policy against adding her name to pledges. Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson did not respond, the group said.

Hughes said the issue offers an opportunity for all parties to unite for the sake of protecting children.

“Over the last two decades America’s children have paid an unnecessarily steep price for the lax enforcement of federal obscenity laws,” she said in a statement. “Obscenity is not protected under the First Amendment, and the failure to enforce the law is harming children across the nation and around the world.”

And if Trump is elected president, Hughes is “confident” he’ll follow through on the commitments outlined in the group’s pledge, she told the Washington Examiner.

The real estate businessman’s newfound stance against pornography suddenly has him in agreement with the GOP on the issue.

The party adopted its official platform this month, which identifies porn ― not guns ― as a national public health crisis. “Pornography, with its harmful effects, especially on children, has become a public health crisis that is destroying the lives of millions,” it states.

However, many of the former reality TV personality’s supporters are bewildered as to why the Republican Party is focusing on porn, as the above video shows.

Trump has come a long way in his views to suddenly prioritize doing away with “destructive” pornography. “I’ve always said, ‘If you need Viagra, you’re probably with the wrong girl,’” he told Playboy in 2004. He proudly showed that magazine off at a rally days before signing the declaration.

Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims ― 1.6 billion members of an entire religion ― from entering the U.S.

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.