Life as a Trump Surrogate

At 4 P.M. Eastern, on October 7, 2016, The Washington Post published that now infamous video from 2005, the one in which Donald Trump can be heard boasting about grabbing women “by the pussy,” because “when you’re a star, they let you do it.” As far as bombshells go, it was more confirmation than revelation, but it was nonetheless a colossal tipping point. Suddenly, supporters were vanishing and high-level staffers were scrambling to pull out of television appearances—all the better to avoid having to answer for Trump in this, the campaign’s most chaotic hour. While others ran, Hughes surveyed the darkening shit storm and glimpsed something more like opportunity. With calm grace, she did what she could to save her country and preserve her career: She got in front of a camera and started talking.