FACT SHEET: Trump’s Anti-Women Record
July 27, 2020
Trump has an abysmal record on issues important to women — using the last three and a half years to undermine access to health care, child care, and paid leave. Trump created barriers to full equality and rolled back workplace protections against discrimination and sexual harrassment. Under Trump, it is increasingly difficult for women to succeed in the workplace, at school, and at home.
Trump has blocked women’s access to health care through legislation, regulations, judicial appointments, and legal action.
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In 2016, Trump called for an abortion ban with “some form of punishment” for women — which was too extreme even for many anti-abortion activists.
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Trump tried to limit access to reproductive health care by supporting legislation that would institute a restrictive 20-week abortion ban and block insurance plans that cover abortions.
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Trump slashed funding for family planning programs and health care providers that provide abortion services or referrals.
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Trump issued a regulation allowing employers to refuse to provide no-cost contraception coverage as previously required under the Affordable Care Act.
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After promising to “automatically” overturn Roe v. Wade, Trump has packed the Supreme Court and circuit courts with extremist opponents of abortion rights.
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Trump is fighting to overturn the Affordable Care Act, which could allow insurers to charge women more and not cover maternity care.
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Trump chose the anti-abortion extremist Mike Pence as his running mate and Betsy DeVos, who compared the choice to have an abortion to the choice to own slaves, as his secretary of education.
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As president he has aggressively touted his anti-abortion agenda, and the president of the Susan B. Anthony List called Trump “the most pro-life president in our nation’s history.”
Trump revoked protections against sexual harassment, sexual assault, and discrimination at work and school.
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During the 2016 campaign, Trump said women would make the same as men if they “do as good a job.”
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Trump revoked protections against workplace sexual harassment, sexual assault, discrimination, and pay disparities.
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Trump rescinded Obama-era campus sexual assault guidelines, which required colleges to take allegations more seriously and hold perpetrators accountable, and narrowed the definition of sexual harassment.
Trump has failed to reduce the cost of childcare and made little progress on paid family leave.
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Trump has defended employers who pay mothers less than men and called pregnancy an “inconvenience” for employers, so it’s not surprising he has failed to follow through on his promise to “solve” childcare.
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Trump’s tax scam reduced the value of the childcare credit for low- and moderate-income families even as it gave huge tax cuts to big corporations and the wealthiest 1%.
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In the midst of a pandemic in which women are disproportionately losing their jobs, Trump scaled back paid leave requirements, leaving 75% of workers at risk of not receiving paid leave for childcare.
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Trump touted an insufficient paid family leave proposal that “does not offer what has generally been considered paid family leave.”