In yet another cringe-worthy display, President Donald Trump has behaved embarrassingly in front of world leaders. On a previous trip, he pushed the Prime Minister of Montenegro out of his way to be in a photo. This time in Paris, Trump was caught on camera behaving inappropriately when speaking with Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigitte.
He shook her hand forcefully – holding one arm out, seemingly against her will – it appeared as if he was attempting to dominate her. Then in related footage of their meeting, Trump is heard telling her:
“You are in such great shape. Beautiful!”
He no doubt thinks he was giving her a compliment, but he said it like a pick-up line, almost as if he was surprised that a woman her age could be in such good shape. He has also shown once again that he places great value on a woman’s looks, more than anything else. The whole feminist fight has been about asking for people to value women for who they are and not by how they look. This woman is a teacher, she has a brain, and yet Trump feels the most important thing to do is comment on her looks.
The age gap between Trump and Melania is similar to the one between Macron and his wife, except in Macron’s case, he is younger.
Trump has revealed his attitudes to women in similar ways in the past. At one rally he spoke about hiring a woman totally based on her looks. He did not care about any experience she had. The saddest thing about this is he also seems to be proud of it.
How in 2017 do we have a man with so much power who constantly tells us he believes the value of a woman is totally based on her looks and weight? It is disgraceful.
To make matters even more embarrassing, Trump was seated next to the French first lady at a dinner at the Eiffel Tower. Here is hoping the Macrons were able to direct conversation to something else, like maybe prioritizing climate change action or maybe the success of single payer healthcare in France. We can only hope.
Watch the awkward exchange here:
Featured image via YouTube.
