Donald Trump did not back off his claim that Hillary Clinton is playing the “women’s card” on Sunday, while renewing his assertion that Clinton’s gender has helped her politically.
“It’s true,” Trump said. “If she were not a woman, she wouldn’t even be in this race.”
Trump, who is closing in on rounding up the delegates he needs to win the Republican nomination, told Fox News on Sunday that Clinton’s appeals to female voters will fail.
“Even women don’t like her,” he said. “They don’t like her. But it is the women’s card, and she plays it, and I’ll let you know in about six months whether or not she plays it well, but I don’t think she’ll play it well.”
Trump’s recent claim that Clinton would be a weak candidate if she were not a woman drew attacks from many female officials, including Clinton.
Clinton said last week that she supports women and families. If that is playing the women’s card, she said, “deal me in.”
Trump’s comments were widely seen as hurting his already disastrous approval ratings from female voters. But Trump argued Sunday that his numbers will improve as he starts attacking Clinton. He has pledged to raise the issue of her husband’s past infidelity, and both Clintons’ efforts to discredit women who said they had affairs with Bill Clinton or were pursued by him.
“Once I start on Hillary, the numbers will change,” Trump said. “Watch what happens with Hillary. Watch what happens with her numbers.”
On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Clinton suggested she is prepared for Trump’s attacks, suggesting she thinks they will backfire.
Clinton said she has experience with “men who go off the reservation in the way they behave and how they speak.”
“He can say whatever he wants to say about me. I could really care less.” Clinton said. “We’re going to talk about what we want to do for the country and he can continue on his insult-fest, but that’s the choice that he’s making.”
