Trump’s supporters are likely to pretend to believe in his innocence for two reasons: (1) they feel he has done something for them (or will do something for them), and (2) they believe he is a member of their group.

(1) Notice the number of times Trump’s defense for challenged behavior has been that he has done X for the country or the group in question. It’s not particularly significant that simple fact checking can disprove many of these alleged benefits. The tell here is that Trump is not saying he is innocent, but that as a benefactor, he shouldn’t be punished for whatever he’s charged with. It’s the modern version of the droit du seigneur.

(2) Weinstein, Moonves, Epstein, and Lauer are Jewish or of Jewish descent. Cosby is of course Black. The parents and grandparents of Trump’s supporters grew up in an era when Jews and African American men were stereotyped as rapists. Of course such stereotypes are rarely aired in public nowadays, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Trump’s supporters held on to vestiges of these shibboleths. The rape culture, on the other hand, is alive and well — among many Republican politicians.

Trump, as a member of Christian patriarchalism (though not a Christian himself), has been accorded a get-out-of-jail pass. If the Trumpskis who themselves would never think of committing rape were given the option of eliminating sexual battery from society but only if patriarchalism were eliminated with it, there’s no question what they would choose, because they’re making this choice on a daily basis. And yes, this means the women who support Trump.