At the RNC convention in Cleveland last month, Ivanka Trump claimed that Donald Trump would be fantastic for women and working families. Following in the footsteps of her father, Ivanka distorted the reality of Donald Trump’s record.
Last November Trump absolutely trashed pay equality, calling it socialism. He also described pregnant women as an “inconvenience” for employers and called a woman “disgusting” for breastfeeding.
Asked last August about paid family leave and equal pay on Morning Joe, Donald Trump said, “It’s early in the morning,” and provided no direction on the issues, claiming simply, “We’re going to do very well with women.” If Trump can’t handle a phone-in interview on cable news because he’s sleepy, how can we expect him to handle actual issues that affect millions of working Americans.
Background
Trump Opposed Equal Pay Legislation
2011: Trump Suggested Mothers Did Not Deserve To Be Paid As Much As Men
2011: When Asked About Paying Mothers Less Than Men In The Same Jobs, Trump Said: “An Employer Could Say She’s Not Giving 100 Percent, She’s Giving Me 84 Percent, And 16 Percent Is Going Towards Taking Care Of Children. So Maybe You Can Understand The Employer’s Point Of View.” According to The Huffington Post, “The gender imbalance in Trump’s campaign is hardly surprising, given some of the comments he’s made in the past about women in the workplace. When MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski asked Trump in 2011 whether it’s fair to pay women who are mothers less than men in the same role, Trump essentially said yes. ‘An employer could say she’s not giving 100 percent, she’s giving me 84 percent, and 16 percent is going towards taking care of children,’ Trump said. ‘So maybe you can also understand the employer’s point of view.’” [Huffington Post, 5/25/16]
2015: Trump Claimed Equal Pay Was Women’s Fight, Not A Government Responsibility
NYT, 2015: Trump Claimed The Equal Pay Fight Needs To Come From Women, Not The Government. According to the New York Times, “What will you do to make sure women are paid equally to men? Mr. Trump praised his daughter: ‘Women really respect Ivanka,’ he said. ‘Government should not be involved’, he added, and ‘women need to fight for their pay.’” [New York Times, 11/19/15]
Asked About His Position On Equal Pay Trump Said “It’s Too Early In The Morning To Ask That Question.” [“Morning Joe,” MSNBC, 8/20/15]
2015: Trump Loves “Concept” Of Equal Pay For Women But Would Not Back Legislative Efforts. According to CNN, “Trump insisted that he would be the best president for women, touting the number of women executives in his company’s top positions — women he said he pays as much as men in similar posts. But while Trump said he loves the ‘concept’ of equal pay, he would not back efforts to require equal pay through legislation. ‘I’m looking into it very strongly and I’ll have a position on it in the not too distant future,’ Trump said. ‘One of the problems you have is you get to have an economy where it’s no longer a free enterprise economy.’” [CNN, 8/11/15]
Trump Did Not Seem To Believe In The Value Of Paid Family Leave
Trump Did Not Speak On Paid Family Leave, Suggested It Could Threaten Our Country’s Competitiveness
May 2016: Trump Had yet Release Any Official Policy Plan On Paid Family Leave And Rarely Spoke Of Women’s Issues On The Campaign Trail. According to NBC News, “Trump rarely speaks on the campaign trail about womenin the workplace or related policy issues, such as paid family leave. And he has yet to release any official policy plans on the matter.” [NBC News, 5/26/16]
October 2015: Trump Said “You Have to Be Careful With Paid Family Leave” Because It Could Impact Keeping “Our Country Very Competitive.” According to NBC News, “However in October of 2015, as a candidate, Trump told Fox Business’ Stuart Varney, ‘you have to be careful with’ paid family leave because it could impact keeping ‘our country very competitive’ but ‘certainly there are a lot of people discussing it.’” [NBC News, 5/26/16]
2004: Trump Said Pregnancy Was An “Inconvenience” To Employers
Trump: The Fact Is That Pregnancy “Is An Inconvenience For A Person That Is Running A Business.” According to NBC News, “In an October 2004 interview with NBC’s Dateline, Trump said pregnancy is ‘a wonderful thing for thewoman, 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 News, 5/26/16]
Trump Suggested Women Employees Should Feel Pressure To Quickly Return To Their Jobs After Pregnancy
When Asked If His Female Employee Should Feel Pressure To Quickly Return To Her Job After Pregnancy In Order To Keep Her Job, Trump Responded, “Maybe She Should Feel That Way A Little Bit.” According to NBC News, “That interview, called ‘Blonde Ambition,’ highlighted then-Trump Golf Properties Executive Vice President and Apprentice boardroom mainstay Carolyn Kepcher and focused on all things Carolyn – her book, her career, and her advice for female executives. Trump, her boss at the time, was interviewed in that capacity. […] Kepcher took three weeks off after giving birth and then came back part time after that, a decision she told Dateline she was ‘comfortable’ with — and one Trump says he didn’t think was because she felt pressured by him. When asked then if he thought she felt pressure to come back so quickly, Trump said he didn’t think so but was because ‘she loves her job.’ When asked if her fast return may have been based in a worry that she’d be replaced, Trump responded ‘no’ before adding that ‘it’s an interesting premise’ and ‘maybe she should feel that way a little bit. But the fact is that would not have happened.’” [NBC News, 5/26/16]
Published: Aug 8, 2016