Donald Trump’s chief spokesman has insisted that the US President championed women’s rights as a “priority” during his election campaign - and managed to keep a completely straight face while doing it.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer used a briefing on Wednesday to boast of Trump’s record on promoting gender equality.
Despite saying he liked to “grab” women “by the pussy”, and encouraging his millions of Twitter followers to check out a beauty pageant winner’s sex tape, Spicer was defiant:
“The president made women’s empowerment a priority throughout the campaign."”
- Sean Spicer
Said without a hint of irony to a room full of reporters.
Spicer moved on to brag about the number of women in Trump’s top team.
“The President is proud that his administration is full of so many women leaders,” he declared.
Trump’s cabinet is so full of women that there are fewer women members in it than in any previous President’s administration since 1980.
In fact, as analysis from Bloomberg shows, Trump has hired one woman for every three men in his White House staff.
Spicer also quoted US First Lady Melania Trump, who spoke at a Women’s History Month event earlier that day.
“The President believes - as the First Lady said this morning - quote ‘Wherever women are diminished, the entire world is diminished’.”