Trump and the Black Feminist

As if Sarah Palin’s Ice Capades jacket and shrill babble weren’t offensive and silly enough, she then recently surprised no one when she threw her political clout–however miniscule it may be–behind the only other “politician” as curiously odd as she is: Donald Trump. Trump, a reality star known for his business acumen, his parade of wives, (two of three are immigrants) and finally, his inability to display even the tiniest bit of sophistication, restraint, and civility when it comes to women’s rights is, like Palin, an embarrassing chapter in the country’s political cannon–one written in crayon and big elementary letters.

While Trump has yet to be chosen as the 2016 Republican Presidential nominee, he has already caught the ire of Britain’s House of Parliament, who described his sexist, bigoted, and in many cases, curiously stupid platforms as nothing short of dangerous and toxic to global politics. None was more offensive than Trump’s proposal to temporarily halt Muslims from entering the U.S. in a downright silly attempt to curb terrorist attacks. If we’re to be fair and adhere to such nonsense then we must also temporarily revoke the citizenship of the militia Bundy Brothers, and other violent young white men from the U.S. when they bomb federal buildings or black churches?
One knows they have officially landed on the wrong side of history when former Vice President Dick Cheney, warmonger extraordinaire, interjected some much needed common sense and criticized Trump’s ridiculous notion that banning an entire group would improve relations and lessen future terroristic attacks.

According to CNN, over a half million Britons recently signed a petition to ban the real estate mogul from entering the country, stating that visiting Great Britain “is a privilege not a right.” Parliament went as far as debating whether to ban Trump from the UK, our most fierce ally. Europeans are able to see what has disturbingly flown over the heads of so many in the Republican Party, who have mistaken “plain talk” for potentially dangerous rhetoric, and tough diplomacy for obvious and confounding bigotry.

In his 1997 memoir, Trump: The Art of the Comeback he fairly assessed his relationship with women as such: “I don’t know why, but I bring out the best and worst in women.” His disrespectful rant toward Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly and her implied menstrual cycle, as well as his subsequent decision not to participate in the GOP debate ahead of the Iowa caucuses because Kelly (a hard-hitting journalist who questioned his treatment of women) would be the moderator further proved that Trump was woefully out of touch when it comes to American women. Score one for Kelly whose sheer professionalism showed Trump for the dinosaur he is. And while I’d hardly consider Fox News a legitimate news source–what cable network hires Stacey Dash, a “clueless” failed actress to spew idiocy when apparently she isn’t out back picking cotton during commercial breaks–even I was appalled when Trump came after Kelly for simply reminding Trump of his own fallacies, and daring to ask tough questions during a televised presidential debate. Last I heard, gathering the candidates on a stage and volleying questions back and forth was a vital part of our country’s political process. But perhaps Trump would simply prefer his questions to come from a mediator wearing only a pink tutu and pompoms, bursting through the top of a six-foot cake.

But Kelly is merely one woman in a long line of Trump targets that dared to stand up to the boisterous billionaire. Rosie O’Donnell found herself on the other end of one of Trumps, ill-advised rants. In fact, Trump called her a pig and a slob prompting Kelly to question if this were the behavior of a presidential candidate. His comments launched a barrage of irate tweets from women who questioned if he could fairly govern over women’s rights when he seems to care only for their bra sizes and past suitors. Lest we forget Trump’s sexist comments toward Angelina Jolie in 2007 when he said she wasn’t pretty and had been with too many men. We’re sure Jolie, a famed actress and highly regarded philanthropist lives for Trump’s sexist opinions.

For further proof that Trump is anti-feminist see comments he made in a 1991 Esquire piece: “You know, it doesn’t really matter what [the media] write as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass.” And most recently a vile and nonpresidential tweet where Trump, targeting Hillary Clinton, tweeted: “If Hillary Clinton can’t satisfy her husband, what makes her think she can satisfy America?” This is stupidity in its most concentrated form.

In the most recent Town and Country magazine, Trump’s only daughter, Ivanka, praised her father’s laurels, from his shrewd business decisions that have netted him billions, to, wait for it…his role as a feminist. (Insert laugh track). Trump is no more a feminist than Fox News is a legitimate news organization.

Her reasons for hailing Trump as a champion of women’s rights: he has hired women for key roles within his organization, including herself. This is called nepotism not feminism. How this so-called inclusive measure helps all American women (and his daughter) and not merely his company’s financial bottom line defies logic. And while no one is questioning his daughter’s intelligence and capabilities, hiring your daughter hardly qualifies one for honorable positioning between Naomi Wolf and Susan Sontag.

Still need further proof: Ivanka, when asked if her father was a feminist in the February edition of Town and Country, replied, “He 100 percent believes in equality of gender, so yes, absolutely–socially, politically, and economically.” Yes, Trump is the pillar of feminist ideology, a candidate who believes in gender neutrality even when he’s proclaiming that “Sadly, Heidi Klum, she’s no longer a 10.” A criticism expected from a man who once headed one of the most archaic institutions in America today: beauty pageants. Perhaps previous queens can be put to use and teach Trump how to graciously wave goodbye as more intelligent and inclusive candidates direct him to exit stage left.