Donald Trump has long been known for his misogyny and sexism. Being the POTUS has done little to change that.
His time in office has been marred by repeated moments of outright refusal to treat female reporters, political figures, etc. with the respect that he treats their male counterparts. On Thursday, August 6, he did it again.
This time, Trump went off-script about 45 minutes into a speech he was delivering at a washing machine factory. After praising older light bulbs because they make him look less orange (get a foundation that actually works for you, maybe?) Trump decided to talk more about how environmental policy is "negatively affecting" the economy.
While discussing the proposed New Green Deal, which is designed with environmental protections in mind—a subject Trump has often dismissed as unimportant—he got around to talking about how the deal came to be.
In doing so, he mentioned Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He then immediately commented on her looks.
After making it known that he is totally down to GHBTP, Trump slammed her intelligence and experience.
Oh, he also called her "that."
" AOC, that's a real beauty, isn't it? She knows as much about the environment — do we have any young children here? — as that young child over there. I think he knows more. And she certainly knows nothing about the economy."
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez graduated cum laude from a prestigious university in 2011 with a degree in international relations and economics. Trump also has a degree in economics, but AOC's education is four decades more current.
Also, for those of you who are reading and re-reading that quote; yes you are reading that quote and inferring the context correctly. There were children present and he not only made his sexist and dismissive comments in front of them, but dragged them into it.
After the dig at her, Trump moved on to tell the audience about how great fracking is for them and their state. Fracking companies have outright acknowledged that the practice is dangerous not only to the environment but to the workers themselves.
Ocasio-Cortez has not deigned to respond to the comments directly, but others absolutely have.
We said Ocasio-Cortez did not respond directly, but that doesn't mean she hasn't made her stance on the matter known in other ways. She did spend a few minutes retweeting people who pointed out her level of education.
She then quickly returned to topics relevant to her community and constituents rather than focus on Trump's personal slight against her.
You can watch Trump's full speech (it's about an hour long) here.
