On Saturday, October 22, 2015, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke to thousands of supporters in Mobile, Alabama. I was astounded by the amount of support he received at the pep rally (30,000 people, to be exact), but what shocked me more than the number as a whole was the amount of female supporters at the rally.
I understand that when it comes to politics, everyone has their own strong opinions. Especially with a slogan like Trump’s’ “Let’s Make America Great Again,” it’s hard not to show interest in what he has to say. However, time and time again, Trump has shown he has no regard for women and our rights. I one hundred percent do not understand how any woman in this country could support Donald Trump when he has repeatedly belittled women.
For starters, Donald Trump has made it very clear that women are just for sex and their looks. In his book Trump 101: The Way to Success, Trump compares a woman's beauty to looking at a building, “Beauty and elegance, whether in a woman, a building, or a work of art, is not just superficial or something pretty to see." Back in May of 2013, Trump tweeted about sexual assault in the military saying that was to be expected when men and women are put together.
He has been quoted saying that a woman's success on his show The Apprentice largely involves the amount of sex appeal she has. Perhaps my personal favorite remark was "I mean, we could say, politically correct, that looks doesn't matter, but the look obviously matters." Trump said this to a female reporter talking about Miss USA: "Like you wouldn't have your job if you weren't beautiful." He has repeatedly called women bimbos or unattractive, and has again and again stereotyped women.
Beside that fact that Donald Trump has voiced his personal sexist views, he seems very much like a chameleon with his opinions on abortion: his views change color according to whomever he's with. Trump has said time and time again that he is pro-life and that the only times that an abortion is acceptable is if the mother's life is threatened, in a case of incest, or in a case of rape. He also has said this decision should be left up to the states. Yet, in an interview with Bloomberg politics, when asked if a woman wanted an abortion but didn't fall into any of these categories, Trump simply replied “it depends when.” So my question to Donald Trump is this: which one is it? Hate to break it to you, Mr. Trump, but you can't play both sides.
As women, we have made so many advances in the last few years. We deserve the respect of someone who wants to be the President of the United States. We expect our loved ones to treat us with love and respect for our own decisions, so why do we not expect the same from our president? We are more than looks and we are more than sex. So as women, let's consider our sisters, our mothers, and our friends, and ask ourselves:
"Is this who I want representing the women I love and respect? Is this who I want representing myself?"
