"Ew"

Yet another example of Donald Trump’s innate ability to make America cringe was unleashed yesterday at a rally in Pennsylvania, where he delivered this skin-crawling message: 

I believe Mika Brzezinski on Morning Joe articulated it best, and spoke for the masses with her guttural response: “Ew.”

Mika continued, “No thank you. No thank you. We don’t need that; any of that. Women like their rights, and they like their access to health care, and they like someone that tells the truth and does not consistently lie.”    

Oh dear. Using those metrics, women do not like President Trump. Far be it for me to speak for anybody else, let alone an entire gender, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and propose a few reasons for their revulsion: 

Trump is an adjudicated rapist, an unapologetic misogynist, and has been publicly accused by more than two dozen women of sexual assault or misconduct. 

His current wife—whom he cheated on (a reality messily interwoven with him becoming a convicted felon), and with whom he cheated on his second wife, with whom he cheated on his first wife—repeatedly refuses to hold his hand in public. Noted. 

Much of the world, including women, their daughters, sons, partners, and parents were notified by Trump: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT.”

Maybe just because, in the words of Senator Elizabeth Warren, “This is really creepy.”

Most tragically, perhaps women are aware that he has repeatedly, boastfully, taken credit for eliminating their right to make choices about their own bodies, resulting in women and girls who have lost their lives as a direct result. 

Whatever the reason, nobody wants to see that man get in front of a microphone and tell women “I WILL BE YOUR PROTECTOR.” 

That is not a normal thing to say. Particularly when he, his running mate, and their whole campaign traffic in misogyny and have been accurately diagnosed as weird and creepy. And even more so when his exceptionally strong opponent is a woman who profoundly knows (and has prosecuted) his type.  

One thing this tells us is that Trump is paying attention to the polls, which reveal how out of favor he is with the female vote. Which is great, and makes all the sense in the world…but must we all be subjected to his attempt to appeal to women, whom he doesn’t even speak about like they’re fellow humans?

On Friday night he posted a preview of his explosive stance on how women are doing. And though you have to wade through a swamp of shouty-capped lies to find the line, it also makes evident the true motivation of yesterday’s repulsive rant.

(p.s. Donald, “There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born.” —Linsey Davis)

It’s so beyond him that women find him abhorrent and ineffectual, that I gather he has determined that he’s doing so poorly among women because of the issue. And indeed, in both his fact-evading freewheeling post and at the revolting rally ramble, he asserted that a vote for him will mean, “YOU WILL NO LONGER BE THINKING ABOUT ABORTION.” 

Ahh, so that’s how he’s planning to handle the issue that’s been plaguing him and his alleged party? That’s what will make the women of America forget that he placed three judges on the Supreme Court with the specific intent of ensuring that Roe be overturned? He will just INFORM them that any fears over losing their bodily autonomy—or any disturbance about the fact that they had more rights than their daughters do today—will just dissipate if he becomes their president and protector? 

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Trump even felt emboldened enough to disregard very recent history by suggesting:

“I have always defended and supported IVF—fertility—and so has the Republican Party...we want those babies...I will protect women at a level never seen before. They will finally be healthy, hopeful, safe & secure. Their lives will be happy, beautiful, & great again.” 

A level never seen before? Like the rights they had from 1973 to 2022? Just checking.

Also, President Trump and the Republican Party have always defended and supported IVF? That would definitely be news to the dozens of Republicans who blocked the extremely straightforward Right to IVF bill put before the Senate LAST WEEK. 

Trump has always been a liar, but he’s a shameless liar, with such minimal regard or respect for the people to whom he’s speaking that he just freestyles, entirely unencumbered by the confines of imparting the truth. Trump is interested in being the protector of Trump (and maybe a few global dictators). He has waged a war on women’s reproductive freedom and he remains proud of it. He doesn’t give a shit about the trauma or casualties left in the wake of his reckless decisions.

When he brags about ‘killing Roe v. Wade,’ believe him. 

The good news is that for as belittling as Trump is to Americans, presuming that they’re stupid, the people of this country have already proven—in the ballot box; his most sensitive arena—that they know better.

Thanks to Trump underestimating the extent to which the majority of women want the government to mind their own damn business, this issue cost Republicans elections in red states like Kentucky, Kansas, Ohio, and Alabama. He miscalculated on that one, and I have to believe that he miscalculated once again with this whole “don’t worry ladies, your knight has arrived on his white golf cart” approach.

Thing is, a certain amount of bile bubbles up when the man who came into power shortly after it was revealed that he offered a “locker room” tutorial on how to grab women between the legs without their consent…later vows to be their protector. I have to trust that the bile alone will sway a few undecided voters. And they matter. 

Because the clearest way of showing Trump that females have sufficient agency and are—by no means—craving shelter beneath his bullshit, is by ensuring he gets demolished in November. 

By a woman.