MIDTOWN — Dozens of women rallied outside Trump Tower on Wednesday morning calling for the Republican Party to drop its endorsement of Donald Trump, whom they called a “sexual predator” and a
“Dictator.”
Carrying signs declaring “p---y fights back” and “no c---try for old men,” about 40 women briefly blocked the entrance to Trump’s Fifth Avenue lair to denounce recent comments from the GOP presidential candidate who was caught on video bragging about how he treats women.
The protesters called on the GOP to kick Trump to the curb and criticized what they called Trump’s “politics of hate”
“We’re here today because we’re tired of taking a back seat to white men who are going to decide what’s best for us and for our bodies,” said Nadya Stevens of Flatbush. “We’re here to shut that down.”
The crowd, which included several children and a pair of babies in strollers, marched up to Trump Tower just before 8 a.m. and fanned across the building’s Fifth Avenue entrance, leaving a narrow corridor for anyone trying to enter.
Agunda Okeyo, of Harlem, condemns Trump outside Trump Tower this morning pic.twitter.com/gLvv1PVOVN
— Noah Hurowitz (@NoahHurowitz) October 12, 2016
A handful of demonstrators, including writer Rebecca Solnit, spoke out in opposition of Trump and his history of comments demeaning to women.
But Solnit didn't limit her criticism to the Republican Party’s candidate, attacking the entire party and its policies regarding women, immigration and the environment.
“I’m here because the GOP is an attack on women, on people of color, on Muslims,” Solnit said.
“I cannot sit by while Trump’s hateful rhetoric goes unchallenged.”
Trump drew a firestorm of criticism over the weekend after a tape surfaced of a 2005 conversation he had with Today Show host Billy Bush, then a host for Access Hollywood.
Trump apologized for the comments, which included bragging about grabbing women “by the p----y,” but he later dismissed the comments as “locker-room banter.”
Adding to Trump's problems with women, reports surfaced this week that multiple former Miss Teen USA contestants as young as 15 years old have said Trump repeatedly walked into changing rooms, telling them, "Don't worry ladies, I've seen it all before."
He drew condemnation from many within his own party, including his running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence.
But many GOP figures continue to support his presidential bid, even as they proclaim their disgust for the lewd comments.
For the protesters outside Trump Tower on Wednesday, that support is a tacit approval for what they see as Trump’s disrespect for women, according to Yong Jung Cho, of Sunnyside.
“Those comments are unfit for anyone to say, but particularly for someone running for public office,” Cho said. “The GOP needs to dump him.”
