‘It’s patronising’: Trump tells women he will be their ‘protector’

By Michaela Walters (with Emily Maitlis & Jon Sopel)

Donald Trump has, to slack jaws, tried to appeal to women in his latest campaign speech, saying they ‘will be protected’ and ‘will no longer be thinking about abortion’.

Read time: 2 minutes

In brief:

• Donald Trump, in a recent campaign speech, positioned himself as a "protector" of women, claiming they would be "happy, healthy, confident and free" under his presidency.
• This stance is seen as ironic given Trump's history, including sexual assault allegations, controversial comments about women, and his role in overturning Roe v. Wade.
• Trump's attempt to appeal to women voters by saying they "will no longer be thinking about abortion" is viewed as out of touch, as abortion rights have become a key election issue where Democrats have been winning.

'It's patronising': Trump says he wants to be women's 'protector' in campaign speech

What’s the story?

“There is a very, very strong chance that there has never been a presidential candidate who has ever hated women more in history than Donald Trump.”

That’s Emily’s reaction to hearing Donald Trump’s latest campaign speech.

The Republican nominee tried to reach out to female voters in the battleground state of Pennsylvania by telling them he will be their “protector”.

“You will be protected,” he told crowds. “I will be your protector. Women will be happy, healthy, confident and free.”

Trump went on to say that women “will no longer be thinking about abortion” if he becomes president, saying “it is now where it always had to be, with the states”.

Why does it matter?

Trump’s latest comments will be surprising, and ironic, to some, considering his past behaviour towards women.

He was previously found liable for sexual assault and made headlines in the run up to the 2016 presidential election when a secret recording leaked that heard Trump say, in reference to being a famous man, that women “let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy.”

Most recently Trump became the first former president convicted of felony crimes in the ‘hush money’ trial that found him guilty of 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election when he paid adult film star Stormy Daniels, who said the two had sex, to keep quiet.

When telling women they will “no longer be thinking about abortion” if he’s president, he also seems to be ignoring his central role in undoing Roe vs Wade, ending American women's nationwide right to abortion.

What’s The News Agents take?

It “leaves a few jaws slack,” Emily says on the latest episode of The News Agents USA. .

She notes “how patronising it sounds that he thinks of women in those terms, needing him as a protector”.

But maybe most surprisingly is how detached Trump’s comments are from how many women are feeling in America.

“It just doesn't bear relation to reality,” Jon adds.

Trump might want people to think that if he’s president women “will no longer be thinking about abortion”, but “the point is” says Emily, “no woman in America actually was thinking about abortion until he came along and the Dobbs ruling facilitated the overturning of Roe v Wade”.

She adds: “I think Trump lets slip sometimes in these sort of meandering moments of the campaign rally, what he wishes would happen as opposed to what is happening.”

Abortion has become a key issue in the November election and Trump’s messaging to win over women voters has so far not landed.

“It's certainly true to say where abortion has been on the ballot in Ohio, Kentucky and Kansas, people have voted. Women have voted in these rock red Republican states for a woman's right to choose,” Jon notes.

“[Democrats] keep winning on the issue of abortion, and that's why Trump wants to turn the subject off,” says Emily. “And why he keeps mentioning it by mistake.”

Listen to the latest episode of The News Agents USA.

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