It's 2018, and we have a celebrity as the president of the United States. Although he is not the first celebrity president we have had or the first celebrity to run for office- he has been the first celebrity to cause waves in every demographic of the country- specifically women.
Degrading women and the misogynistic tendencies of men have been shoved under the rug for decades, and women have kept their mouth shut. It has been known for years that women are paid less than men, promoted less, and subjected to the extra taxation of essential products (pink tax).
President Trump has been accused by 22 different women (including Ivanka) of sexual assault. The national conversation on sexual misconduct has swept from California to Capitol Hill over the past few months, with campaigns like The Me Too Movement gaining rapid popularity. According to an article on Business Insider, Trump has dismissed all of the allegations — which include ogling, harassment, groping, and rape — as "fabricated" and politically motivated accounts pushed by the media and his political opponents.
If you would like to read some of his prepresidential comments, The Huffington Post has a great article, which you can access here. If you're interested in seeing just how far back his sexism goes (over thirty years, guys) Claire Cohen has compiled a complete list.
In June of 2017, just months after taking office, President Trump released a Tweet responding to the negative criticism of Mika Brzezinski, hosts the popular "Morning Joe" program on MSNBC. Trump responded by saying:
"I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!"
The following month, Trump made a comment to the First Lady of France about her body while saying goodbyes;
"You know, you're in such good shape," Trump said, before repeating the observation to her husband. "Beautiful," he added.
Social media users have noted that Trogneaux appeared to 'hide' behind Trump's wife, Melania after he made his comments.
The big story of September was the Kavanaugh sexual assault trial, during which Trump held an unhinged press conference. During this conference he spoke about when he was accused of sexual assault, saying the following:
"I've been accused. I've been accused," he said. "I was accused by, I believe it was four women. Check with Sean Hannity, you can check with Fox."
Pardon me, Mr. President, but it was 22 women who accused you, not five.
In October of this year, at a press conference held in the Rose Garden, Trump called upon Cecilia Vega of ABC News. The conversation went as follows;
Trump: "She's shocked that I picked her. She's in a state of shock.
Vega: "I'm not. Thank you, Mr. President."Trump: "That's okay, I know you're not thinking. You never do."
Vega: "I'm sorry?
Trump: "No, go ahead."
Trump's response was not at all out of character, but odd because Vega had not yet asked a question. Trump has a tendency of attacking women based on looks and alluding to their lack of knowledge as a way of exercising his masculinity.
Later that month, the President released a Tweet regarding a lawsuit that he has been battling with the famous porn star, Stormy Daniels:
"Federal Judge throws out Stormy Daniels lawsuit versus Trump. Trump is entitled to full legal fees." @FoxNews Great, now I can go after Horseface and her 3rd rate lawyer in the Great State of Texas. She will confirm the letter she signed! She knows nothing about me, a total con!"
Mr. Trump's verbal assault came as he gloated about a federal judge's decision to dismiss a defamation suit. Trump's lawyers have paid out over 130,000 to Daniels to buy her silence over sex she claims to have has with the president. Regardless, calling a woman "horse face" is unacceptable, irrespective of social status.
Through Trump's misogynistic comments and Tweets, he has lost a significant amount of female voters. Currently, the amount of Trump female supporters is on a rapid decline, which could be troublesome for Republicans this coming November. Naturally, Trump is doing nothing to assist with the problem; in fact, he is doing the opposite. I wonder what will come out of his mouth next.