At a bipartisan convention called the No Labels Problem Solver Convention yesterday, Donald Trump got a very direct question about his views on women from college student Lauren Batchelder.
“So, maybe I’m wrong, maybe you can prove me wrong,” said Lauren Batchelder, a student at St. Anselm College in Manchester. “But I don’t think you’re a friend to women.”
Trump launched into his defense, one that he has given a lot lately as he faces accusations that he doesn’t treat women with respect. Trump said he gave women positions of power at his construction sites “many years ago… before anyone would have even thought” to put women in such jobs. Trump complimented his wife, eldest daughter and mother, who he said “was one of the great people of the world.” He promised to “take care of women” and stated: “I love women, I respect women, I cherish women.”
Batchelder listened with her arms folded, face in a scowl. She then finished asking her question: “If you become president, will a woman make the same as a man, and do I get to choose what I do with my body?”
After the crowd cheered, Trump answered quickly and curtly: “You’re going to make the same if you do as good of a job, and I happen to be pro-life, okay?” Batchelder listened, her hands now on her hips.
As Trump supporters googled Batchelder’s name, they found a resume listing “intern at Jeb Bush for President 2016” and a Twitter feed containing pro-Bush tweets. Daniel Scavino Jr., a senior adviser to Trump, accused Bush of having “planted” an intern at the event.
The Tea People are, of course, out of their minds. And Trump took to the Twitterverse to tweak his rival, Jeb Bush:
The arrogant young woman who questioned me in such a nasty fashion at No Labels yesterday was a Jeb staffer! HOW CAN HE BEAT RUSSIA & CHINA?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 13, 2015
How can Jeb Bush expect to deal with China, Russia + Iran if he gets caught doing a “plant” during my speech yesterday in NH?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 13, 2015
Note how if you ask a tough question of Trump, you become “arrogant.”
A spokeswoman for Bush’s campaign, Allie Brandenburger, said Batchelder is not a paid staff member and made the decision to attend the convention on her own.
“While this question was not sanctioned by the campaign,” Brandenburger said via e-mail Tuesday morning, “we can’t help but notice Mr. Trump does seem to be very sensitive about being challenged by women.”
Bush’s main spokesman, Tim Miller, took to Twitter to flatly deny the Bush campaign had anything to do with the encounter:
For what its worth, Lauren is not a Jeb staffer but the Jeb staff is amused by how sensitive Donald is to being challenged by women.
— Tim Miller (@Timodc) October 13, 2015
Apparently, Batchelder has now deleted her Twitter account.
Watch the confrontation below via CNN:
