Forget the controversies, Donald Trump’s female employees say he’s a champion of women | Toronto Star
...In the five months the billionaire businessman has spent on the campaign trail, his inflammatory missiles toward women have prompted charges of sexism, even misogyny. But many women who have worked closely with Trump say he was a corporate executive ahead of his time in providing career advancement for women.
“From the standpoint of being a woman, I just thought he was phenomenal,” said Sunshine, 74. “He gave me the ropes, and I could either hang myself or prove myself.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUISE SUNSHINE
Louise Sunshine with Donald Trump, left, and President Jimmy Carter. Sunshine worked for Donald Trump for 15 years starting in the 1970s and rose to become a senior vice president.
Trump often told the women he employed that he valued those he believed would stand their ground on construction sites and in legal battles. He called Barbara Res, whom he put in charge of the construction of his now iconic Trump Tower in 1980, “a killer,” she recalled. And he used to tell her and others that “men are better than women, but a good woman is better than 10 good men.”
“He wasn’t discriminatory against women that I saw,” said Res, now in her 60s and owner of a construction consultancy.
But like many men of the era, she said, “he was sexist; he made comments and stuff like that.”
In an interview, Trump blamed perceptions of him as sexist on unfair media coverage of his presidential campaign.
“I have been very, very good for women,” he said.
Today, according to Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, there are more women than men holding executive positions in the Trump Organization. Women who are in similar positions as men, Cohen said, “are compensated at equal and in many cases higher pay rates.”
It was not possible to independently verify Cohen’s data, and he declined to provide documentation.
The picture many current and former employees paint stands in contrast to the blustering controversies prompted by Trump’s comments on the campaign trail. In an interview after the first GOP debate, Trump said Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly had “blood coming out of her wherever.” He mocked the appearance GOP-rival Carly Fiorina, referring in a Rolling Stone interview to her face and asking, “Would anyone vote for that?” His attempt to make amends by saying of Fiorina, “I think she’s got a beautiful face,” struck many as demeaning.
CHIP SOMODEVILLA
Supporters wait for Donald Trump at a campaign rally at the Richmond International Raceway in Virginia in October.
Asked in an interview about his comments about Kelly and Fiorina, Trump said: “They are capable of taking care of themselves.”
Nevertheless, several of Trump’s female employees said he fostered a positive work environment.
Deirdre Rosen, 42, said that after working for big public companies, the seven years she has spent at the family-run Trump Organization have offered her the flexibility to “be present at soccer games and drama club” with her children.
Jill Martin, 35, described a boss who helped her overcome her caution about her abilities and encouraged her to grow. But several women who are longtime Trump supporters say the provocative outbursts that served Trump well in business and entertainment don’t belong in politics. “I don’t like the fact the worlds are merging,” said Ereka Vetrini, a TV host and lifestyle expert who appeared on
The Apprentice.