The Daily Fuckup

Donald Trump used a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, to argue that he would protect women — even after saying aides had told him the word “protector” was not appropriate. Trump said he was going to do it “whether the women like it or not,” a line that instantly became a target in the final stretch of the campaign.

Trump’s comments came during a closing argument focused on safety, crime and immigration, with his campaign trying to pitch him as a defender of women voters. The phrasing, though, gave critics an opening to argue that he was speaking about women as if they did not get a choice in the matter.

Kamala Harris answered the next day, Thursday, Oct. 31, while campaigning in Arizona. She called the remark offensive and said it was part of a broader pattern in which Trump talks about women in ways that undercut their autonomy and judgment.

The exchange landed in a race where both campaigns have been treating women voters as a key group in the final sprint. Trump’s team wants the message to land as protection; his opponents are using the same words to argue the opposite.