By Athena Papakosta

Donald Trump has promised that if he wins the election he will be the protector of women, “whether they like it or not” and the Democratic camp found the perfect opportunity to change the public debate in his favor again.

The aim is to divert attention from the blunder of Joe Biden a few days ago who called the supporters of the Republican candidate “garbage” and to turn the pressure again against Trump.

Kamala Harris emphasized that the position of the former president of the United States is a “particularly offensive” message to everyone. He spent seven minutes talking about Donald Trump’s history full of misogyny and sexism, focusing, of course, on the issue of overturning women’s constitutional right to abortion, which is one of the Democrats’ strongest campaign cards.

“It’s actually very offensive to women because it doesn’t take into account their self-determination, their right and their ability to make decisions about their own lives, but also about their own bodies,” the vice president of the United States said, adding , that this is the latest episode “in a series of revelations by the former president about how he thinks about women.” At the same time, he said on Social Media that “Donald Trump thinks he can make decisions about what you do with your body, whether you like it or not.”

After Donald Trump’s campaign rally at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden where both he and his guest speakers made racist and sexist comments, Kamala Harris’ staff hit the gas and, since then, have continued to adopt an ever-increasing more aggressive rhetoric against the Republican nominee. Indeed, as the day of the election approaches, Harris addresses more moderate female voters of the Republican party and those who are still undecided before the ballot box, “introducing” Donald Trump as a threat to their reproductive rights.

Donald Trump’s stances on protecting women — which he admitted on stage that his advisers prevented him from making — brought into the spotlight his sexist comments, the sexual assault case in which he has been found guilty and the complaints of nearly 20 women, the which emphasize that he has either abused them or sexually assaulted them.

Meanwhile, it is not the first time that the former president of the country dares to present himself as an unsolicited protector of women. Realizing that he must appeal to the female vote (which he lacks), Trump last September recast himself as their protector, saying that as president (if re-elected) he both “wants” and “must” protect them.

Even then the reactions were stormy with an article in New York Magazine underlining that Trump’s logic resembles “the creepy logic of an abuser” commenting that he dares to present himself as the magic solution for women’s problems, which – as he pointed out – “they will no longer need to think about … abortions”.

Trump and Republicans have had a particularly difficult time talking about the issue of abortion, with their White House candidate himself giving conflicting answers on his position on the issue.

In the past, he has said, on the one hand, that women who have abortions should be punished, and has also openly celebrated the overturning of the historic 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized, at the national level, the right to of women to abortion. On the other hand, however, he has recently promised not to impose a nationwide abortion ban.

According to American pollsters, the vote of women can decide the election, and more specifically the vote of white women.

This is the largest demographic group, covering 30% of the electorate, which exercises its right to vote consistently and at high rates. Traditionally, it tends, in presidential elections, to turn in favor of the Republican candidate, as has happened in the last two election contests. For example, in 2016, 47% of white women voted for Trump and 45% for Hillary Clinton. In 2020, even more white women voted for Donald Trump and specifically 53% of them, with Joe Biden following with 46% of their vote.

Right now, according to the latest New York Times poll, Kamala Harris is beating Trump on his turf and leading, but only marginally, within the margin of statistical error. According to the same poll, 29% of white women are concerned about the economy, 24% about abortion rights and 14% about immigration. But whether white women will vote for a woman remains to be seen.

A central slogan of Harris’ campaign is “trust women” with the vice president insisting that she does not focus so much on her gender and that her message is for all Americans.

But those who support her, explains the Times of New York, insist and even in the toilets in a place where she had completed another election campaign a pink post-it was written: “from woman to woman – your vote is secret. Stand up for reproductive rights this November. We will not return to the past.”