Dear Donald, from one pissed off American woman

Over and over, I have heard you say that a Trump presidency would be good for women. That you cherish women. That nobody respects women more than you do. That nobody is better for women than you are.

That, sir, is garbage. And you know it.

There are lots and lots of people who respect women more than you do.

Any person who does not use sexist slurs or demean women with whom they have disagreements by calling them fat, ugly, pigs, etc. respects women more than you do.

Any person who has never suggested it is acceptable to grope their genitals respects women more than you do.

Any person who would never dismiss as “entertainment” using vulgar and demeaning language about women respects women more than you do.

Any person who has never grabbed a female reporter for asking a question about female voters respects women more than you do.

Any person who does not try to physically intimidate women respects women more than you do.

Any person who does not say terrible things about immigrants — at least half of whom are women — respects women more than you do.

Any person who does not call for a ban on Muslims — at least half of whom are women — respects women more than you do.

Any person who does not support nuclear proliferation, withdrawal from NATO, or any other of your reckless foreign policy suggestions, respects women more than you do.

Any person who supports reproductive choice, family leave, early childcare, universal healthcare, and a robustly funded social safety net respects women more than you do.

Any person who does not refuse to support minimum wage increases, who does not tell people earning low wages just to work harder, who does treat the gendered pay gap with the seriousness it deserves, respects women more than you do.

Any person who champions and elevates women for reasons that recognize the full scope of our humanity respects women more than you do.

Any person who regards female voters as complex people with myriad needs from their candidates and who honors our critical thinking skills by putting forth detailed policy proposals that we can assess, instead of incessantly bellowing that they will be “a friend to women” despite all evidence to the contrary, respects women more than you do.

Any person running for office who has the integrity to be forthright and the decency not to tell lie after transparent lie about themselves, their history, and their policies, who does not treat voters like we are clueless rubes, respects women more than you do.

Any person who would refuse to turn a contest against a historical female competitor into an epic battle of the sexes, who instead competed only on the merits, respects women more than you do.

Any person who has not been physically and emotionally abusive to women in the many ways you have respects women more than you do.

Any person who does not subscribe to a toxic, retrograde chauvinism that upholds systemic gender inequality and relies on a posture of inherent male superiority respects women more than you do.

Any person who does not value women exclusively for the way we look, who does not reflexively objectify women, who does not treat women like property, who does not divide women into categories of worthiness based on whether we arouse him, respects women more than you do.

It is simply not true that “nobody respects women more than Donald Trump.” Literally millions of people respect women more than you do.

I respect women more than you do.

I respect myself, for a start. And that is why you will never, ever, have my vote.

You can repeat like it is an incantation this damnable lie that you respect women, but that will never make it true.

I see you. I see through you.

You don’t respect me, and I don’t respect you right back.

Sincerely,
An American Woman