Trump held a “town hall” to talk women’s issues across the US. Only his Republican friends were invited
Eric Garcia reports from Georgia on how Fox News created a safe space for Donald Trump as he seeks to court female voters
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Donald Trump spoke at a Georgia town hall on Tuesday to address women’s issues - it turned out the “town” was populated by only GOP backers hand-selected by Fox News.
The day after the former president jammed to his curated playlist as two of his supporters fell ill at a rally in Oaks, Pennsylvania, and just hours after he delivered a free association performance at the Economic Club of Chicago, he arrived at the Reid Barn in Cumming, Georgia.
Located in Forsyth County, about 45 minutes outside of Atlanta, these are the areas where Trump must run up his totals on election day if he is to win. Ostensibly, the town hall run by Fox News was meant to soften his image with female voters. If Trump is to have any hope of flipping the state, he will need to improve his image with women.
As soon as Trump arrived in the rustic barn with its wood panels, he received rapturous applause. Throughout the town hall hosted by Harris Faulkner, questioners seemed enraptured by him.
“I feel like when he when he came out, everybody was so excited to see him and his enthusiasm,” Emily Harris told TheIndependent. “It was just great to be in the room with him.”
And there was good reason, given that many of the attendees in an intimate setting were from Republican groups around the area whom Fox News invited.
At least, that’s what some of the women told The Independent. Harris, for example, is the vice president of the Republican Women of Forsyth.
“We got a personal invitation from Fox News,” she said. “We were ecstatic. We were we were all very, very excited.”
It was the same case with Cynthia Brown from Cumming, who was the treasurer for Republican Women of Forsyth County.
“We love Donald Trump and President Trump, and what he has done in America, and what he is doing for women,” she told The Independent.
Trump’s troubles with female voters are well-documented. According to Michael Cohen, his former attorney, as Trump’s camp learned Stormy Daniels was going to speak out about their alleged affair, the former president feared it would derail his then-hopeful political career. “Women are going to hate me. This really is a disaster. Women are going to hate me,” Cohen recalled of Trump’s reaction.
At another rally in late 2020, Trump famously said at a rally in Iowa “Suburban women, please like me.”
“I don't know where that comes from,” Brown said. “Because everyone I talk to just loves and appreciate what he is doing, because he's protecting our children, protecting women from sex trafficking, human trafficking and all the all the things that bringing, having open borders allows.”
Trump’s woes only compounded when the Supreme Court, which included three justices he nominated, overturned Roe v Wade two years ago. Since then, Trump has tried to thread the needle by not explicitly saying he would support a national ban on abortion and instead would kick it back to the states.
At the town hall, which is set to air Wednesday morning, Trump had yet to figure out a sufficient answer to the abortion question. Pamela, a resident of Cumming, asked Trump “why is the government involved in women’s basic rights?” In response, Trump offered the same stock answer that he gave about how “every legal scholar, the great ones,” across party lines wanted abortion to be sent back to the states.
Kelly Murphy, who is also involved in the Republican Women of Forsyth County, said she was confident Trump would win in Georgia this time.
“He's got a great following here, and a lot of people don't want to say it, they're afraid to, but when the voting window closes, they'll be voting for Trump,” she told The Independent.
“I think he did the right thing sending it back to the states,” Murphy’s daughter Ashley said.
Harris said she appreciated Trump clarifying his comments given how Democrats have said Trump wants to ban abortion.
“And I say that because all they have been focusing on is the abortion issue,” she said. “And instead of him banning abortion, which is not he wants to do. He's wanting it to be for the states and let the states decide.”
At the same time, Harris said that she was pro-life because her mother was born after 27 weeks, when her grandmother had the option to have an abortion.
“If it weren't for my mom’s survival, I wouldn't be here, my sister wouldn't be here, my three girls wouldn't be here, and my nephew would also be here,” she said. “So I believe he's one wanting to educate some people who are given the opportunity, or who are informed by their doctors about the choices they need to make that could be life-altering about themselves and the baby in their womb.”
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