'Desperate' Trump hopes 'far-right' group can solve his massive 'woman problem': analysis

This Friday night, August 30, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is scheduled to speak at Moms for Liberty's third national summit in Washington, D.C. The controversial far-right group has drawn widespread criticism for, critics say, an aggressive campaign to purge, from public schools, Black and gay literature that differs from its Christian nationalist agenda.

In a scathing article published the same day, Salon's Amanda Marcotte slams the Trump campaign's Moms for Liberty outreach as a "desperate" attempt to cope with Democratic rival Kamala Harris' advantage among women voters.

"Donald Trump has a woman problem — and it's not just his pending court cases regarding his sexual assault of journalist E. Jean Carroll," Marcotte argues. "Polling shows a growing divergence between male and female voters that could become the largest election gender gap in history…. It's not hard to see why most women despise Trump, a man who bragged about sexually assaulting women on tape."

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Marcotte continues, "On the policy front, of course, Trump is the single person most responsible for the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The published agenda for his second term, Project 2025, includes plans for a national abortion ban and restrictions on contraception. Not only does Trump not try to hide his misogyny, but his campaign makes it a selling point in a bid to win over bitter male voters…. Trump's campaign is in danger if he can't get at least a few skeptical women to vote for him. "

But Marcotte emphasizes that Trump's Moms for Liberty outreach is unlikely to win over women voters — if anything, he risks alienating them even more.

"Moms for Liberty's fall from political grace has been as rapid as their rise to prominence," the Philadelphia-based journalist explains. "Associating with the group is more likely to hurt Trump with female voters than to help him."

Marcotte notes that although Moms for Liberty initially promoted themselves as a "parental rights" group, they were "in reality…. controlled by far-right activists with deep ties to Christian nationalism."

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"When Moms for Liberty-linked school board members started taking actions like banning books and vilifying LGBTQ teachers, it provoked a nationwide backlash, with parents in affected communities coming together to kick Moms for Liberty members off their school boards," Marcotte observes. "It's safe to say the 'Moms for Liberty' brand is toxic now."

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Amanda Marcotte's full article for Salon is available at this link.