On Saturday, the New York Times dropped an unflattering profile of Donald Trump. The paper interviewed several women who have worked with him — either within his businesses or during beauty pageants — and revealed what many people already believed. That is, the real-estate mogul’s behavior around women leans toward unsavory. One of his construction executives, Barbara Res, revealed how Trump would ogle women’s “asses” right in front of her. And former Miss USA contestants said he would inspect them like a military general, which brought many ladies to tears. The profile also revisited the story of Jill Harth, who said Trump’s unwanted physical advances included groping her under a table so her boyfriend wouldn’t notice.
In response, Trump called for the article’s author, Michael Barbaro, to resign since he’s reportedly tweeted about the presidential candidate in the past. While such tweets could reveal a lack of journalistic objectivity, Trump’s the last person who should be pointing out anyone else’s negativity on Twitter.
Michael Barbaro, the author of the now discredited @nytimes hit piece on me with women, has in past tweeted badly about me. He should resign
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2016
Over 50 women were interviewed by the @nytimes yet they only wrote about 6. That’s because there were so many positive statements.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2016
Out of the several women who spoke to the Times, an ex-girlfriend named Roweanne Brewer, came forward to say the paper’s portrayal of her words was inaccurate. While speaking to Fox and Friends, Lane told the program that she felt flattered when Trump asked her to wear a bathing suit upon their first meeting. She didn’t feel awkward about being singled out and paraded around the pool at his Mar-a-Lago estate:
“He made a comment, ‘Now that’s a stunning Trump girl right there.’ I was actually flattered … I didn’t feel like it was a demeaning situation or comment at all.”
"They spun it." @LaneRowanne speaks out against NYT hit piece on @realDonaldTrump, saying the story was inaccuratehttps://t.co/xIdkiXsA8R
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) May 16, 2016
Trump saw the interview and thanked Brewer for her support. Unfortunately, he misspelled her name as “Roseanne” and deleted the tweet, but it’s the thought that counts. Meanwhile, the Times stands by the profile, and so does Michael Barbaro, who spoke with CBS This Morning:
“I recall in my interview with [Brewer] that she expressed some … she basically said was taken aback by this. And I think that’s how we depicted it, and I think people can evaluate the story … on its own merits.”
Well, Ivanka Trump’s name also popped up in the profile, because a former Miss Universe contestant said Trump asked if his then-teenage daughter was “hot.” Yet Ivanka wants everyone to know that her dad’s treatment of women is perfectly fine. She spoke to CBS This Morning to admit she found the profile “pretty disturbing.” Ivanka had more to say in Donald’s defense:
“Look, I’m not in every interaction my father has, but he’s not a groper. It’s not who he is. And I’ve known my father obviously my whole life and he has total respect for women.”
What Ivanka forgets is that this Times profile isn’t the first instance of Trump commenting upon her looks. Last fall, Trump threw a skeevy vibe to Rolling Stone: “What a beauty, that one. If I weren’t happily married and, ya know, her father…” There’s also a bizarre throwback photo (of teenage Ivanka posing with dad atop a statue of mating parrots) that drew raised eyebrows. No one is shading Ivanka, but folks are generally repulsed by hearing a dad comment upon his daughter’s hotness.
Here’s a clip of Ivanka’s interview with CBS News.
https://youtu.be/8RH1qHjtk4Y