50 startling things Trump has said about women

by Katerina Lorenzatos Makris ~

Whether or not we vote to re-elect President Donald J. Trump, the long list of comments he has made regarding females might make us queasy. Beyond that, we might feel alarmed at the thought of him taking a second term in the White House. Or not.

Supporters pass off the lewd and/or derogatory remarks as “Trump being Trump,” or “boys being boys,” or as just jokes, or as cases of him simply misspeaking, or of his words getting misinterpreted or blown out of proportion by politically correct snowflakes. Trump has dismissed some of his most offensive comments as inconsequential “locker room banter” and “just words.”

Others point to Trump’s appointments of women to important positions, for example Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court, as proof that he is not truly sexist, so we mustn’t fret over what comes out of his mouth.

Some speculate that his seemingly anti-female rhetoric is politically motivated. They posit that he’s playing to the pernicious misogyny inherent in our society, acting as a mouthpiece for feelings that lots of people harbored but didn’t dare voice till he came along, so it’s all part of his show, of him working to resonate with those prospective voters and “energize his base.”

Then there are the folks whose stomachs churn, fearing for the futures of women, for civil liberties, and for plain old common courtesy—folks who can hardly wait to vote him out.

Cause to cringe

Whatever the motivation behind the often-startling remarks, when we look at the totality of the dozens of rude and crude statements Trump has made over the years about women’s bodies, sexuality, personalities, and competence, even his diehard supporters might find cause to cringe.

Here’s a list of 50 such comments in reverse annual chronological order. For accuracy’s sake we’ve included only those that Trump has made on clear public record, involving no hearsay or second-hand quotes. Therefore this probably is not a complete list. We suspect that would require several more pages.

50 startling things Trump has said about women

1. Husbands back to work

“We’re getting your husbands back to work, and everybody wants it. And the cure can never be worse than the problem itself… We’re going to do great. And I love women, and I can’t help it. They’re the greatest. I love them much more than the men.”

[referring to economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when millions of women are also out of work]

—At a rally in Michigan, October 2020

2. I didn’t say that

Lesley Stahl: Okay. Let me—  Let me ask you something about suburban women.

Trump: Yeah.

Stahl: You said the other day to suburban women, “Will you please like me? Please, please— ”

Trump: Oh, I didn’t say that. You know, that’s so misleading, the way y— I say jokingly, “Suburban women, you should love me because I’m giving you security.” And I got rid of the worst regulation— See, the way you said that—

Stahl: Yeah?

Trump: —is why people think of you and everyone else as fake news. I said kiddingly, “Suburban women, you should love me.” I got rid of a regulation—

Stahl: You said, quote—

Trump: —that would bring low-income housing into suburbia that is destroying— that would destroy suburbia. And I said that in a joking way. The way you have it, it’s like, “Oh,” like I’m begging. I w— I’m kidding. Play it, and I’m kidding. That is such a misleading question, Lesley.

Stahl: But you’re behind with suburban women in the polls.

Trump: I doubt it. I doubt it. I really doubt it.

—CBS 60 Minutes interview, October 2020

3. Suburban women, will you please like me? Please. Please.

OK so they talk about the suburban women. And somebody said, ‘I don’t know if the suburban woman likes you.’ I said, ‘Why?’ [crowd cheers] I love you too! They said, ‘They may not like the way you talk. But I’m about law and order. I’m about having you safe. I’m about having your suburban communities—  I don’t want to build low-income housing next to your house, if that’s OK.  And I ended the regulation—the rules—that made your zoning so impossible, that you had to destroy your communities. And then I see that the suburban woman— I think that the suburban woman—and I used to say suburban housewife. I used to take heat. But I said does anybody care if I say suburban— Do you care if I say suburban— ? [asking his rally audience, who cheer] No, they’re all going ‘no.’ Again the only one cares is them. ‘Trump says suburban housewife!’ But I didn’t say it. Because I don’t—  You learn very quickly. You learn very quickly. But suburban women— They should like me more than anyone here tonight, because I ended the regulation that destroyed your neighborhood. I ended the regulation that brought crime to the suburbs. And you’re gonna live the American dream, and that’s what you’re gonna do. And remember this… 29 percent of the people experiencing the American dream in the suburbs happen to be minorities. And you don’t know that. But 29 percent. And we’re doing this for everybody. We’re not doing it one way or the other. And I ended it… It was a horror show. And this guy Cory Booker is the guy that’s gonna be in charge of the program. The guy’s a stone-cold loser. One percent. He got one percent. He ran. He was gonna be great. You know. One percent. Every week. He was like her. Down. Down. Down. They should’ve picked him. But no, he’ll be in charge of you, uh, your suburban— So can I ask you to do me a favor? Suburban women will you please like me? Please. Please. I saved your damn neighborhood, OK? The other thing, I don’t have that much time to be that nice. I can do it, but I gotta go quickly… They want me to be politically correct… Oh yes, let’s discuss it. Let’s talk about it over the next ten years. Nah. No. We saved suburbia. In the U.S. I got rid of the regulation that was a disaster, and it was very unfair. Have you been reading about it? For a long time. It’s been going on for a long time. It became much worse under Obama, and Biden. I got rid of it… OK, and I think we’re going to see that the women really like Trump a lot.”

[referring to an Obama-era anti-segregation and anti-discrimination order, the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule (AFFH), that required local governments to demonstrate progress toward fair housing practices in order to qualify for federal grants, a policy that the Trump Administration replaced with an honor system, wherein applicants for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants for housing developments only need to self-certify that they promote fairness; Trump says that his new rule protects the suburbs from crime and from drops in property values, by preventing low-income housing from being built in more affluent communities]

—At a rally in Pennsylvania, October 2020

4. Especially a female

“We’re not going to have a socialist president, especially a female socialist president. We’re not going to have it. We’re not going to put up with it.”

[referring to the prospect of Senator Kamala Harris as vice president]

—During a rally in Florida, 2020

5. Good wishes for friend accused of sex trafficking

“I just wish her well, frankly. I’ve met her numerous times over the years. I wish her well, whatever it is.”

[referring to Ghislaine Maxwell, who faces prosecution after several women accused her of grooming and prostituting them when they were teenagers, in partnership with the late Jeffrey Epstein, another Trump friend who apparently killed himself in jail while awaiting trial for sexual assault of minor, among other charges]

—During a White House coronavirus media conference, 2020

6. Not my type

“Number one, she’s not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?”

[referring to accusations from writer E. Jean Carroll that he raped her; she is one of at least 26 women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct since the 1970s]

—Interview with The Hill, 2019

7. To a breastfeeding mother

“You’re disgusting, you’re disgusting.”

—From a legal deposition quoted by New York Times, 2015 [quote accepted by Trump]

8. Abortion punishment

Trump: The answer is there has to be some form of punishment [for abortion].

Interviewer: For the woman?

Trump: Yeah, there has to be some form.

—MSNBC interview, 2016

9. Standing there with no clothes

“I’ll tell you the funniest is that I’ll go backstage before a show and everyone’s getting dressed [at the beauty pageants he owns]. No men are anywhere, and I’m allowed to go in, because I’m the owner of the pageant and therefore I’m inspecting it… ‘Is everyone OK?’ You know, they’re standing there with no clothes. ‘Is everybody OK?’ And you see these incredible-looking women, and so I sort of get away with things like that.”

—Howard Stern radio interview, 2015

9. Can’t satisfy her husband

“If Hillary Clinton can’t satisfy her husband what makes her think she can satisfy America?”

—Twitter, 2015

10. Blood out of her whatever

“You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her… wherever.”

[referring to presidential debate moderator Megyn Kelly]

—CNN interview, 2015

11. Why husband left her for a man

“@arianahuff is unattractive both inside and out. I fully understand why her former husband left her for a man—he made a good decision.” [referring to Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington]

—Twitter, 2012

12. Politically correct

“While @BetteMidler is an extremely unattractive woman, I refuse to say that because I always insist on being politically correct.”

—Twitter, 2012

13. Higher heels

“I made the heels higher and the bathing suits smaller.”

[referring to how he “fixed” one of the beauty pageants he owned]

—David Letterman interview, 2010

14. Rating ex-wife of Tiger Woods

“I think she’s good. No, I’d say she’s a solid nine, solid nine yeah.”

[referring to how he rates the attractiveness of pro golfer Tiger Woods’s ex-wife, Swedish model Elin Maria Pernilla Nordegren]

—Howard Stern radio show, 2010

15. Spun her around

Stern: She does a position where Tiger Woods— I’m gonna be a little bit graphic— Tiger stood her on her head — listen to this… [referring to one of Woods’s mistresses]

Trump [laughing]: Spun her around.

Stern: No, no, no. He put his penis in her behind and then put his fingers in the vagina…

Trump laughs and says he’s never done that position, then adds that Woods is definitely “not gay.”

—Howard Stern radio show, 2010

16. Vietnam beauty pageant vs. serving in military

“The [Miss Universe] contest of all places was in Vietnam, which was very nice. I got a case of the shakes. It was in Vietnam. Vietnam’s a hot country. But, you know, when I was going to high school, when I was going to college Vietnam was like the big deal. Like you have to leave college and go fight. And I said, ‘excuse me?’ Now I’m going to Vietnam for a beauty pageant.”

—Howard Stern radio interview, 2008

17. Group sex

“I wouldn’t say 300, I would say could be about 375,” said Trump. “I figure 125 apiece as opposed to 100.”

[referring to the collective weights of three women with whom he says he had sex in one session]

—Howard Stern radio interview, 2008

18. Would date daughter

“She does have a very nice figure… If [Ivanka] weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her.”

—The View, 2006

19. Voluptuous daughter and possible breast implants

Howard Stern: Did your daughter [Ivanka] get breast implants?

Trump: No, she didn’t. I mean, I would know if she did. The answer is no. Why? Did she look a little more stacked?

Stern: She looks more voluptuous than ever.

Trump: She’s actually always been very voluptuous. She’s tall, she’s almost 6 feet tall and she’s been—  She’s an amazing beauty.”

—Howard Stern interview, 2006

20. Educated vs. beautiful women

Howard Stern: They were starting to take women who were educated over women who were hot. [referring to Trump’s Miss Universe pageant]

Trump: They had a person who was extremely proud that a number of the women had become doctors. And I wasn’t interested. I actually went on the “Today Show” with Katie Couric a while ago, six years ago, and we had a woman running the pageant who was really into the whole thing of education and everything and I said, “Look, if you’re looking for a rocket scientist, don’t turn in tonight. But if you’re looking for a really beautiful woman, you should watch.”

—Howard Stern radio interview, 2005

21. Grab ‘em by the p***y

“I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful— I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the p***y. You can do anything.”

[referring to Days of Our Lives actor Arianne Zucker, who he was about to meet]

—In a “hot mike” conversation with Access Hollywood host Billy Bush, 2005

22. It

“Oh it looks good.”

[referring to actor Arianne Zucker, when he spotted her from a distance]

—In a “hot mike” conversation with Access Hollywood host Billy Bush, 2005

23. Tried to f*** a married woman

“I moved on her, and I failed. I’ll admit it. I did try and f*** her [Access Hollywood co-host Nancy O’Dell]. She was married. And I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her out furniture shopping. She wanted to get some furniture. I said, ‘I’ll show you where they have some nice furniture.’ I took her out furniture—I moved on her like a bitch. But I couldn’t get there. And she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony tits and everything. She’s totally changed her look.”

—In a “hot mike” conversation with Access Hollywood host Billy Bush, 2005

24. Gun and girlfriend

“My favorite part [of Pulp Fiction] is when Sam has his gun out in the diner and he tells the guy to tell his girlfriend to shut up. ‘Tell that bitch to be cool. Say: Bitch be cool.’ I love those lines.”

—Quoted in TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald, 2005

25. Four hundred-pound wives

“You can go ahead and speak to guys who have four-hundred-pound wives at home who are jealous of me, but the guys who really know me know I’m a great builder.”

—Quoted in TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald, 2005

26. Sex with contestants in his pageants

Artie Lange [comedian]: Give us the first letter of the country you had sex with. [referring to international contestants in Trump’s Miss Universe pageant]

Trump: How many letters are there?

—Howard Stern radio interview, 2005

27. Obligation to have sex

“It could be a conflict of interest [to have sex with beauty pageant contestants] but you know it’s the kind of thing you worry about later… You could also say as the owner of the pageant it’s your obligation to do that.”

—Howard Stern radio interview, 2005

28. Dinner not ready

“You know, I don’t want to sound too much like a chauvinist, but when I come home and dinner’s not ready, I’ll go through the roof, okay?”

— TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald, 2005

29. Won’t walk the kids

“I mean, I won’t do anything to take care of them [children]. I’ll supply funds and she’ll [wife] take care of the kids. It’s not like I’m gonna be walking the kids down Central Park.”

—Howard Stern radio interview, 2005

30. Act like the wife

“No, I don’t do that [change diapers]. There are a lot of women out there that demand that the husband act like the wife, and you know, there’s a lot of husbands that listen to that. So you know, they go for it.”

—Opie and Anthony show, 2005

31. Piece of ass daughter

Trump: My daughter is beautiful, Ivanka, she—

Stern: By the way, your daughter—

Trump: She’s beautiful.

Stern: Can I say this? A piece of ass.

Trump: Yeah.

—Howard Stern radio interview 2004

32. All the flirty apprentices

“All of the women on The Apprentice flirted with me—consciously or unconsciously. That’s to be expected.”

—Quoted in Trump: How To Get Rich, 2004

33. Midsection to shoulders

“From the midsection to the shoulders, she’s a 10. The face is a solid 8. And the legs are maybe a little bit less than that.”

[referring to actor Halle Berry]

—Howard Stern radio interview 2004

35. Pregnancy is inconvenient for business

“[Pregnancy is] a wonderful thing for the woman, it’s a wonderful thing for the husband, it’s certainly an inconvenience for a business. And whether people want to say that or not, the fact is it is an inconvenience for a person that is running a business.”

—NBC Dateline interview, 2004

36. On the younger side

Trump called Jeffrey Epstein, accused abuser and trafficker of underage girls a ‘terrific guy,’ who was‘a lot of fun to be with… He likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”

—New York Magazine interview, 2002

37. Check out time

“What is it at 35, Howard? It’s called check out time.”

[referring to the age at which women become unattractive]

—Howard Stern radio interview, 2002

38. Can’t get models

“Certain guys tell me they want women of substance, not beautiful models. It just means they can’t get beautiful models.”

—Quoted in New York Times, 1999

39. Allowing wife to work

“My big mistake with [first ex-wife] Ivana was taking her out of the role of wife and allowing her to run one of my casinos in Atlantic City, then the Plaza Hotel. The problem was, work was all she wanted to talk about. When I got home at night, rather than talking about the softer subjects of life, she wanted to tell me how well the Plaza was doing, or what a great day the casino had.”

Trump: The Art of the Comeback, 1997

40. Would have nailed the late Princess Diana if she’d passed an HIV test

Howard Stern: Why do people think it’s egotistical of you to say you could’ve gotten with Lady Di? You could’ve gotten her, right? You could’ve nailed her?”

Trump: I think I could have.

Stern: Hey Lady Di, would you go to the doctor? [referring to an earlier discussion about HIV/AIDS testing]

Trump: Go back over to my Lexus, because I have a new doctor. [pretending to speak to the late princess]  We wanna give you a little checkup.”

—Howard Stern radio interview, 1997

41. Happily married women

“If I told the real stories of my experiences with women, often seemingly very happily married and important women, this book would be a guaranteed bestseller (which it will be anyway!). I’d love to tell all, using names and places, but I just don’t think it’s right.”

— Trump: The Art of the Comeback, 1997

42. Landmine vaginas

“It’s amazing, I can’t even believe it. I’ve been so lucky in terms of that whole world [of sexually transmitted diseases]. It is a dangerous world out there. It’s like Vietnam, sort of. It is my personal Vietnam. I feel like a great and very brave solider.”

He added that women’s vaginas are “potential landmines,” and that “there’s some real danger there.”

—Howard Stern radio interview, 1997

https://people.com/politics/donald-trump-sex-princess-diana-hiv-test-howard-stern-interview/

43. Working wife

“Putting a wife to work is a very dangerous thing… A softness disappeared. There was a great softness to Ivana, and she still has that softness, but during this period of time, she became an executive not a wife.”

—ABC News interview, 1994

44. The fun is over for me

“I love creating stars. And to a certain extent, I’ve done that with Ivana. To a certain extent, I’ve done that with Marla. And I like that. Unfortunately, after they’re a star, the fun is over for me. It’s like a creation process, it’s almost like creating a building. It’s pretty sad.”

—ABC News interview, 1994

45. Everything is a deal

Trump: Marla hates it [prenuptial agreement].  Doesn’t want to sign. But ultimately she has to sign it, just from my standpoint. She has to sign it.”

Interviewer: It looks cheap.

Trump: The amount of money?

Interviewer. Well, the amount of money—

Trump:  It’s not so bad. Someone gets married and it doesn’t work out, you get a million bucks, I mean, you know…  I think a million dollars is a lot of money.

Interviewer: No you don’t.

Trump: No I don’t, actually. But that fact is that a million dollars, for somebody coming into a marriage, if something doesn’t—  I’m not talking about anybody specific, but it’s a lot of money for somebody.

Interviewer:  The woman’s been with you six years, she’s been, as she said, incredibly loyal. You finally get married. You have a child. Give her the $25 million!

Trump:  Well I guess I look at everything like a deal. I mean, you know, it’s just one of those things.”

[referring to the pre-nuptial agreement in which he reportedly gave second wife Marla Maples $1 million instead of the $25 million she had requested]

—ABC News interview, 1994

46. Sex soldier

“You know, if you’re young, and in this era [1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic], and if you have any guilt about not having gone to Vietnam, we have our own Vietnam. It’s called the dating game. Dating is like being in Vietnam. You’re the equivalent of a soldier going over to Vietnam.”

[referring to his conclusion that the dangers of dating in the 1980s United States were equivalent to those faced by soldiers who fought in the Viet Nam War, thus there was no need to feel guilty about his not serving in the military]

—Howard Stern radio interview, 1993

47. Negotiable assets

“I would never buy Ivana any decent jewels or pictures. Why give her negotiable assets?”

—Quoted in Vanity Fair, 1990

48. One dollar a year

“My wife, Ivana, is a brilliant manager. I will pay her one dollar a year and all the dresses she can buy!”

—Quoted in Vanity Fair, 1990

49. Good piece of ass

“When a man leaves a woman, especially when it was perceived that he has left for a piece of ass—a good one!—there are 50 percent of the population who will love the woman who was left.”

Quoted in Vanity Fair, 1990

50. Adultery is not a sin

Interviewers: Do you think adultery is a sin?

Trump: Very good question. I don’t think it’s a sin but I don’t think it should be done.

Interviewers: Would you do it?

Trump: I’ll let you guess.”

—New York Post interview, 1990

Katerina Lorenzatos Makris, a career news reporter and fiction author, is Sass101.com’s founder and editor.

Her fiction includes 17 novels for Simon and Schuster, E.P. Dutton, Avon, and other major publishers (under the name Kathryn Makris), as well as a teleplay for CBS-TV, and a short story for The Bark magazine.

She has written hundreds of articles for regional wire services and for outlets such as National Geographic Traveler, The San Francisco Chronicle, Travelers’ Tales, NBC’s Petside.com, RescueDiva.com, AnimalIssuesReporter.com, and Examiner.com (Animal Policy Examiner).

While specializing in animal and environmental issues, Katerina has covered a wide range of additional topics such as hurricanes, elections, 12 capital murder trials, and last but not least, women’s issues.

Her hundreds of interviews include HRH Princess Irene of Greece, Pres. George H.W. Bush, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Ralph Nader, Sissy Spacek, Ted Danson, the real Col. Sanders, and Benji the Dog.

Together with coauthor Shelley Frost, Katerina wrote a step-by-step guide for hands-on, in-the-trenches dog rescue, Your Adopted Dog: Everything You Need to Know About Rescuing and Caring for a Best Friend in Need (The Lyons Press).

Please email Katerina at sass101info AT yahoo DOT com with any questions or comments. [We spell out the address that way to try to foil spammers. ? ]