Trump is feeling dismayed and ashamed that his administration hired a guy who beats up women.

Just kidding. He’s feeling the opposite of that. Out loud.

President Trump on Friday afternoon lavished praise on one of his former top aides, Rob Porter, who resigned earlier this week amid accusations that he physically, verbally and emotionally abused his two ex-wives.

“We wish him well, he worked very hard,” Trump said to a small group of reporters at the White House, providing his first public comments on the topic. “We found out about it recently, and I was surprised by it, but we certainly wish him well, and it’s a tough time for him. He did a very good job when he was in the White House, and we hope he has a wonderful career, and he will have a great career ahead of him. But it was very sad when we heard about it, and certainly he’s also very sad now. He also, as you probably know, says he’s innocent, and I think you have to remember that. He said very strongly yesterday that he’s innocent, so you have to talk to him about that, but we absolutely wish him well, he did a very good job when he was at the White House.”

He’s very sad now, because he doesn’t have that plum job any more. The women he abused? Oh who cares about them, we’re talking about the feelings of the man here. He’s got a major sad because of that nice job he no longer has. Those bitches took it away from him. By the way they’re liars, I think you have to remember that.

This is not the first time that the president has continued to embrace men close to him who have been accused of assault. In July 2016, Trump called his longtime friend Roger Ailes — who had just been ousted from Fox News amid accusations that he sexually harassed at least two dozen women — “a very, very good person” and cast suspicion on the accusers. In April 2017, Trump said that Bill O’Reilly — who, it had recently been revealed, paid millions in settlements to five women who accused him of sexual or verbal abuse — “a good person” who should not have settled because “I don’t think Bill did anything wrong.” Late last year, Trump continued to support Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore — who was accused of sexual misconduct with teenagers — and noted that Moore “totally denies it.”

And Trump himself has been accused of abuse by 13 women who have publicly claimed that Trump touched or kissed them without their permission. Trump has denied all of these accusations and cast all of his accusers as liars. In a 2005 “Access Hollywood” interview caught on a hot microphone, Trump bragged in vulgar terms about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women, saying that “when you’re a star, they let you do it.”

And that’s the president of the United States.