Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Trump Says He’ll Protect Women, ‘Like It or Not,’ Evoking His History of Misogyny
d8a347b41db1ddee634e2d67d08798c102ef09ac
By The New York Times
Published 3 weeks ago on
October 31, 2024

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP/Alex Brandon)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Former President Donald Trump said at a rally Wednesday that he would protect American women “whether the women like it or not” — remarks that he cast as paternal but only served as reminders to many of his critics of his history of misogynistic statements and a civil court case that found him liable for sexual abuse.

Speaking near Green Bay, Wisconsin, Trump told the crowd that his advisers had urged him to stop using a well-worn rally line about his desire to protect women, saying they had called it “inappropriate.” In recent months, Trump has boasted on social media and in his speeches that he would protect women in America by making their communities safer and by making sure they won’t “be thinking about abortion,” as he faces increasing backlash for appointing three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade.

On Wednesday, he delivered similar remarks but added a new twist as he described onstage what he had told his advisers: “I said, well, I’m going to do it whether the women like it or not. I am going to protect them.”

Trump Faces Deficit With Female Voters

Polls show that Trump is already facing a significant deficit with female voters in his race against Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman to serve as vice president. Harris has tried to appeal to moderate Republican and independent women, particularly in the suburbs, by talking about her support for abortion rights and casting Trump as divisive and reactionary.

The former president’s remarks Wednesday mean that, for many voters, his closing message is being defined, in part, by racist jokes about Puerto Rico told by a comedian at his rally in New York this week and, now, a striking display of machismo.

Harris quickly sought to respond, writing on the social platform X: “Donald Trump thinks he should get to make decisions about what you do with your body. Whether you like it or not.” Her campaign posted a series of videos on social media emphasizing Trump’s remarks. And it sent out a news release that blared: “In Wisconsin, Trump reminds women how little he values their choices.”

Asked to comment, Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, did not address Trump’s remarks. But she said the Biden-Harris administration had left women “worse off financially and far less safe than we were four years ago under President Trump.”

“Women deserve a president who will secure our nation’s borders, remove violent criminals from our neighborhoods, and build an economy that helps our families thrive,” she said in a statement.

Over the course of the campaign, Trump and his allies have made a series of misogynistic, sexualized attacks against Harris. In August, Trump used his social media website to amplify a crude remark about her that falsely suggested she had traded sexual favors to help her political career. On Sunday, at his Madison Square Garden rally, one speaker referred to Harris as having “pimp handlers.” And a super political action committee financed by his ally Elon Musk released an ad that called her a “C word,” although the ad eventually revealed that the word was “communist,” rather than the slur for women.

Trump’s Party Warned Against Him Alienating Voting Blocs

As the gender gap widens between Harris and Trump, even women in his own party have warned that he risks alienating a crucial slice of the electorate. Nikki Haley, who served as Trump’s United Nations ambassador before challenging him in the Republican primaries this year, criticized the recent sexist and crude attacks lodged at Harris during an interview on Fox News on Tuesday, warning that it made women “uncomfortable.”

“That is not the way to win women,” Haley said. “That is not the way to win people who are concerned about Trump’s style.”

“This is not a time for them to get overly masculine with this bromance thing that they’ve got going,” she added. “Fifty-three percent of the electorate are women. Women will vote. They care about how they’re being talked to, and they care about the issues.”

In his attacks on Harris over the course of his rally Wednesday, Trump repeatedly insulted her intelligence — referring to her as a “low IQ individual” and comparing her negatively to Brett Favre, the former NFL quarterback who served as the event’s celebrity guest.

“Kamala Harris is not fit to be president of the United States,” Trump said. “She doesn’t have the intellect, the stamina, or that special quality that real leaders must have to lead. We know what that is. It’s a special quality.” He claimed that Favre had that “special” quality.

Trump then detailed conversations that he claimed he had been having with his staff, who pleaded with him not to make the claim about protecting women.

‘Sir, please don’t say that,” Trump recalled. “‘Why?’ They said, ‘We think it’s, we think it’s very inappropriate for you to say. I say why, I’m president, I want to protect the women of our country. They said — they said, ‘Sir, I just think it’s inappropriate for you to say.’”

Trump then recalled his defiant response.

“So I said, I’m going to defend it and I’m going to protect women,” he said. “I’m not going to let people go into the suburbs or go into places where they live, whether suburbs or cities or farms. We’re going to protect our women at the border. We’re going to protect our women — and also, we’re going to protect our men.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Nicholas Nehamas and Erica L. Green
c. 2024 The New York Times Company

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

With or Without Lockridge, Can Bulldogs Get Out of Their Own Way to Become Bowl Eligible?

DON'T MISS

Classes for Cannabis? UC Merced Extension Launching Weed Workforce Training

DON'T MISS

This Kitty Seeks a Quiet Home to Call Her Own

DON'T MISS

‘Woke’ Terminology Not Commonly Used by Americans: YouGov Survey

DON'T MISS

FBI Arrested a Man Who’s Been Charged With Planning an Attack on the New York Stock Exchange

DON'T MISS

Shoppers Flock to Clovis for Vallarta’s Grand Opening

DON'T MISS

Thousands of University of California Workers Go on 2-Day Strike Over Wages, Staff Shortages

DON'T MISS

Madera County Shooting Strikes K-9, Investigation Ongoing

DON'T MISS

Republicans on House Ethics Reject for Now Releasing Report on Matt Gaetz

DON'T MISS

Demography Drives Destiny and Right Now California Is Losing

UP NEXT

Classes for Cannabis? UC Merced Extension Launching Weed Workforce Training

UP NEXT

This Kitty Seeks a Quiet Home to Call Her Own

UP NEXT

‘Woke’ Terminology Not Commonly Used by Americans: YouGov Survey

UP NEXT

FBI Arrested a Man Who’s Been Charged With Planning an Attack on the New York Stock Exchange

UP NEXT

Shoppers Flock to Clovis for Vallarta’s Grand Opening

UP NEXT

Thousands of University of California Workers Go on 2-Day Strike Over Wages, Staff Shortages

UP NEXT

Madera County Shooting Strikes K-9, Investigation Ongoing

UP NEXT

Republicans on House Ethics Reject for Now Releasing Report on Matt Gaetz

UP NEXT

Hate Your Instagram Feed? New Reset Feature Enhances User Control

UP NEXT

Senate to Vote on Sanders’ Resolution to Block Arms Sales to Israel

‘Woke’ Terminology Not Commonly Used by Americans: YouGov Survey

3 hours ago

FBI Arrested a Man Who’s Been Charged With Planning an Attack on the New York Stock Exchange

14 hours ago

Shoppers Flock to Clovis for Vallarta’s Grand Opening

14 hours ago

Thousands of University of California Workers Go on 2-Day Strike Over Wages, Staff Shortages

15 hours ago

Madera County Shooting Strikes K-9, Investigation Ongoing

15 hours ago

Republicans on House Ethics Reject for Now Releasing Report on Matt Gaetz

15 hours ago

Demography Drives Destiny and Right Now California Is Losing

16 hours ago

Hate Your Instagram Feed? New Reset Feature Enhances User Control

16 hours ago

Senate to Vote on Sanders’ Resolution to Block Arms Sales to Israel

16 hours ago

Defining Deviancy Down. And Down. And Down.

17 hours ago

With or Without Lockridge, Can Bulldogs Get Out of Their Own Way to Become Bowl Eligible?

Steven Sanchez Sports The team that gave Fresno State the most problems this season wasn’t Michigan, Hawai’i, UNLV, or even Air...

3 hours ago

3 hours ago

With or Without Lockridge, Can Bulldogs Get Out of Their Own Way to Become Bowl Eligible?

3 hours ago

Classes for Cannabis? UC Merced Extension Launching Weed Workforce Training

3 hours ago

This Kitty Seeks a Quiet Home to Call Her Own

3 hours ago

‘Woke’ Terminology Not Commonly Used by Americans: YouGov Survey

14 hours ago

FBI Arrested a Man Who’s Been Charged With Planning an Attack on the New York Stock Exchange

Vallarta Supermarkets in Clovis. November 20, 2024. (GV Wire/Jahz Tello)
14 hours ago

Shoppers Flock to Clovis for Vallarta’s Grand Opening

15 hours ago

Thousands of University of California Workers Go on 2-Day Strike Over Wages, Staff Shortages

A suspect and a Madera County Sheriff’s K-9 were injured in an officer-involved shooting during a hit-and-run investigation in Oakhurst. (GV Wire File)
15 hours ago

Madera County Shooting Strikes K-9, Investigation Ongoing

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend