Grenier and Philippe 1

Ariana Grenier and Tiana Philippe

Ms. James
URI Writing 104
26 October 2016
2016 Presidential Election: Trump That Bitch
As long as humans have been inhabiting Earth, they have divided themselves into
a variety of groups and for centuries, men and women have been treated differently and
unequally due to the sex they were born into. Sexism is a prejudice or discrimination on
the basis of gender and it is evident in almost all cultures around the world. The 2016
presidential election harbors unnecessary sexism because for the first time in US history,
there might be a female president. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton simply being
opposite genders and both running to be president has generated many articles such as
this one, Sexism Is Out In The Open In The 2016 Campaign. That May Have Been
Inevitable by Tamara Keith. Keith introduces her ideas in the form of an article and she
emits her position on the evident sexism Trump and Clinton exude. Rather than
presenting her opinion, Keith abstains from using less than factual evidence. Although
this might make her standpoint appear to be credible, she lacks evoking an emotional
reaction in the reader.
Tamara Keith, an NPR White House Correspondent, notices many sexist remarks
made particularly in the 2016 presidential election. Keith suggests that the first female
presidential nominee would certainly cause the campaign to have a sexist atmosphere,
Perhaps it was inevitable that with the first female nominee of a major political party on
the ballot, the race for president would have undercurrents of sexism (Keith, par. 3). The
unforeseen aspect of this was how obviously the sexism is displayed. Keith goes on to
give examples of when Trump fosters sexism in his crude comments like, She's got
nothing else going on. And frankly, if Hillary Clinton were a man, I don't think she'd get

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5 percent of the vote. The only thing she's got going is the women's vote. And the
beautiful thing is that women don't like her, OK?" (Keith, par. 11). She also adds that
"Donald Trump Sexism Tracker: Every Offensive Comment in One Place." The
Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2016. the vulgar sexism being
aimed at her by Trump and his followers, that she, herself, is encouraging the sexism.
Although that may certainly be an outcome, there are more logical reasons as to why
Clinton is ignoring Trump. For example, Clinton may be demonstrating her
professionalism through her oblivion. There is no reason to accuse Clinton of allowing
sexism simply because she is maturely ignoring Trumps comments. Keith also
recognizes that Trumps misogynistic behavior causes more women to lean towards
voting for Clinton. Although the author only mentions women leaning towards Clinton,
she overlooks the fact that many men are also appalled by Trump's actions.
Tamara Keiths main purpose for writing this article was to identify and demonstrate the
prominence of sexism in this political campaign and how it affects the United States as a
whole. Keith states the importance of acknowledging the role sexism plays in who will be
the next president of the United States. She recalls a number of times that Trump has
openly and publicly made sexist remarks towards Clinton. For example, Keith mentions
that at a rally Trump says, She (Clinton) walks in front of me, you know, and when she
walks in front of me, believe me, I wasnt impressed, (Keith, par. 15). She also mentions
that the crowd laughed at his remark. Keith unceasingly uses examples that demonstrate
the situation and she supports her arguments with factual evidence and credible sources.
Tamara Keith is, herself, a credible source being an educated white house
correspondent which serves as a strength in her writing. Her title allows her to be able to
comment and talk about this topic. She quotes people such as, Katie Packer (deputy
campaign manager for Mitt Romney) and Steve Schmidt (a senior advisor to John
McCains 2008 campaign). These people are educated on the topic she is speaking about
and therefore makes her article more credible. Both of these sources comment on how
unnecessary and sexist Trumps remarks are. Packer and Schmidt both believe that the
sexism that is harbored in this election needs to be addressed. Quoting these people helps

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justify what is she is trying to convey, and will make the reader take it more seriously. It
would of been more effective if she used well known famous people to quote so it can be
more relatable.
However, there were some weak points in her writing. In this article, Keith
abstains from presenting her own opinion directly. It may be able to be implied, but she
does not exaggerate or enforce what her standpoint on the situation is. Although it could
make her argument seem more credible, it takes away from the emotional impact a reader
should experience. Especially discussing this topic, an emotional and personal effect on
readers is important. Changing the minds of others, or simply allowing them to view a
situation from a different perspective, is primarily accessed through emotion. Keith lacks
that. She is factual in her ways of writing and describing the situation, but she does not
explain how offensive Trumps comments are. In this piece, Keith mentions that the
audience is full of laughter after Trump makes a sexist remark about Clintons body. She
adds this because it shows that the Trump supporters completely allow, and even agree,
with his misogyny. This emphasizes her main focus that Americas people need to be
aware of the sexism taking place in this election. In the beginning, she recalls that two
men, parked close to where Clinton was giving a major speech, posted a banner on their
truck that read, in big letters, Trump That Bitch. She adds, They waved and smiled as
people drove by. (Keith, par. 5). Also, Keith adds how Trump has accused of Clinton
playing the woman card quite a few times during the campaign. He claims that If she
didn't play the woman's card she would have no chance, I mean zero, of winning, and
Clinton just shrugs it off and she even tried to use what he said to her advantage.
(Keith, par. 26 & 27). Either this demonstrates how oblivious the American people are to
sexism, or displays how the society has adapted to it, and may not even care that it is
there. Simply adding small details, such as, the audience laughing after Trump makes a
sexist comment, will make the argument stronger.
Unfortunately, sexism definitely plays a vast role in todays election. As Tamara
said, perhaps it was inevitable that with the first female nominee of a major political
party on the ballot, the race for president would have undercurrents of sexism. (Keith,

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par. 7). Nevertheless, Keith did a considerable job using ethos in her writing. However, it
would have been better if she had practiced using pathos to get a sentimental reaction
from audience. Such as, how would you feel if your future president believed that you
have to treat women like shit? or referring to you as a young beautiful piece of ass
(The Telegraph, par 4). There are many ways this article could have been more effective.
Keiths work is semi-useful because there is an abundance amount of factual evidence to
take from.

Citation

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Keith, Tamara. "Sexism Is Out In The Open In The 2016 Campaign. That May
Have Been Inevitable." NPR. NPR, 23 Oct. 2016. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.
"Donald Trump Sexism Tracker: Every Offensive Comment in One Place." The
Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.