“I don’t know why, but I seem to bring out either the best or worst in women.”
As far as Trump’s presidential campaign, women’s attitudes toward the Republican candidate are mixed. “Among the general public, women overwhelmingly dislike him,” by more than a 2-1 margin, explains Washington Post pollster Scott Clement. “But among Republicans and GOP-leaning independents, national horse race polls don’t show much of a gender gap in Trump’s support.”
Below are some of the most revealing passages from Trump’s memoirs and other books, describing, in his own words, his views on women, sex, marriage and feminism.
On working with women:
“I’m not a crusader for feminism, and I’m not against it, either. I’m just oblivious to a person’s gender when it comes to hiring people and handing out assignments.” (“Trump: Surviving at the Top”)
“It’s funny. My own mother was a housewife all her life. And yet it’s turned out that I’ve hired a lot of women for top jobs, and they’ve been among my best people. Often, in fact, they are far more effective than the men around them.” (“Trump: The Art of the Deal”)
“The [1997 Miss Universe] pageant in Miami Beach, my first as owner, was a huge success. We’d sold out the house; it was a mob scene. From my position offstage, I was able to glance up to the greenroom occasionally. I could just see Alicia Machado, the current Miss Universe, sitting there plumply. God, what problems I had with this woman. First, she wins. Second, she gains fifty pounds. Third, I urge the committee not to fire her. Fourth, I go to the gym with her, in a show of support. Final act: She trashes me in The Washington Post — after I stood by her the entire time. What’s wrong with this picture? Anyway, the best part about the evening was the knowledge that next year, she would no longer be Miss Universe.” (“Trump: The Art of the Comeback”)
On women versus men:
“I grew up in a very normal family. I was always of the opinion that aggression, sex drive, and everything that goes along with it was on the man’s part of the table, not the woman’s. As I grew older and witnessed life firsthand from a front-row seat at the great clubs, social events, and parties of the world — I have seen just about everything — I began to realize that women are far stronger than men. Their sex drive makes us look like babies. Some women try to portray themselves as being of the weaker sex, but don’t believe it for a minute.” (“Trump: The Art of the Comeback”)
“Women have one of the great acts of all time. The smart ones act very feminine and needy, but inside they are real killers. The person who came up with the expression ‘the weaker sex’ was either very naive or had to be kidding. I have seen women manipulate men with just a twitch of their eye — or perhaps another body part.” (“Trump: The Art of the Comeback”)
“There’s nothing I love more than women, but they’re really a lot different than portrayed. They are far worse than men, far more aggressive, and boy, can they be smart. Let’s give credit where credit is due, and let’s salute women for their tremendous power, which most men are afraid to admit they have.” (“Trump: The Art of the Comeback”)
On dating:
“If I told the real stories of my experiences with women, often seemingly very happily married and important women, this book would be a guaranteed best-seller (which it will be anyway!). I’d love to tell all, using names and places, but I just don’t think it’s right.” (“Trump: The Art of the Comeback”)
“I’ve never had any trouble in bed, but if I’d had affairs with half the starlets and female athletes the newspapers linked me with, I’d have no time to breathe.” (“Trump: Surviving at the Top”)
“I was especially carefree [in the early-mid 1970s]. I had a comfortable little studio apartment in Third Avenue in the city, and I maintained a lifestyle that was fairly commonplace then but that now, in an age when people are worried about dying from sex, is hard to even imagine. I didn’t drink or take drugs; as far as stimulants go, I’ve yet to have my first cup of coffee. But I was out four or five nights a week, usually with a different woman each time, and I was enjoying myself immensely.” (“Trump: Surviving at the Top”)
“One of the first things I did was join Le Club, which at the time was the hottest club in the city and perhaps the most exclusive — like Studio 54 at its height. It was located on East 54th Street, and its membership included some of the most successful men and the most beautiful women in the world. . . . [I]t turned out to be a great move for me, socially and professionally. I met a lot of beautiful young single women, and I went out almost every night. Actually, I never got involved with any of them very seriously. These were beautiful women, but many of them couldn’t carry on a normal conversation. Some were vain, some were crazy, some were wild, and many of them were phonies. For example, I quickly found out that I couldn’t take these girls back to my apartment, because by their standards, what I had was a disaster, and in their world appearances were everything.” (“Trump: The Art of the Deal”)
On marriage:
“Part of the problem I’ve had with women has been in having to compare them to my incredible mother, Mary Trump. My mother is smart as hell.” (“Trump: The Art of the Comeback”)
“I knew from the start that Ivana was different from just about all of the other women I’d been spending time with. Good looks had been my top — and sometimes, to be honest, my only — priority in my man-about-town days. Ivana was gorgeous, but she was also ambitious and intelligent. When I introduced her to friends and associates, I said, “Believe me. This one’s different.” Everyone knew what I meant, and I think everyone sensed that I found the combination of beauty and brains almost unbelievable. I suppose I was a little naive, and perhaps, like a lot of men, I had been taught by Hollywood that one woman couldn’t have both.” (“Trump: Surviving at the Top”)
My marriage, it seemed, was the only area of my life in which I was willing to accept something less than perfection. . . . I grew up with the American Dream of sharing life with a wife and children, and that’s not something you just toss aside easily. I also stayed with Ivana because, as in most marriages, there was pressure to keep things intact. . . . There’s nothing wrong, of course, with worrying about the effects of divorce on your children and the other people around you. The problem is that those considerations aren’t enough to keep a marriage together. You can go for counseling, you can have heart-to-heart talks, you can stay together ‘for the sake of the kids.’ But in the end it’s always better for everyone if some couples part.” (“Trump: Surviving at the Top”)
“I even thought, briefly, about approaching Ivana with the idea of an ‘open marriage.’ But I realized there was something hypocritical and tawdry about such an arrangement that neither of us could live with — especially Ivana. She’s too much of a lady.” (“Trump: Surviving at the Top”)
“My big mistake with Ivana was taking her out of the role of wife and allowing her to run one of my casinos in Atlantic City, then the Plaza Hotel. The problem was, work was all she wanted to talk about. When I got home at night, rather than talking about the softer subjects of life, she wanted to tell me how well the Plaza was doing, or what a great day the casino had. I really appreciated all her efforts, but it was just too much. . . I will never again give a wife responsibility within my business. Ivana worked very hard, and I appreciated the effort, but I soon began to realize that I was married to a businessperson rather than a wife.” (“Trump: The Art of the Comeback”)
“My marriage to Marla lasted three and a half years. Sadly, like so many couples these days, we drifted apart. Our lifestyles became less and less compatible. We wanted different things. Marla was content when it was just her, [their daughter] Tiffany, and me. I, on the other hand, realized that business needed to be taken care of constantly. When two people have such a difference in opinion regarding the lifestyle they want to lead, there is no longer any reason to stay together.” (“Trump: The Art of the Comeback”)
“Marla was always wanting me to spend more time with her. ‘Why can’t you be home at five o’clock like other husbands?’ she would ask. Sometimes, when I was in the wrong mood, I would give a very materialistic answer. ‘Look, I like working. You don’t mind traveling around in beautiful helicopters and airplanes, and you don’t mind living at the top of Trump Tower, or at Mar-a-Lago, or traveling to the best hotels, or shopping in the best stores and never having to worry about money, do you? If you want me to be home at five o’clock, maybe these other things wouldn’t happen and you’d be complaining about that, too. Why would you want to take something that I enjoy and change it?” I always viewed her whys as being very selfish. But the fact is, in a marriage both sides have to be happy.’ (“Trump: The Art of the Comeback”)
“Often, I will tell friends whose wives are constantly nagging them about this or that that they’re better off leaving and cutting their losses. I’m not a great believer in always trying to work things out, because it just doesn’t happen that way. For a man to be successful he needs support at home, just like my father had from my mother, not someone who is always griping and bitching. When a man has to endure a woman who is not supportive and complains constantly about his not being home enough or not being attentive enough, he will not be very successful unless he is able to cut the cord.” (“Trump: The Art of the Comeback”)
“One thing I have learned: There is high maintenance. There is low maintenance. I want no maintenance.” (“Trump: The Art of the Comeback”)
On prenuptial agreements:
“The most difficult aspect of the prenuptial agreement is informing your future wife (or husband): I love you very much, but just in case things don’t work out, this is what you will get in the divorce. There are basically three types of women and reactions. One is the good woman who very much loves her future husband, solely for himself, but refuses to sign the agreement on principle. I fully understand this, but the man should take a pass anyway and find someone else. The other is the calculating woman who refuses to sign the prenuptial agreement because she is expecting to take advantage of the poor, unsuspecting sucker she’s got in her grasp. There is also the woman who will openly and quickly sign a prenuptial agreement in order to make a quick hit and take the money given to her.” (“Trump: The Art of the Comeback”)
On flirting:
“I remember attending a magnificent dinner being given by one of the most admired people in the world. I was seated next to a lady of great social pedigree and wealth. Her husband was sitting on the other side of the table, and we were having a very nice but extremely straight conversation. All of a sudden I felt her hand on my knee, then on my leg. She started petting me in all different ways. I looked at her and asked, ‘Is everything all right?’ I didn’t want to make a scene in a ballroom full of five hundred VIPs. The amazing part about her was who she was — one of the biggest of the big. She then asked me to dance, and I accepted. While we were dancing she became very aggressive, and I said, ‘Look, we have a problem. Your husband is sitting at the table, and so is my wife.’
‘Donald,’ she said. ‘I don’t care. I just don’t care. I have to have you, and I have to have you now.’ I told her that I’d call her, but that she had to stop the behavior immediately. She made me promise, and I did. When I called I just called to say hello, and that was the end of that.
But the level of aggression was unbelievable. This is not infrequent, it happens all the time.” (“Trump: The Art of the Comeback”)
“All the women on The Apprentice flirted with me — consciously or unconsciously. That’s to be expected. A sexual dynamic is always present between people, unless you are asexual.” (“Trump: How to Get Rich,” 2004)
On regrets:
“I love women. They’ve come into my life. They’ve gone out of my life. Even those who have exited somewhat ungracefully still have a place in my heart. I only have one regret in the women department — that I never had the opportunity to court Lady Diana Spencer. I met her on a number of occasions. I couldn’t help but notice how she moved people. She lit up the room with her charm, her presence. She was a genuine princess — a dream lady.” (“Trump: The Art of the Comeback”)
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