Sessions: Voters don’t care about Trump’s past, they want him to blow up the establishment

WASHINGTON — During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said voters are not swayed by the media digging into the past of presidential frontrunner Donald J. Trump, insisting voters are more concerned with his ability to disrupt the status quo and take on the “Masters of the Universe,” as Sessions often refers to them.

In the days since Trump effectively locked up the Republican nomination, the Washington Post has published a story alleging the billionaire businessman “masqueraded as a publicist to brag about himself” and the New York Times published a lengthy article alleging Trump has frequently “crossed the line” with the way he has treated women in the workplace. Trump has also faced criticism for frequently changing his position on various policy issues.

“People have not expected purity on his part,” Sessions said of Trump, for whom he has become a top surrogate on the campaign trail. “What they’re deeply concerned about is, is this someone strong enough to take on Washington? Will he challenge the establishment? Will he end [illegal] immigration? Will he insist on trade agreements and lift our economy and increase manufacturing, and will he stand up to the elites?”

Last week, Sessions called Trump a “forceful advocate for America” in an op-ed that originally ran in the Washington Post.

“Trump has said that our trade, immigration and foreign policies must be changed to protect the interests of American workers and our nation,” he wrote as part of a barrage of media appearances designed to help unify the GOP behind its presumptive nominee.

“Now is the time for the GOP to embrace this opportunity to win working Americans on a platform of rising wages, American jobs, and the national interest,” he added during an interview on “Lou Dobbs Tonight.”

Senator Sessions was instrumental in Trump getting the nomination from the very beginning. After endorsing the New York billionaire at a massive Alabama event in February, Sessions has played an integral role in the campaign and has led Trump’s foreign policy team. Such involvement has fueled speculation about Sessions’ potential role in a Trump Administration.

Some have been hopeful of a Trump-Sessions ticket in November, but the Senator all but ruled out the possibility in April stating “Don’t bet any money on me.”