Are you ready for the cry-baby controversy of the day? Donald Trump had the nerve to say that Hillary Clinton lacks a “presidential look.” Yeah. He did.
Of course, it doesn’t matter that the exact same thing has been said of Donald Trump since the campaign began. Well, that is, right up until he stood next to the president of Mexico. But hey, if Trump said it, it must have had to do with how the woman looks–right?
Not backing down, and we’re all happy for that, Trump told ABC News,
“I really do believe that Clinton doesn’t look the part.”
Trump simply stated that he doesn’t think she has the overall appearance that gives a presidential impression. No specifics, just a general opinion.
ABC Reports:
“Victoria Budson, the founder and executive director of the Women and Public Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, said Trump has been using talk about appearances as a distraction.
“Between Carly Fiorina and the women in the press, we have seen a consistency in negative remarks about appearance and, each time, it’s drawing attention away from the importance of the issues,” Budson told ABC News.
“Historically, discussion of women’s appearance, dress, marital status, and whether or not they have children, have often been used as distractions to try to move voters away from a focus on female candidate’s platforms,” she added.
“As [former Texas Governor] Ann Richards often said, people often prefer to discuss ‘hair, hemlines and husbands’ and I think when the conversation moves there, the opponent doesn’t want the real conversation of the business of the American people to be the focus.”
There’s the spin, the double standard, whatever you want to call it. The trap that is laid is that anything said about appearance, whether it be clothing or persona, it will be used to push away women voters.
Face it. Trump is right. Hillary Clinton is no Margaret Thatcher.
There is a dignity that we expect from a president. The claim that Donald Trump isn’t presidential was first levied at him. You didn’t hear him crying about it. Nope. Instead, he rose to the occasion.
So, while we are talking “looking presidential” can we just say that president Obama does not look “presidential” in the least.
Snobbish. Narcissistic. Yes.
Presidential? No.
So what is the look of a president? I think the best description I can give is by quoting one of my family’s favorite movies, First Knight. It’s the scene where Guinevere declares her love for King Arthur and her admiration for him– as he “wears his power lightly.”
The new president will need to wear his power well. Not leave it tucked in a drawer at the White House.
