Earlier this week, we showed you the pro-Kamala Harris ad being run by a progressive group that is encouraging women to lie to their husbands and vote for the Harris-Walz ticket. We got another glimpse into how the Democrats view women when Mark Cuban told the ladies of The View that Donald Trump is “never” around any “strong, intelligent women.”
“Donald Trump, you never see him around strong, intelligent women. Ever,” Cuban said on Thursday. “It’s just that simple. They’re intimidating to him. He doesn’t like to be challenged by them. And you know, Nikki Haley will call him on his nonsense with reproductive rights and how he sees and treats and talks about women. I mean, he just can’t have her around. It wouldn’t work.”
It is so offensive, and yet I bet that viewpoint is held by a lot of the Democrats now trying to act like they champion women and the Democrat Party champions women.
The Fallout
There has been a pretty remarkable and strong response from women who worked in and around the Trump campaign and administration – from Kellyanne Conway and Alina Habba to Kayleigh McEnany and Sarah Huckabee Sanders – and Cuban is trying (and failing) to add context.
He posted on X that he was “certainly not saying female voters are not smart, strong, and intelligent” and knows that Trump “has worked with strong intelligent women, like Elaine Chao, Kelly Anne, Ivanka, and many others.”
Cuban added that he is “happy to clarify” that he knows “many strong, intelligent women voting for Trump,” including “in my extended family.” Ultimately, he stands “by my opinion that he does not like being challenged publicly.”
That is not what you said, Mark Cuban. If you had said that, it would not be a controversy. We know that about Trump. What you originally said was that he does not surround himself with women who are “strong and intelligent.”
Targeting Trump
Hello, everyone knows that Donald Trump doesn’t like to be needled or challenged by anybody – at least not in a provocative and personally insulting way as Nikki Haley did during the GOP primary. But Cuban then extrapolated it to women in general and Trump’s alleged animus toward them.
I can speak to this personally. I think it is safe to say Trump really was not a big fan of yours truly for the better part of a year back in 2015/2016, but he was very quick to bury the hatchet just as soon as I went and spoke to him – woman to man – at Trump Tower. And even though I had been critical of him many times thereafter, he granted me an interview last September.
And let’s be honest, he wasn’t that thrilled with how that went either. He went out on the campaign trail and launched a few barbs my way. Whatever. Since then, we have been totally fine and his campaign has actually invited me to do a few things that didn’t work out for various reasons.
My point is: Donald Trump is not intimidated by strong, intelligent women, and he is certainly not afraid to be around strong, intelligent women. That includes many who may have potentially attacked him, though it does depend.
Identity Politics at Play
What I have learned is that Trump is an equal opportunity offender. If you come for him, he will go after you. But, as always, the left is trying to reduce everything to gender or to Trump’s alleged sexism.
What they are trying to say now is the fact that Nikki Haley has not been on the campaign trail is evidence of sexism, as opposed to evidence of him not liking her or a lot of the MAGA base not believing in her messaging. There are many – including, reportedly, Tucker Carlson – who don’t believe it would be helpful to Trump to have Nikki Haley out there. It is a strategic decision, and Trump has no obligation to put her on the campaign trail.
By the way, how many campaign events have you seen Ron DeSantis at? His most ardent rivals – the ones who spent months attacking him viciously while they tried to get the nomination themselves – have both endorsed Trump but haven’t been on the campaign trail for him.
No one tried to turn it into something about gender, sexism, being anti-Italian, or whatever you want to say with respect to Ron DeSantis. The fact that Nikki Haley’s gender has to come into it speaks to Mark Cuban’s sexism and no one else’s. It is amazing to me that this is Mark Cuban’s closing message on behalf of Kamala Harris.
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 933 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.