A Pattern of Presidential Misogyny
During what should have been a peaceful Thanksgiving holiday, former President Donald Trump unleashed a series of vicious attacks against female journalists, continuing a well-established pattern of misogynistic behaviour towards women in the media. While many Americans gathered with family to express gratitude, Trump spent the holiday crouched over his keyboard, firing off insults on his Truth Social platform.
Thanksgiving Insults and Islamophobic Remarks
The holiday outburst saw Trump target multiple individuals, including Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, whom he attacked using an ableist slur. He also made Islamophobic comments about Ilhan Omar, referring to her as "the worst 'Congressman/woman' in our Country" while making a derogatory remark about her hijab.
Most concerning was Trump's interaction with a female journalist asking about suspects in Wednesday's attack on two National Guard members in Washington DC. "Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?" the former president demanded, demonstrating his particular ire towards women who dare to question him.
Targeting Specific Female Reporters
This incident was far from isolated. Just one day before his Thanksgiving comments, Trump specifically targeted Katie Rogers of the New York Times after she co-authored a report examining how the 79-year-old former president is increasingly showing his age. Notably, Trump ignored her male co-author, Dylan Freedman, focusing exclusively on Rogers in his Truth Social post.
"The writer of the story, Katie Rogers, who is assigned to write only bad things about me, is a third rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out," Trump wrote, employing his characteristic combination of professional and personal insults when dealing with female journalists.
Earlier in November, Trump called Mary Bruce of ABC News "a terrible person" after she had the temerity to ask Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In the same week, he pointed his finger at Catherine Lucey, Bloomberg's White House correspondent, and told her: "Quiet, piggy" when she asked about the Epstein files.
Consequences Beyond Mere Insults
This behaviour extends beyond Trump himself, with his staff apparently feeling empowered to follow his example. Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, told New Yorker writer Jane Meyer to "shut the fuck up" when she commented on the attack on National Guardsmen.
The consequences of these presidential attacks extend far beyond mere rudeness. When Trump publicly insults these women, he effectively opens them up to harassment from his acolytes and sends a dangerous message about his attitude towards both press freedom and women's equality.
According to Mary Trump, the former president's niece and vocal critic, his increasing misogynistic attacks indicate both his growing comfort with such behaviour and that "he's a little rattled" by mounting pressure. Cheung responded to this analysis by calling Mary Trump a "stone-old loser" when speaking to the Daily Beast.
Political Support Despite Behaviour
Perhaps most disturbingly, Trump appears to suffer few political consequences for these gendered attacks. Analysis shows that a majority of white women supported Trump in the 2024 election, even after a New York jury legally defined him as a sexual predator. Remarkably, Trump actually increased his support among female voters in 2024 compared to both 2020 and 2016.
This support raises serious questions about the normalisation of misogynistic behaviour in political discourse and the potential erosion of press freedom standards in the United States. As Trump continues to test boundaries with increasingly aggressive rhetoric towards female journalists, concerns grow about the long-term impact on both gender equality and democratic norms.
