Booing is not typically the reaction one wishes to receive while speaking at a live, public conference; however this is the exact reaction that Ivanka Trump obtained. Well, that and some laughs, as well. When Ivanka was asked about women’s entrepreneurship and other regarding topics at a recent panel discussion in Germany, her response included her support of her father’s respect for women. “I’ve certainly heard the criticism from the media and that’s been perpetuated” she said, “but I know from personal experience, and I think the thousands of women who have worked with and for my father for decades when he was in the private sector is a testament to his belief and solid conviction in the potential of women and their ability to do the job as well as any man.” While she seemed to be quite convinced that what she was saying was true and had no problem defending President Trump, the audience, along with many others, are not being swayed as easily.
The topic of whether or not President Trump respects women has been a large debate for quite some time now and those who believe he does not have good reason to think this way. There has been an unacceptable amount of occasions in which President Trump has shown that he does not in fact think of women the way his daughter claims he does. While there are countless quotes that show President Trump’s disrespect towards women, here are just a few that should act as red flags to all.
1. “26,000 unreported sexual assaults in the military-only 238 convictions. What did these geniuses expect when they put men & women together?” (Donald Trump’s Official Twitter)
2. “I mean, we could say politically correct that look doesn’t matter, but the look obviously matters,” Trump said to a female reporter in a clip featured on “Last Week Tonight.” “Like you wouldn’t have your job if you weren’t beautiful.” (Huffington Post)
3. “You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it, you can do anything. Grab them by the p***y, you can do anything.” (Washington Post)
From just these four quotes, we can learn a lot about our President and what he thinks of women. For starters, he believes that if men and women are put together, sexual assault can be expected. His tweet comes across as though when putting men and women together, this is the only thing that would make sense to occur. However, sexual assault is something that should never even occur – so if we begin to “expect” it like Trump has said, what will that show for us, as a society? Next, we learn from President Trump that it is wise for women to rely on good looks in order to have a job or career, because if they don’t look good, they may not be successful. The President of the United States teaching or telling anyone that their looks should, or will, affect what they do with their life is not only untrue, but it is also unacceptable. One’s beauty is completely opinion based and it is completely demeaning to tell a woman that she only accomplished what she has accomplished because someone thinks she is beautiful. Finally, have a quote from our President saying that because he is famous, he can do whatever he would like when it comes to women. This quote is degrading for multiple reasons. No man, no matter who he is, has the right to do anything he pleases in regards to a woman, unless he has that same woman’s consent. Trump saying “you can do anything” is not okay whatsoever.
Just after hearing these three, short snippets of what President Trump has said in the past regarding women, one can already begin to get the idea that he does not respect women the way he should, making the booing and laughing that Ivanka received much more valid. Knowing what we know about President Trump, it is hard to believe the statements that his daughter made regarding him and his opinions or views. One could say that to avoid more reactions such as these, Ivanka Trump should become more aware of her father’s past, to ensure that she answers questions much more appropriately.