Just when we thought Donald Trump’s supporters couldn’t get any more ridiculous, #RepealThe19th started trending on Twitter.
Referring to the 19th amendment that gave women the right to vote, this hashtag trended after @538politics tweeted election results that showed who would win if only men voted and if only women voted. According to this poll, Trump would win the presidency if only men voted, with 358 electoral votes to 188, and Hillary Clinton would win if only women voted, with 458 electoral votes to 80.
The results of this poll caused some Trump supporters to take Twitter by storm and start this misogynistic hashtag, calling for the 19th Amendment to be repealed so Trump could take the presidency.
To say this is surprising or out of the ordinary would be a stretch. However, what’s more surprising is that some female Trump supporters were agreeing with this statement. @Hollyanswers tweeted her support, saying that “men should have never given women the right to vote” and @prayhealourland tweeted that she would “be willing to give up her right to vote” to make a Trump presidency happen.
Male Trump supporters also chimed in. Michael Maier tweeted, “Give out nice enough handbags and most broads would gladly trade their voting rights for one.”
These opinions are similar to Trump’s view of women. A few days before this hashtag started trending, a video from 2005 was released in which Trump and Billy Bush were recorded having a crude and offensive conversation about women, in which Trump was bragging about sexually assaulting women he knew.
The response to the video was similar for many prominent Democrats and Republicans, as they condemned Trump’s words. Prominent Republican leaders such as Paul Ryan, speaker of the House, and Mitch McConnell, Senate majority leader, spoke out against this sexist and disturbing revelation. However, it appears, on Twitter at least, that many of Trump’s die-hard fans and soon-to-be voters didn’t see anything wrong with the way he talked about his actions towards women.
So it’s no surprise that some of Trump’s supporters reacted to this poll by creating #RepealThe19th. The ideologies and beliefs individuals have are reflected in the candidate they support, and vice-versa.
It’s unfair of me to say that all of Trump’s supporters are misogynistic. I’m sure that many might feel that they’re being oppressed and would rather have a president who represents some of their views as rather than one who doesn’t represent any. But it seems that people are so caught up in voting for their party, they don’t want to face the reality of the person they’re electing. (Or maybe I’m just being optimistic and don’t want to conceptualize the fact that there are so many racists and sexists in this country).
When it comes down to it, #RepealThe19th is much more than a hashtag. It’s the basis for the “Make America Great Again” platform Trump is pursuing. Making America Great Again refers to a time where the 19th Amendment was a dream in women’s minds, where racism was much more external than it is today and where minorities were struggling to survive.
Come Nov. 8, we’ll be electing a president who not only represents our country but represents us. This is why you should throw your vote behind Hillary Clinton. It’s up to you to decide how our lives will be changed: for the better, or for Trump.