Trump Dismisses Advisors And Repeats ‘Protect’ Women Line—Says He’ll Do It ‘Whether The Women Like It Or Not’

Topline

Former President Donald Trump doubled down Wednesday on earlier remarks describing himself as the “protector” of women—dismissing advice from aides that the comment was inappropriate—and said he will do it “whether the women like it or not,” drawing immediate criticism from Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign.

Key Facts

Speaking at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Trump said his “people” told him four weeks ago that they did not want him to say that he wanted to “protect the women of our country.”

Trump said he was told, “We think it’s very inappropriate for you to say,” and then he appeared to mock his advisors, saying he “pays these guys a lot of money…Can you believe it?”

The former president refused to change tack and said “Well, I’m going to do it whether the women like it or not. I’ve gotta protect them.”

Trump said he wants to “protect” women from “migrants coming in” and “from foreign countries that wanna hit us with missiles.”

The Harris campaign immediately shared a clip of Trump’s line, and the vice president commented: “Donald Trump thinks he should get to make decisions about what you do with your body. Whether you like it or not.”

Key Background

At a rally in Pennsylvania last month, Trump—who is seeking to cut Harris’ lead with women—addressed women voters, saying he would be their “protector” if elected to office and they would “no longer be thinking about abortion anymore.” Trump said, “I always thought women liked me…But the fake news keeps saying women don’t like me. I don’t believe it.” The former president then told women that if he was elected to office, they would not be in “danger any longer” and “no longer be abandoned, lonely or scared.” Trump said, “You will be protected and I will be your protector.” The comments faced immediate pushback from critics who called them patronizing, with a Harris campaign spokesperson saying, “Women know better — and we will not be silenced, dismissed, ignored or treated like we’re stupid.” Trump’s comments at the time were also mocked by former President Barack Obama, who said, “I will tell you how he protected you. He hand-picked three of the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe vs Wade. Went out and bragged about it and now there are Trump abortion bans in 20 states.” At the time, a Republican pollster told CNN that women voters think the idea that they need to be protected by a man to be “clumsy and dated and just irrelevant…from anybody…But from him in particular, it’s cringiest.”

Tangent

On Tuesday night, former Republican presidential candidate and Trump’s primary rival Nikki Haley warned about the “overly masculine” tone of the Trump campaign’s closing message and said it could drive away women voters. Haley who has endorsed Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier, “This is not a time for them to get overly masculine with this bromance thing that they’ve got going. Fifty-three percent of the electorate are women. Women will vote.”

Further Reading

Trump tells women he ‘will be your protector’ as GOP struggles with outreach to female voters (Associated Press)

The unexpected gender dynamic shaping the 2024 election (CNN)