Former President Donald Trump has once again drawn attention with his unusual behavior, this time during a recent rally where his interaction with a female supporter left many perplexed. As Trump was greeting attendees, he shook hands with a woman before giving her a gentle pat on the side of her head. The strange gesture quickly went viral, with critics taking to social media to mock his actions.
“Trump says goodbye to a woman with a pat on the side of her head,” tweeted attorney and longtime Trump critic Ron Filipkowski. Many were quick to interpret the moment as demeaning. One user on X remarked, “Like a sad and abused pooch, she graciously accepts his favor. Pathetic souls of MAGA.” Another quipped, “Well, he doesn’t have a dog.”
According to OK! magazine, Critics piled on, with one commenter joking, “He treats women like dogs,” while others suggested the gesture was reminiscent of how Trump has publicly interacted with his daughter, Ivanka. Though some users found the moment odd, others defended Trump. “She didn’t seem to want to let go of his hand. He could’ve just been being kind.
He is weird, but I don’t think this is one of the weirder things,” reasoned one commenter. Still, the overall response highlighted the controversy surrounding Trump’s history with women and how his interactions are often viewed as inappropriate or awkward. This incident follows a pattern of Trump making controversial remarks about women.
During a recent rally in Pennsylvania, he made headlines for thanking the “husbands” who “allowed” their wives to attend his events. “Somebody said, ‘Women don’t like Donald Trump.’ I said, ‘I think that’s wrong. I think they love me. I love them,’” Trump claimed before lavishing praise on a group of women in attendance.
Describing them as “beautiful” and “perfectly coiffed,” Trump added, “They’re wealthy as hell. Look at them. They’ve got nothing but cash. Their husbands are great. But they allow them to go all over the country.” Things took an even stranger turn when Trump jokingly asked the men in the audience how they “put up” with their wives traveling for his rallies, saying the men replied, “We trust them, sir. We trust them implicitly.”
Trump’s recent efforts to win over female voters have been marked by such strange moments. During the same Pennsylvania rally, he promised women, “You will be protected, and I will be your protector.” Yet, despite these assurances, polling shows that women voters are not overwhelmingly supportive of Trump.
An AP-NORC poll from September revealed that only one-third of female registered voters had a favorable opinion of him, compared to more than half who view Vice President Kamala Harris positively. As Trump continues to navigate his 2024 campaign, his interactions and rhetoric around women are likely to remain a focal point.