Women’s Empowerment

Just Peachy


Donald Trump has spent his entire life disrespecting women, but over the past week, he’s made racism and misogyny a campaign tactic by attacking four women of color who are members of Congress. He would rather go after them than go after the other presidential candidates, Nancy Pelosi, or focus on his job. He is truly the most divisive president in American history, and he has no intention of ever acting presidential or being president for more than his base.

When I say that Donald Trump is not my president, I truly mean it. Other presidents I didn’t vote for still represented me in the way they represented the nation, even while I disagreed with them. A racist, sexist narcissist with the comprehension and reasoning abilities of a flaming bag of excrement left on a porch does not represent me. Also, Trump has no interest in being my president. He only wants to represent the racists who shout “send her back” at one of his hate rallies. These are people he calls patriots.

In the midst of all of this, you have to wonder, where is Melania? You remember Melania, right? A woman who is an immigrant. In fact, she’s been an American citizen for less time than Ilhan Omar, Trump’s favorite woman of color to attack. A brown, Muslim woman who Trump accused of marrying her brother this week. Do you remember Melania’s “Be Best” anti-bullying campaign? Yeah, me either.

For that matter, where is Ivanka? I know you remember her because she’s really quick to show up at the G20 and shoehorn herself into conversations with world leaders and allow nepotism to seat her at the big table and into photo ops. She was more than eager to skip into North Korea just so she can say she skipped into North Korea. She made sure her face was photographed in a window of Buckingham Palace. But, where is this White House champion of women empowerment?

There are reports that Melania and Ivanka advocated for Donald Trump to repudiate his crowd’s “send her back” chant. A day after kinda sorta doing that, Trump returned to embrace the racist chant and he told reporters that reports of his wife’s and daughter’s advice were “fake news.” That means it probably happened.

When Alabama wingnut and mall food court aficionado Roy Moore ran for Alabama’s senate seat, Ivanka spoke out against him for being an accused pedophile. After her dad endorsed him, she was silent. She has been silent throughout all his attacks against women and even the over 20 allegations of groping, assault, and rape against her daddy.

Since Trump became president, hate crimes have skyrocketed. Nazis have marched and killed people. Mosques have been attacked. People have been murdered in synagogues. Much of this has been done by perpetrators echoing Trump’s rhetoric. Now, he’s contributing even more to this atmosphere of hate because he thinks it’s good politics. Trump’s targets are receiving death threats. How long before someone acts on one of those threats? Meanwhile, wasn’t that a great picture of Ivanka at the palace?

Trump doesn’t care what happens to other people or this nation. He only cares about his poll numbers and ratings. Maybe he would pause for a moment if someone like Ivanka, who’s supposed to be in Washington as a presidential adviser and not just for photo ops, and who claims she’s working on women issues, would speak out against his hate campaign.

Ivanka needs to stand up and show the nation she’s not just there to be a wallflower. This is her opportunity to prove she actually has something to contribute and not just there because of nepotism. She needs to condemn her father’s rhetoric publicly.

I’m not sure she’s capable of doing that because it would require thinking on her own. At this point, all she’s proven to be about is nepotism, photo ops, and handbags.

I’m sure when Ivanka’s children and grandchildren look at her photos from her time in Washington, she’ll have answers for when they ask where each one was taken. But what will her answers be when they ask, What exactly did you do in Washington? What did you contribute? How did you serve the nation? What purpose did you serve at those big tables?

Ivanka is an unpaid adviser to the president and so far she’s proven she’s worth every penny.

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