How Trump Has Used Debates to Belittle Women

The New York Times ^ | Sept. 9, 2024, 12:30 p.m. ET | Jess Bidgood

[E. Pluribus Unum]

It seems a strange twist of American history that the only man to have run against two female nominees in two presidential elections is one with a long and explicit record of denigrating women.

From the earliest days of his presidential candidacy in 2015 to a Trump Tower news conference on Friday, Donald J. Trump has repeatedly attempted to attack, embarrass and threaten the women standing in his way — especially on the debate stage.

Mr. Trump has, of course, treated men with intense bellicosity, launching a blizzard of interruptions against President Biden during their first debate in 2020 and lobbing personal insults at the likes of Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz during the primary in 2016.

But a review of his onstage clashes with women shows how, over nine years in politics, he has honed a playbook of explicitly gendered attacks against both female candidates and journalists that he is likely to draw from on Tuesday when he debates Vice President Kamala Harris. Mr. Trump has used his physical presence and body language to intimidate women, made veiled threats, complained that they were uniquely mean and belittled their qualifications in a way that many women view as open sexism.

In fact, the first time he ever spoke of a female presidential candidate on a debate stage, it was to brag about the control he had over her.

“I said, ‘Be at my wedding,’ and she came to my wedding, you know why?” Mr. Trump said, answering a question about his previous donations to Hillary Clinton in the first Republican primary debate in 2015. “She had no choice, because I gave.”

The Trump campaign defended his treatment of women and female journalists during debates.

[Williams]

Too bad.

[Fledermaus]

The Harris campaign is so incompetent the NYT and others have to do the job for them.

[escapefromboston]

I’m sure Putin will a lot more polite to Kamala

[dowcaet]

The NY Slimes is all but telling us that Harris is way out of her league being on a presidential debate stage.

[Pox]

The media can only cover for this whore so much.

Seems they’re trying to bait President Trump into attacking her for just being a woman, and that means she likely has a “devastating” retort all ready to go.

All hat, no cattle = democrats. It’s all about style for them, no substance.

[plain talk]

silly psych ops attempts to defang Trump. Good luck with that. ha ha

[DIRTYSECRET]

he’s not Don Rickles. I thought he was more George Wallace. If Obama can be a cross between the late Sam Cooke and the Reverend Lee Roy why can’t Trump be Fred G?

[Kudsman]

Maybe the rude bitches needed to be knocked down a peg. Anyone ever consider that? The soy boys don't im sure but Dads know the deal. A cross word has never hurt me, but an butt whipping always helped my vision clear.

Sometimes we all need to be reminded to check ourself?

[kiryandil]

Maureen Dowd's angry younger sister?

Jess AngryBiddy.

[Sirius Lee]

It would help if Kamunist wasn’t such an incompetent dope open and inviting to so much richly deserved belittlement.

[frogjerk]

I thought liberal women were “Fierce”

[NohSpinZone]

[JudyinCanada]

They forgot “How women have used debates to belittle Trump.” Works both ways.

[cockroach_magoo]

What’s a “woman?”

[ComputerGuy]

...with intense bellicosity...

[FirstFlaBn]

We need another, “...only Rosie O’Donnell” moment.

[grimalkin]

The Slimes are on a roll!

[PTBAA]

Only the right women (if they can be called that).

[Political Junkie Too]

Agitprop is all they have. They are trying to soften the ground for a Harris counter-attack.

Anything that Trump says about Harris will be spun as "belittling" her.

• Harris will call Trump a liar, but if Trump calls Harris a flip-flopper he will be belittling her.

• Harris will say that Trump slept with a "porn star," but if Trump says that Harris had an affair with a married man to get a job he will be belittling her.

• Harris will say that she was a prosecutor and Trump is a convicted felon, but if Trump says that Harris was so afraid of him that they had to make up crimes to try to jail him he will be belittling her.

• Harris will say that Trump is too old and can't remember things, but if Trump says that Harris can't say a simple sentence that isn't full of nonsensical gobbledygook, he will be belittling her.

• Harris will say that everybody who knows Trump is voting for her, but if Trump says that 90% of Harris's own staff quit because she's a terrible boss, he will be belittling her.

• What President Trump should NOT say is anything about her nervous laugh.

-PJ