Student feminists react to U.S. election news: “I do not respect Donald Trump at all”

By Jess Schot and Hugo Ward
GSS Correspondents, American School of Paris

SAINT-CLOUD, France — After a grueling election night, feminists at the American School of Paris expressed worry Wednesday for the future of the United States under a Donald Trump presidency, saying that they don’t trust his ability to represent all Americans, especially women.

Between the choice of the first female president of the U.S., or a president whose campaign has been littered with arguably misogynistic comments, feminists have had a lot to say.

But with Trump’s victory early Wednesday, advocates for women’s rights around the world have held heavy-hearted discussions on what this means for the future of the U.S. and the world, and these ASP students were no exception.  

Trump was heavily criticized during the campaign for a series of remarks and incidents, including an “Access Hollywood” video released Oct. 7 in which he said that he often kissed women without their consent, which many feminists have called sexual assault. A dozen women later came forward saying that they had been groped or fondled by Trump, allegations that Trump has denied.

At an Oct. 17 campaign appearance in Wisconsin, Trump was criticized for kissing a small girl, who turned away from him when he tried to kiss her a second time.

This little girl has no time for Donald Trump. @ToddDracula https://t.co/0j8Huv3xhC

— TheStreet Politics (@TSTpolitics) October 18, 2016

Sophomore Hannah Casselis, who is originally from Houston, Texas, felt strongly about what she called Trump’s oppressive behavior towards women.

“I feel that Trump would be the kind of person who would tell a little girl who’s being bullied by a boy that he’s only doing it because he likes her,” she said. “Frankly, I do not respect Donald Trump at all, and I am actually genuinely scared, because Trump’s policies deeply affect me.”

“The president of any country should be a role model for youth, and for anyone,” said Megumi Gupta, a sophomore originally from India. “(Trump) being president will definitely affect certain policies, like abortion.”

Eleonore Arcand, a 10th grader from Canada, felt that Trump’s behaviour would only encourage what she called rape culture in America.

“(Trump) sees a pretty girl and wants to kiss her. That’s the problem nowadays — rape culture. Younger generations will see this and say ‘he got away with it, so can I,’” said Arcand.

Rachel Davis, another sophomore from Texas, believes that the current state of gender relations in the U.S. is already more than difficult for women, and that the arrival of a president whose behavior can only be described as questionable at best, will exacerbate the situation.

“It’s harder for women to be seen as strong and independent,” she said.

Just because these feminists are focusing on women’s rights does not mean that they are overlooking the consequences for other groups.

Alexia Parent, a Canadian senior, spoke to what she predicted would be the consequences for other targets of Trump’s rhetoric, such as Hispanics and Muslims.

“They’ll definitely be affected by it,” she said. “They won’t feel as if America is their country anymore. It’s all very overwhelming.”

Among young women interviewed for this article, there was a strong consensus that an apology from Trump for his actions and words will not do much to earn the forgiveness from frustrated feminists.

“You can say you’re sorry for something, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t do it, or didn’t say the things that you said,” argued Casselis.

—Featured photo: Screenshot of video by ABC15 Arizona.