News you need to knowUpon meeting Brigitte Macron, wife of French president Emmanuel Macron, Donald Trump found it necessary to say, “You’re in such good shape,” and then to her husband, “She’s in such good physical shape. Beautiful.”
Why this is not normalA president openly commenting on the form of a woman – whether that woman is a president’s wife or an ordinary American watching a motorcade – is not appropriate.
Trump probably thinks that he complimented Brigitte Macron. What he did was take a step away from her to better view her physique for his own personal pleasure. Trump’s “compliment” was not about making Brigitte Macron feel good, it was about making Trump’s pleasure known. It reduced Brigitte Macron to an object that contented Trump instead of a mind to be engaged with.
Imagine this situation in reverse. Would it have been at all appropriate for Brigitte Macron to say to Trump, immediately upon meeting, “Oh! You are in such bad shape,” then to turn to Melania and say, “He’s overweight, isn’t he?”
Showing pleasure or displeasure at someone’s appearance is not appropriate. It’s especially not normal in a political setting. Triple that not normal when the press is too busy identifying possible Russian collusion connections to properly call out the president for his cat calls.
Nearly two thirds of women have experienced street harassment. Now, they can experience it from a sitting U.S. president.
Patty TempletonDGO Staff Writer