There appear to be concerns that President Trump’s choice to call Stormy Daniels a “horseface” will cause him to lose suburban women voters in November.
It won’t, and here’s why.
First, there’s the assumption that suburban women are a monolith. We are not. We are as diverse in our opinions as any other group of Americans. Second, there’s an even greater assumption that we’ll be so offended by Trump’s behavior toward women we’ll finally say, “Enough!”
But here’s the thing: Trump’s boorish behavior is not specifically aimed at women. That’s his modus operandi toward any person, male or female, who attacks him. Indeed, the man doesn’t discriminate at all. There’s no reason for women, in suburbia or anywhere else, to feel slighted due to their sex.
Do women voters actually like Trump? That’s hard to answer, but I believe Heather Mac Donald said it best: “I view Trump as an incredibly painful dilemma: I support his policies but deplore his personality. I don’t think he’s a racist and sexist. I just think he is the worst possible example of an adult male. He is thin-skinned, gratuitously vindictive, the opposite of magnanimous.”
[Ivanka Trump: US will reach its full potential when women are ‘economically empowered’]
I agree wholeheartedly — and feel confident my suburban women friends do, too. We can separate the caliber of the man himself from the job that man is doing. Do we wish his personality were different? Absolutely. But it isn’t, so we have to make do with what we’ve got.
And what we’ve got is working.
It is often said that our best qualities are also our worst. I, for instance, have a strong personality that lends itself well to the marketplace — but can make me difficult to deal with at times. I suspect this is true of Trump. The same aspects of his personality that are the most offensive are the very same ones that make him an effective leader.
Suburban women voters are smart enough to see this for themselves. Much to the media’s dismay, we don’t fall for their portrayal of Trump as a bigoted misogynist. We see through that rhetoric and stay focused on what he brings to the table, despite his flaws. “College-educated women want safety, security and healthcare protections — very much along with financial and economic health for themselves and our Country,” Trump tweeted on Wednesday. “I supply all of this far better than any Democrat (for decades, actually). That’s why they will be voting for me!”
Indeed.
Suzanne Venker (@SuzanneVenker) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is an author, speaker, and cultural critic known as “The Feminist Fixer.” She has authored several books to help women win with men in life and in love. Her most recent, The Alpha Female’s Guide to Men & Marriage, was published in February 2017. Suzanne’s website is www.suzannevenker.com.
