Donald Trump said Monday that in the past he made comments that insulted or demeaned some women because “I never thought I would run for office.”
Charlie Sykes on Radio 620 WTMJ in Wisconsin asked Trump about being “underwater” in the polls among woman who feel “repelled” by some of the comments Trump has made.
Sykes played clips from an anti-Trump super PAC ad that featured women repeating Trump’s comments directed toward women, including “bimbo,” “dog,” and “fat pig.”
Trump responded, “Women are just going to have to see what I’ve done. I’ve hired tremendous numbers of women. Women are in the highest executive positions. I pay women in many cases more than I pay men, which is more than most people can say.”
“I’ve been a person that’s been in the entertainment business and a very big person in business, and I’ve been quoted over the years by everybody, almost from the time I started business. For whatever reason, I became a celebrity in a sense,” Trump claimed.
Sykes shot in, “Are the rules different for celebrities? Are celebrities allowed to insult women?”
“Well, I’ll tell you what, the rules aren’t different, but certainly I never thought I would run for office,” Trump claimed.
Sykes then asked Trump about his feud with Fox News host Megyn Kelly.
Trump replied, “I’m not a fan of Megyn Kelly. I mean, I’m allowed to say that. If Megyn Kelly were a man, I would be saying the exact same things about Megyn Kelly and same thing with Rosie O’Donnell. Not a fan of Rosie O’Donnell, nor is she a fan of mine. And you know what, you go back and forth. I don’t think there should be a double standard for somebody if they are a woman, but I can tell you this, Charlie, I have been better to women than any of these candidates, frankly.”
Later in the interview, Sykes continued to press Trump: “You and I are both grandpas, we are both fathers. Here’s a question here in Wisconsin: how should fathers and mothers explain this? I mean, is this the way you’d want their sons to behave?”
Trump replied, “I thought this was a dead issue until I just spoke to you. I mean, I’d rather be talking about trade. I’d rather be talking about you know the things I’m best at: security, border security.”
LISTEN (Begins at 2:59):