Trump and women voters
August 23, 2016
Plenty of journalists have given their two cents about Donald Trump since he announced his run for presidency in June of last year. At this point, it is as if the general public has become numb to his rhetoric and the coveted lack of “political correctness.”
We all know the way Trump talks, and the way the media responds. What people do not know is what life would be like for women under a Trump presidency.
Americans have grown accustomed to Barack Obama, who is openly feminist, so the idea of Donald Trump as president makes some believe the United States could regress back to the days of the 1950s, when women were largely only accepted as housewives and secretaries.
An era where Planned Parenthood does not exist is possible under Trump – although his views on that topic have flip-flopped several times. He first said Planned Parenthood does great things, but then told Chuck Todd on “Meet The Press” that he would defund Planned Parenthood if it continues to provide abortions even though, according to 2014 Affiliate Medical Services Data, abortion services made up 3 percent of the total medical services.
Trump’s policy would be especially threatening to low-income women who rely on free clinics like Planned Parenthood for many of their health needs, reproductive and otherwise.
And a Trump presidency threatens women in other aspects of their life besides healthcare. While women in the professional sphere have come a long way, the message Trump sends through his comments and business choices is concerning. Trump has said that he felt bad about Fox CEO Roger Ailes resigning in July after he was accused of sexual harassment. This prioritizing of powerful men over the women who work for them could be reflected in his own office.
Based on Donald Trump’s comments, it is easy to assume that young women going into the workforce under his presidency might face a bleaker situation than we do now. His apparent inability to hire women to top positions in his company, except for his daughter Ivanka, is telling enough. And that’s not even touching the ever-growing number of comments he has made about working women, from the female contestants on “The Apprentice” to Hillary Clinton, whose career in politics is far more impressive than his own. People can decide for themselves if they want their sons and daughters to see him as a role model.
While Donald Trump has been over-analyzed and given far too many free advertising hours on television, it’s important for college students, and women especially, to think about the America we want and who is the best option for us and future generations.