By Kim Villanueva
Our U.S. Constitution requires the President to report to Congress on “the State of the Union.” The framers wanted to make clear that the President is no king, but rather an executive who serves alongside – and is accountable to — what they considered the pre-eminent branch of government: Congress.
But Donald Trump sees tonight’s speech very differently, just like he holds Congress in the lowest possible regard. What does that remind us of?
Women are finding his domineering, patronizing, dismissive, disrespectful, angry, and patriarchal attitude towards Congress awfully familiar.
He may not say “quiet, piggy,” from the podium, but we know that’s what he’s thinking. Whether it’s women reporters or members of Congress, Trump’s speech is shaped by a pervasive culture of toxic masculinity and contempt for women.
Toxic masculinity is at the root of violence against women, sexual harassment, and abuse. It enforces the belief that aggression is an essential part of masculinity –and that there are few consequences for it.
A political movement has grown around a culture that glorifies aggression, division, and domination. In that world, women are vilified and attacked simply for demanding equality.
Today, that backlash is an animating principle of the Trump Administration.
Donald Trump’s State of the Union is actually the state of his campaign to further dehumanize and marginalize women. It’s practically an obsession with him.
Trump’s enablers in Congress are no better. They line up to vote for policies they would never tolerate in the businesses, medical practices, institutions, and other workplaces they used to run in private life. They tell themselves it’s what their voters want.
But no one wants this.
This State of the Union is a nightmare.
Donald Trump’s economic agenda keeps women underpaid and overcharged—and pregnant–instead of addressing the real concerns and needs of women, Donald Trump is proposing cash bonuses to pressure them to have more babies.
Maybe people would consider having children more often if they weren’t struggling to find jobs, pay student loans, or afford basic household expenses. Trump’s proposed $5,000 “baby bonus” doesn’t even cover one month of childcare for most families.
If Donald Trump wants people to have more kids, he could make housing more affordable. He could support paid family leave and affordable child care.
During the 2024 campaign, Donald Trump vowed to protect women “whether they like it or not.” Guess what: We don’t like to be protected by Epstein enablers.
A Princeton University study found that the strongest predictor of support for Trump – over party affiliation, gender, race, and education level – was belief in “hegemonic masculinity”: the idea that men should be in positions of power, be “mentally, physically, and emotionally tough”, and reject anything considered feminine or gay.
For generations, women have endured a system that pays them less, values them less, respects them less, and treats them as second-class citizens. We can’t afford to sit through another State of the Union from the patriarchy.
Women know better than to be looking to Donald Trump to deliver a feminist state of the union address that calls on the nation to improve women’s health, end violence against women, and bring about lower costs and better jobs. But we will be looking to his audience tonight to see if they’re still supporting his grievances and buying his empty promises.
Congress, Trump’s just not into you. He doesn’t listen to you, respect your opinion, seek your input, or abide by your rules. And he’s not going to help you win re-election.
Swipe left on this Address.
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