Trump supports Paterno
Reading from a paper, Trump brought up the disgraced Paterno, although his meaning was unclear and the reaction was muted. “I know a lot about Pennsylvania, and it’s great,” he told thousands of his supporters. “How’s Joe Paterno? We going to bring that back? Right? How about that whole deal?”
Paterno, who died in 2012, coached Pennsylvania State University to the most wins in college football history and there was a statue of him on the university’s grounds.
However, it was removed after he was found, along with others, of having covered up the activities of Jerry Sandusky, his assistant coach. Sandusky was eventually convicted of sexually abusing teenage boys in the football program over a period of years.
Campaign explanation
Trump seems to have brought up Paterno in order to curry favor with the crowd at the Pittsburgh Convention Center. Despite findings that Paterno covered up Sandusky’s actions, thereby allowing Sandusky to continue sexually abusing youngsters, some in the state continue to support Paterno.
Not long after his speech, Trump’s campaign tried to explain what he meant by saying “we’re going to bring that back” and “how about that whole deal” when referencing Paterno. But did they?
Not long after the Trump rally ended Wednesday, his campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks went on CNN to explain Trump’s remarks. “He was talking about the Penn State bronze statue that they melted down,” Hicks said.
She did not say, however, if her boss would campaign to have another statue of Paterno made and erected on the grounds of Penn State. Nor did she say whether Trump supports Paterno’s actions in covering up a child sexual abuser’s activities.
The Pennsylvania Republican primaries go on April 26.
