Trump and sexism: two words no one is surprised to see associated with one another. For years now, Donald Trump has talked about women in such a degrading manner that it has become “normal” to hear him speak such statements. Now, thanks to the presidential campaign, the way that Trump treats women is coming back into the spotlight. Recent and past statements have begun surfacing in the media, and it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to Trump that he’s starting to lose votes. So in this article, we will examine five of Trump’s recent and past statements, and sit back and drink some tea with Hillary.
1. Women on the Apprentice
As many people are aware, Donald Trump used to have his own reality show called The Apprentice. On this show, celebrities or business men and women competed in a competition related to running a business. Ever since the show has been on the air (beginning in 2004), Trump has found a way to “enlighten” viewers as to how women gain success. In his book How to Get Rich (released in 2004), Trump stated, “It’s certainly not groundbreaking news that the early victories by the women on ‘The Apprentice’ were, to a very large extent, dependent on their sex appeal.” Additionally, it has recently been recalled that on The Apprentice Trump would make lewd comments about the women on the show, ranking them by hotness, which he would have sex with, and who had the best body. As we’re sure most people would agree, we hate it when men rank women. Women aren’t objects, and it shouldn’t be a shocker that women are actual human beings who can amount to something without using their appearance or having a man’s help.
2. Trump and Megyn Kelly
In recent months, Trump and Fox News journalist Megyn Kelly have been swarmed by media coverage of sexist and misgonistsic drama. Now when did this all begin? That’s right: the first Republican presidential debate, August 6, 2015. During the debate, Kelly asked Trump a question concerning his previous statements regarding women: “You’ve called women you don’t like ‘fat pigs,’ ‘dogs,’ ‘slobs,’ and ‘disgusting animals.’ Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president?”” In response, Trump went on one of his many rampages, this time aimed at Megyn Kelly. Within the days following the debate, Trump commented on Kelly: “You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her… wherever.” To many, this comment seemed that Trump was implying that Kelly was on her period, and that was why she was “aggressive” and “moody.” Unfortunately, period shaming is nothing new. Many people seem to believe that we should never have a woman president because when she is on her period she’ll be “moody” and “emotional”, which could impair her ability to be an effective President. Along with the period shaming, Trump continued to make sexist comments about Kelly: he diminished her journalism, took credit for her success, and plain out bullied her. Fortunately, Kelly never let any of this get to her, as shown when she sticks up for herself on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
3. Ivanka Trump
The way Trump treats his own daughter, Ivanka Trump, is shocking to many. In countless interviews Trump has repeatedly stated how he is sexually attracted his own daughter. In an interview with ABC in 2006, Trump stated: “If Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps, I would be dating her.” These sort of comments have been happening since 2006, and unfortunately are still happening. To coincide with these controversial comments, recently Trump has talked about sexual assault and how he would theoretically want Ivanka to handle such a situation. In an interview with USA Today, Trump commented on the recent allegations towards former Fox Chief, Roger Alies, and how he would want his daughter to handle such a situation. He stated that, “I would like to think she would find another career or find another company if that was the case.” In a way, he is saying that the issue shouldn’t be addressed, and the perpetrator shouldn’t be fired, but that the woman should have to leave. In such a situation, a crime has been committed, yet the victim is the one being punished. So ultimately, he is saying a women has to change her profession to make sure she doesn’t get assaulted. These comments that are made at his own daughter clearly make us wonder how Ivanka would want to vote for her own father.
4. Name Calling
For years now, Trump has been bullying women. A classic joke of his seems to be making fun of Rosie O’Donnell. Whether it is calling her “fat”, “ugly”, a “slob”, or a “pig”, Trump continuously bashes Rosie O’Donnell. These words toward women, or anyone in general, are clearly not okay. This year, Trump commented on Heidi Klum saying, ” Heidi Klum. Sadly, she’s no longer a 10.” These types of comments cause women to have low self esteem and body image because men and media as a whole are constantly saying how a women should look, what size she should be, etc.
5. The Woman Card
Trump vs Hillary; Man vs Woman. In the presidential campaign, there is a lot of talk about the first female presidential candidate. It seems the only thing Americans and Trump can see about Hillary is that she is a woman. On Trump’s end, there is not a lot of talk about Hillary’s ideas or plans, but rather on the fact that she is a woman and that that is all she has going for her; she is pulling the “woman card” as he calls it. He has said, “If [she] were a man, I don’t think she’d get five percent of the vote.” Through his comment, he seems to be suggesting that any woman that runs for president is playing the “woman card.” Along with this statement, in the past, Trump has retweeted sexist comments about Hillary, such as, ” If Hillary can’t satisfy her husband,what makes her think she can satisfy America?” Because it always comes back to pleasing the man does’t it?
Buy your very own Woman Card here: https://shop.hillaryclinton.com/products/the-woman-card
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diMp241gAcw
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/opinion/sunday/introducing-donald-trump-diplomat.html?_r=0
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/07/politics/donald-trump-rosie-odonnell-feud/