Former president Donald Trump wrapped his rally in Nevada Thursday night by posing alongside a group of female Trump supporters—a move meant to troll Mark Cuban, a billionaire backer of his rival Kamala Harris.
The furore began on Wednesday when Trump, at a rally in Wisconsin, boasted that he would protect women “whether the women like it or not.” The post-Roe comment drew immediate criticism which continued into Thursday.
Cuban tackled the issue head-on during an appearance on The View.
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“Donald Trump, you never see him around strong, intelligent women. Ever,” Cuban said. “It’s just that simple. They’re intimidating to him. He doesn’t like to be challenged by them, and, you know, Nikki Haley will call him on his nonsense with reproductive rights and how he sees and treats and talks about women. I mean, he just can’t have her around. It wouldn’t work.”
Trump is infamous for his comments surrounding women, including those he made in 2005 while on his way to an Access Hollywood interview. In May 2023, a jury found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996.
He has also bragged about installing three conservative justices to the Supreme Court, who ultimately brought down Roe v. Wade.
Cuban’s comments drew the ire of female MAGA supporters who then hit back at the mogul, including Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Trump lawyer Alina Habba and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, who penned an opinion piece for the New York Post titled: “Strong, intelligent women do vote red and will vote for Donald Trump on Election Day.”
Cuban later defended his comments on X, claiming, “I know many strong, intelligent women voting for Trump. Including in my extended family. I’m certainly not saying female voters are not smart, strong and intelligent.”
Nevertheless, the Trump campaign and its surrogates seized on the comments. In one video, female staffers from the Trump campaign tear into Cuban and Kamala Harris. “The world has found out that Kamala’s campaign is not all about women empowerment like she says. Do I look weak to you?” one said.
Before his rally Thursday night, Trump alleged Cuban called Trump “incessantly” during his presidency—before claiming he is “surrounded by the strongest women in the world.”
“Mark Cuban, a really dumb guy, who thinks he‘s ’hot stuff' but he’s absolutely nothing, is now out there saying that I don’t surround myself with strong women. Actually, he is very wrong, I surround myself with the strongest of women - With the understanding that ALL women are great, whether strong or not strong.
“This guy is such a fool, he‘s constantly on Television being critical, and only for the reason that I tuned him out completely while President because he called incessantly. I told him, very pointedly, ’Look Mark, I‘ve got a lot of things to do, I just can’t be taking so many pointless calls from you.’ In any event, that affected him greatly, because he’s a very insecure guy, and a MAJOR LOSER, always has been and always will be!
“Nobody likes him, nobody respects him, and he’s unattractive both inside and out! He should go back to talk about the person he was forced to support, because I didn’t want it, Lyin’ Kamala Harris. Also, he’s got no clubhead speed!
“I may, in fact, be surrounded by the strongest women in the World, including Heads of Countries, who make Mark look like a ‘baby!’ All strong women, and women in general, should be very angry about this weak man’s statement.”
At his Nevada rally, after announcing he would put conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in charge of “women’s health,” the former president posed alongside a group of women, including Susie Wiles, a senior advisor to Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Campaign footage showed the group of women holding their arms up in a fist beside Trump.
Democratic opponent Kamala Harris, meanwhile, warned voters: “Donald Trump thinks he should get to make decisions about what you do with your body. Whether you like it or not.”
“I think it’s offensive to everybody, by the way,” Harris said Thursday.
