New York senator and rumored 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand played to her base on Wednesday with a feminist bumper sticker-style tweet declaring our future as “female.”
“Our future is: Female, Intersectional, Powered by our belief in one another. And we’re just getting started,” wrote Gillibrand.
Donald Trump Jr., a father of five, was unimpressed by the tweet, asking Gillibrand an important question: When should I tell my young sons “there’s no future for them?”
The full tweet from Trump reads: “Good to know. My girls will be excited about this. When is it appropriate to let my boys (9, 7 and 6 years old) [know] that there’s no future for them? Not sure this is a winning platform but you be you.”
Though it’s politically popular to dump all over the men and boys in 2018 — especially for those on the left side of the aisle, as showcased by Gillibrand, here — the eldest Trump son has made it a habit to stand up for men and boys.
In October, for example, Trump took heat for daring to say that he feared for his sons in a climate where uncorroborated accusations could smear and nearly tank the career of a man as squeaky clean as then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
“I got boys and I got girls. And when I see what’s going on right now, it’s scary,” Trump told DailyMailTV. When asked if he had greater fears for his sons or daughters, he answered, “I mean, right now, I’d say my sons.” Trump also noted that politically-motivated attacks, seemingly referencing Democrats taking on Kavanaugh, are harmful to real victims.
Some of the heat Trump took came from the ladies of “The View.” Co-host Whoopi Goldberg actually suggested Trump’s sons have predatory “tendencies.”
“You only worry about this for your child if you think your child has these tendencies,” Goldberg said. “If you think your child is not someone who is assaulting people, it shouldn’t be a concern for you.”
Trump hit back by re-upping a video clip of Goldberg excusing Roman Polanski for rape, because, per Goldberg, it wasn’t really “rape-rape.” Whatever that means.
“Instead of insinuating that my sons are potential future abusers, you might want to explain why you defended actual child rapist Roman Polanski?” smacked Trump.
On Gillibrand’s end, this sort of phony pro-female pandering is commonplace. Though Gillibrand claims to stand for women and against abuses like sexual harassment and assault, she’s had some inconsistencies with this issue in the past. GQ reports:
Ironically, the stance that may offer some peril for Gillibrand is the one on which she’s been entirely consistent: calling out sexual misconduct. While her work on the issue has made her more relevant than ever, her outspokenness has been criticized for seeming calculated. After condemning Bill Clinton over the Lewinsky scandal, for instance, Gillibrand was met with charges of opportunism. Former Hillary Clinton adviser Philippe Reines tweeted at her, ‘Over 20 yrs you took the Clintons’ endorsements, money, and seat. Hypocrite. Interesting strategy for 2020 primaries. Best of luck.’
