Donald Trump’s perceived ownership of people goes beyond women. He has often referred to others as “my African American” or “my generals.” In a recent social media plea for support during the ongoing Epstein crisis, he began, “What’s Going On With My 'Boys' And, In Some Cases, 'Gals?’” Trump may well extend his feelings of ownership to colleges and universities, certainly Republican Congressmen and Senators, along with the RNC, and the judges he’s appointed.
Trump feels he can do what he wishes with women, sometimes because he is a star, other times because he either employs them or owns an entity where women participate, like the Miss USA, Miss Universe, and Miss Teen USA pageants. Trump was caught on tape expressing what he believes he can do to women, without their consent.
“You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them," he said. "It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”
The Epstein story proved revealing when he described his falling out with Epstein when Epstein “stole” several of his young female employees.
“I have a great spa, one of the best spas in the world in Mar-a-Lago," he started. "And people were taken out of the spa. Hired by him. In other words, gone. And other people would come and complain, this guy is taking people from the spa. I didn’t know that. And then when I heard about it, I told him, I said, listen, we don’t want you taking our people, whether it was spa or not spa. I don’t want him taking people. And he was fine. And then not too long after that, he did it again. And I said — out of here.”
When explicitly asked about Virginia Giuffre, he said Epstein “stole” her. Only possessions can be stolen, not people.
When Trump owned multiple beauty pageants, including the Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe pageants, he bragged that his ownership allowed him to wander through the dressing rooms.
“Well, I’ll tell you the funniest is that before a show, I’ll go backstage and everyone’s getting dressed, and everything else, and you know, no men are anywhere, and I’m allowed to go in because I’m the owner of the pageant and therefore I’m inspecting it," said Trump. "You know, I’m inspecting because I want to make sure that everything is good. […] You know, the dresses. ‘Is everyone okay?’ You know, they’re standing there with no clothes. ‘Is everybody okay?’ And you see these incredible looking women, and so, I sort of get away with things like that. But no, I’ve been very good.”
When asked on the Howard Stern show if he’d ever slept with any of the contestants from the Miss USA or Miss Universe pageants, Trump said, “I never comment on things like that.” When asked about a potential conflict of interest, he responded:
“It could be a conflict of interest. But, you know, it’s the kind of thing you worry about later, you tend to think about the conflict a little bit later on.”
The women best qualified to speak on Trump’s perceived ownership of women are his wives. During their divorce, Ivana Trump said that Trump raped her; he blamed her for the pain he was suffering following a scalp reduction she allegedly recommended to cover his baldness. Melania often resists Trump’s public displays of affection, pulling away when he attempts to hold hands and avoiding his kiss. They reportedly sleep in separate bedrooms. From the outside, their marriage seems to be a business relationship that has been renegotiated multiple times.
Marla Maples had a couple of things to say on her way out the door. “I’m so happy to be away from Donald, and I’m just trying to move as far away as I can. I finally found the courage to walk away and stay away. After I became a mother, I was less willing to tolerate his behavior."
After their divorce, Marla was prevented by Trump from releasing a memoir that had to be approved by Trump. Their NDA prevents her from commenting further; he used money to place his stamp of ownership even on his ex-wife.
Trump has been accused over two dozen times of sexual assault and rape, with almost no repercussions. He was found liable for the sexual assault of E. Jean Carroll. The evidence that Trump feels he can do as he pleases with women is overwhelming. The reason he feels he can get away with it is that he always has.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of William Spivey's work on Medium. And if you dig his words, buy the man a coffee.