The media have had a field day playing the “woman card,” as Donald Trump calls it, claiming the Republican nominee is sexist for reportedly interrupting Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton during Monday night’s presidential debate.
While it’s true that Trump interrupted Hillary a lot, an apparent 51 times, it has nothing to do with Mrs. Clinton’s uterus.
You see, Trump is an equal opportunity interrupter. If you even scratch the surface of his thin-skin, it’s on, and he will interrupt.
Looking back at the primary debates, Trump consistently interrupted his Republican opponents. USA Today reports:
He interrupted. Sarah Partlow-Lefevre, Idaho State University’s director of debate, was counting. During one 80-word exchange Trump interrupted Bush seven times to insist that Bush had said something he was denying.
Vox also did some digging into Trump’s past debate performances, finding similar results: Trump would consistently interrupt or make the accusation that he was being interrupted, although it was a different candidate’s turn to speak in the first place.
“Candidates weren’t allowed to interject when their ideas or policy was criticized,” noted Vox. “They got time to respond only if they were mentioned by name. Still, Trump, more routinely than any other candidate, turned these exchanges into raucous back and forths.”
Here’s an example from the Houston Republican primary debate, transcribed by Vox:
TRUMP: Go ahead. I’m relaxed. You’re the basket case.
[CROSSTALK]
Go ahead.
CRUZ: Donald…
TRUMP: Go ahead. Don’t get nervous.
CRUZ: [inaudible]
TRUMP: Go ahead.
[CROSSTALK]
CRUZ: I promise you, Donald, there’s nothing about you…
TRUMP: I’ve seen you.
CRUZ: …that makes anyone nervous.
Additionally, such evidence of Trump being prone to interrupting can be seen and heard by almost any random video clip of the Republican primary debates.
In this two-minute mash-up click below, Trump interrupts Texas Senator Ted Cruz 21 times.
And here, Trump interrupts Florida Senator Marco Rubio too many times to count.
Did Trump interrupt the hell out of the former secretary of state? Yup. Does this prove he’s sexist? Not a shot.