TEHRAN - Meldon Edises Levine, a former Democratic congressman from California, says Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump “cannot escape who he is”.

In an exclusive interview with the Tehran Times, Edises Levine says, “Donald Trump’s bigotry, dishonesty, and misogyny make him unfit to be president.”

Following is the text of the interview:

Q: What is your prediction of the U.S. presidential election?

A: I believe Hillary Clinton will be elected President of the United States.  Donald Trump’s bigotry, dishonesty, and misogyny make him unfit to be President and the majority of Americans have come to that conclusion, based solely upon Mr. Trump’s own statements and actions.

Q: Why does Trump still remain as a competitor despite many pressures and disclosures against him? And, basically what groups are going to vote for him?

A: Many Americans are in difficult economic straits.  Their incomes have not kept up with inflation.  Many have lost jobs, due to a variety of factors and have not been able to find work which enables them to maintain their prior standards of living.  They feel the U.S. government has let them down.  They are looking for almost any change and they cling to the hope that Donald Trump, having been uninvolved with government previously and having asserted that he has been a successful businessman, can turn things around and improve their economic conditions – even though his economic and tax proposals will hurt lower income Americans and further advantage the wealthiest Americans.

Q: Trump blames the media for a coordinated action against him. How much has the media been able to distort his personality?

A: The media has only reported on Mr. Trump’s own statements and actions.  They have not distorted his personality but rather have reported on who he is and what he has said and one.  It is Donald Trump’s own conduct and statements which have deeply offended the majority of Americans.

Q: Considering the short time remaining to the presidential election, is it possible to see some issues brought up by the both candidates to significantly affect the result of the elections, like Trump's immoral remarks about women?

A: This has been the strangest election in U.S. history, so who knows what other surprises might be in store.  Regardless of what else might arise, I do not believe that Mr. Trump can now convince the majority of Americans that he is temperamentally fit to govern our country.  He cannot escape who he is.

JH/PA