It’s lucky that Donald Trump loves to look at women in pageant sashes so much, because he and other Republicans on the ballot, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, are about to get an eyeful.
Starting Friday, “Miss Piggy,” “Miss Housekeeping,” “Miss Eating Machine,” and a half dozen other women in pageant sashes are scheduled show up at Republican offices in five battleground states to target Trump and Republicans who have endorsed him, including Ryan, Sen. Rob Portman in Ohio, Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida, and Rep. Joe Heck in Nevada. The sashes are based on names Trump has used to describe women, including Miss “Piece of Ass,” Miss “Gold Digger,” Miss “Flat Chested,” Miss “Bimbo,” and Miss “Disgusting Animal.”
The Democratic super PAC “For Our Future” had the sashes made after Monday night’s debate, when Hillary Clinton brought up Trump’s treatment of former a Miss Universe, Alicia Machado, who said Trump called her “Miss Housekeeping” and “Miss Piggy” after she gained weight as Miss Universe. Instead of denying Clinton’s accusation during the debate, Trump asked “Where did you get that?” The super PAC is coordinating the events in five states around the country, according to details of the plan obtained by The Daily Beast.
Clinton’s comment during the debate was part of a coordinated plan to hit Trump for what Clinton said is his treatment of women over the course of his career, including during his ownership of the Miss Universe Pageant. Immediately after the debate, Clinton’s campaign released a Spanish-language video featuring Machado, who said Trump treated her like “a piece of garbage.”
Instead of denying or ignoring the allegations, Trump and his team have doubled down on attacking Machado and her weight gain. Trump called into “Fox & Friends” Tuesday morning to say Machado had “gained a massive amount of weight” after she won the Miss Universe title. Later, he told Bill O’Reilly that he was just trying to help Machado keep her job by inviting dozens of reporters to watch the then-18 year old to work out after her weight spiked to 160 pounds.
Trump has struggled throughout the campaign to improve his standing his support from women, especially independents. His debate performance, including his warning that he might mention Bill Clinton’s infidelity at the next debate, did not win many over. Eighty percent of independent women polled said Trump does not have “the temperament or personality to serve” as president.
Trump’s obsession with women’s weight over the years is well documented. But his standards for own fitness are less clear. A recent physical by his doctor showed that Trump himself is five pounds shy of being defined as obese. “He could lose a few pounds,” his doctor said.