God Save America from Donny T..... 161 Million Women less a few thousand sex workers Cringe Cllectively when they hear the word Trump

‘Trump is an equal-opportunity offender who attacks everyone with a freewheeling approach that some view as “honest”’

Earlier this month, as I was wandering around the Republican convention in Cleveland, I caught sight of some T-shirts on sale with two different slogans. One said “Trump That Bitch!”, the other “Hot Chicks for Trump!”

I winced at the “B” word. But then it occurred to me that these two slogans sum up some of the contradictions of this current White House race — on both the Republican and Democrat side.

In recent weeks there has been a lot of hand-wringing about Trump’s seemingly misogynist stance. And, unsurprisingly, when the Democrats gathered for their own convention last week in Philadelphia, the gender issue was used to drum up support: delegates not only praised the momentous achievements of Hillary Clinton, the first female presidential nominee of a major party, but also deplored the nasty language that Trump sometimes uses.

Of course, “Trump That Bitch!” is not an official Republican slogan; rather, it has been created by unofficial vendors flogging Trump merchandise. But to Trump detractors it sums up what they hate about the campaign; and why seven out of 10 women told pollsters earlier this year that they had an “unfavourable” image of him.

Here, though, is the rub. While “Trump That Bitch!” slogans might make two-thirds of US voters squirm, there are still plenty of women who are supporting The Donald — and sometimes with great passion. Polls taken after the Cleveland convention show not only Trump leading Clinton in some states but doing quite well among women, too. In Nebraska, for example, 38 per cent of women back Trump, compared with 40 per cent who back Clinton.

As I made my way around Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena, where the convention was held, I heard numerous women singing Trump’s praises. Liberals may cringe, but there are plenty of women who would be thrilled to wear a “Hot Chicks for Trump!” T-shirt (though I did not see any of them actually sporting a “Trump That Bitch!” T-shirt or badge).

©Ulla Puggaard

Why? Judging from the conversations I had in the Quicken Loans Arena, there are at least five reasons. First, anyone sporting a “Hot Chicks for Trump!” T-shirt tends to turn a blind eye to his inflammatory remarks about gender, because they believe that the foul language is indiscriminate; he is an equal-opportunity offender who attacks almost everyone in his gaze with a freewheeling approach that some view as “honest”.

Second, many women feel that experience has taught them to just let this type of language roll off their backs. Listening to Trump is like walking down a street and being wolf-whistled by construction workers: the older you get, the more you just shrug and move on.

Third, there is considerable sympathy among Trump supporters for the argument that his daughter Ivanka made to the convention hall in Cleveland: namely that Trump should be judged by his actions, not his words. More specifically, when female delegates look at the undeniably sassy, confident, powerful and very glossy Ivanka, they see somebody who shows, physically and verbally, that Trump can accept strong women.

A cynic might argue that it is much easier for Trump to accept a powerful daughter than a powerful wife. They might also question his claim that he treats women in his companies equally; or Ivanka’s argument that Trump is ready to fight for “women’s issues” such as maternity rights. And certainly it’s hard to forget his comment that if Ivanka weren’t his daughter, he’d be dating her. . . . 

But despite all this, the image of the utterly assured and telegenic Ivanka carries enormous sway. Wisconsin delegate Kathy Kiernan called her one of Trump’s “best assets”.

That, in turn, highlights a fourth crucial point, which is that Hillary Clinton does not have the monopoly on female-friendly images. On the contrary, in this election she is becoming a victim of her own success. She has been so ubiquitous for so long that — as Michelle Obama pointed out in her own thrillingly powerful speech in Philadelphia on Monday — to many voters today it no longer seems odd that a woman is running for president. That is an extraordinary achievement. But it could also be a tragedy for Clinton; it means that the Democrats cannot assume they can win female votes “just” by using the gender card.

And that leads to my fifth point: female Trump supporters feel they have numerous other reasons to back him, ones that are more important than gender. To an angry, dispossessed voter, Trump offers a vision of change that Clinton does not; to them, his anti-establishment speeches and “Make America Great Again” mantra are positive and memorable in a way that none of the slogans from the Clinton camp has managed to be.

This does not mean that Trump will carry enough voters to win; his disapproval rating was recently reported to be a daunting 59.1 per cent. But Clinton’s disapproval rating is not much lower, and so the key point is this: a “Trump That Bitch!” T-shirt might make many Americans (and non-Americans) wince. But don’t assume that this loses him the election — not unless Clinton discovers some real fire.