In a recent interview with Piers Morgan, President Donald Trump was quoted as saying, “No, I wouldn’t say I’m a feminist. I mean, I think that would be, maybe, going too far. I’m for women, I’m for men, I’m for everyone.” This raises the question: did anyone ever at any moment in the course of history ask themselves or anyone else, “Hey, is Donald Trump a feminist?;” because that just seems wildly unrealistic at this point. I know this is a bad time and whatnot, but come on, there’s absolutely no reason why anyone should be confused as to Trump’s status regarding feminism.

And just in case you can’t draw conclusions yourself, let’s break it down a bit. For one thing, Trump is an accused serial rapist. No less than 12 women reported being assaulted by Trump in some way, which has largely been refuted by his supporters if not outright ignored altogether. But even if these allegations were false, one could not ignore the statements he has made regarding women, including the now infamous “grab them by the pussy.” This is in no way the conduct of a feminist, this is the conduct of a misogynist and an abuser who uses his power and privilege to buffalo women into submission. 

Not enough for you? Consider Trump’s comments on political opponent Hillary Clinton, who he called a “nasty woman.” Again, this statement has reached an interesting level of infamy, but it also shows how Trump views women. Clinton, while being a warmonger and as charismatic as a bowl of unflavored oatmeal, was a competent and experienced political figure who deserved the basic decorum that politicians aught to use. Trump’s blatant disregard for politeness is not singular to Hillary as a woman, mind you, he was equally repugnant to fellow republican Ted Cruz. But his inability to treat people with respect, even those who are of similar privileges, is sure evidence of his non-feminist status.

What else are we missing here? How about his openly homophobic vice president, Mike Pence? Or his defunding of Planned Parenthood? Or his Islamaphobic anti-immigration laws? Or his condemnation of Mexicans as rapists? Do any of these seem like particularly feminist things to you? So why in 2018, this year of our Lord, is this even a conversation that needs to be discussed?

Well, for one thing, Trump and many others still seem to be confused as to what a feminist is. A feminist does not fight for women alone, but for the justice and equality of all people regardless of gender, sex, sexuality, race, ethnicity, age or ability. Even if this is difficult; even if it’s impossible to be fair and non-problematic 24/7, that is the goal for a feminist and one that we should all be aiming to reach. St. Edward’s is a diverse community and we need to be doing our best to be kind and considerate for our peers. Can we be perfect all the time? Of course not. But we at least need to try to be respectful, to be polite, to be considerate, empathizing and humanizing. Basically, try to not be like Trump.