If Donald Trump Was Donna Trump?

[autumn08]

I know there is an anti-sexist sentiment that many conservatives call the "woman's card," and the rigidity of both gender roles have detrimental effects, but studies and empirical evidence prove that women are still held to higher standards than men. Therefore, I'm curious how you think men would be viewed if they were held to the same standards as women. For example, what if Donald Trump was Donna Trump? (For those unfamiliar with American politics, Donald Trump is the current head of the movement against the declining relative status of white men.)

[FrancisAnn]

That's funny. He could sure use a better hair do to start with!!!

[itsApril]

I'm curious how you think men would be viewed if they were held to the same standards as women. For example, what if Donald Trump was Donna Trump?

My mind boggles at trying to imagine a female Donald Trump.  The closest I can get to it is Sarah Palin.

Palin and Trump are similar in their overall outlook and their avoidance of any systematic world view.  Both just arrive at policy positions based on guesswork, prejudices, and a gut instinct for what will appeal to backwards white voters.  (My favorite Donald Trump line of all time, right after the Nevada caucuses: "I love the poorly educated!")

That said, there are some real differences.  Palin is deeply involved with right-wing evangelical Christian dogma.  While Trump claims Christian affiliation, it's clear that his religious views are shallow and conventional and play little role in influencing his thoughts or actions.  (Example: speaking to right-wing evangelicals at Liberty University and referring to "Two Corinthians" instead of "Second Corinthians.")

Palin's speeches often deteriorate into incomprehensible gibberish.  (Maybe it's a form of poetry rather than oratory?)  Trump's speeches are easier to follow, but they almost always deal with just a single subject: Donald Trump.

Trump has been way more successful than Palin, but he had an enormous head start due to his immense wealth and decades of publicity from his business and entertainment enterprises.  Palin is also held back by the simple fact that women have more trouble being taken seriously in American politics.

On the whole, I think if Donald Trump were Donna Trump, we wouldn't be seeing the current political situation where Trump is the front runner for the Republicans.  Donna Trump would have just been a minor political sideshow and would have been filtered out of the campaign like Carly Fiorina was.

I don't like Hillary Clinton much, but I have to admit her political career is remarkable.  Her whole public image is distorted through a bizarre lens of media expectation of what women politicians should be and how they should behave.  There's constant focus and commentary on what she's wearing, and how she does her hair, and whether she "cackles" when she laughs.  Despite all that, nobody can seriously doubt that she's an A-List political figure, and that's quite an achievement.

I suspect later women politicians may find the going easier because Clinton has broken through the stereotypes in the way she has.  I look forward to watching Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren for the future.

And FrancisAnn is right.  Donna Trump has definitely gotta do something about that hair!

[Colleen M]

It's hard to say.  One of the more relevant criticisms of Trump is that he doesn't actually stand for anything and has few (if any) consistent policy positions.  I haven't really seen much in the way of serious articulations coming from the guy, either.  One of the reasons so many people wrote him off so often and so long is that his campaign seems more theater than anything else.  I think a woman could carry that off as well as a man. 

OTOH, his schtick involves being very pugnacious and I think we're all aware what names are applied to a woman who is that confrontational.  A complete change in presentation would be called for, and I don't think that would sell as well, particularly to his target demographic.  Still, it's not like the GOP presented much in the way of a credible alternative this year.  Personally, at the end of the day I think I'd still take Donna Trump in a primary against Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, etc.   

[autumn08]

Thank you for your insights, everyone! 

[popa910]

For example, what if Donald Trump was Donna Trump? (For those unfamiliar with American politics, Donald Trump is the current head of the movement against the declining relative status of white men.)

(the imaginary conversation I imagined, using stereotypical comments about women, when reading this question):
--"She's so pretty!"
--"Donna Trump?  I don't think so."
--"Well, at least she has her personality!"
--"..."

[Peep]

This is interesting because often people/ the media are fascinated by how female politicians look, and what they wear, positive or negative - Trump must be one of the few male politicians who gets as much attention for his appearance as the female politicians do

I mean no one talks about David Cameron's hair or what colours Obama wears, but they do talk about what Maggie Thatcher used to wear, what Nicola Sturgeon wears, what how much cleave Theresa May shows in parliament... and Trump's orangeness and his infamous hair...

[kittenpower]

"Donna" Trump would have had a different life experience, so she would have some different beliefs, and would probably be a little more empathetic.

[rochyrob]

I think there was a Donna Trump, but she was known as Carly Fiorina.