• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Leadership

Donald Trump Says It Was Okay for Him to Make Fun of Women

By
Claire Groden
Claire Groden
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Claire Groden
Claire Groden
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 29, 2016, 8:42 AM ET

Donald Trump kicked off a week of campaigning in Wisconsin on the defense over comments he’s made about women.

During an interview Monday with a local conservative radio talk show, the Republican frontrunner defended calling women names like “fat pig” and bimbo,” by saying he never intended to run for office. Trump said that while he denigrated women on Howard Stern’s talk show over the years, “everyone would be having fun.”

“If Megyn Kelly were a man, I’d be saying the exact same thing of Megyn Kelly. I don’t think there should be a double standard if someone’s a woman,” Trump said Monday, referring to his particular comments calling Kelly a “bimbo” and saying “there was blood coming out of her wherever” during a Republican debate she moderated last August. “I’ve been better to women than any of these candidates,” he said.

During the nearly 20-minute interview, Wisconsin talk show host Charlie Sykes, who supports Ted Cruz, repeatedly took Trump to task for his rhetoric about women.

 

When given the opportunity to apologize to Heidi Cruz for tweeting an unflattering picture of her, Trump called the tweet a “minor response” to an anti-Trump PAC sharing a nude picture of Melania Trump. He said that Cruz “started it” because his supporters shared the nude picture. “I didn’t even know it was necessarily a very bad picture of her vs. Melania,” he said.

"@Don_Vito_08: "A picture is worth a thousand words" @realDonaldTrump #LyingTed #NeverCruz @MELANIATRUMP pic.twitter.com/5bvVEwMVF8"

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 24, 2016

“Obviously, I failed in my effort to introduce you to Wisconsin and our tradition of civility and decency by getting an apology for Heidi Cruz or what you said about Scott Walker,” Sykes said, referring to Trump’s previous comments that Wisconsin is “in turmoil” and a “disaster.”*​

About the Author
By Claire Groden
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

Ed Bastian with both his hands up
SuccessProductivity
Delta’s CEO let AI write a speech for Gen Z college grads—but he threw it away and started over with pencil and paper for one key reason
By Preston ForeMay 12, 2026
4 hours ago
Daniela Amodei, co-founder and president of Anthropic
SuccessFounders
Anthropic’s Daniela Amodei says entrepreneurs should go on vacation to road test potential cofounders—if they’re a drain, they’re ‘the wrong choice’
By Emma BurleighMay 12, 2026
4 hours ago
Girls say AI is a smarter tutor, a funnier comedian, and has better taste than their parents, new Girl Scouts survey finds
AIHealth
Girls say AI is a smarter tutor, a funnier comedian, and has better taste than their parents, new Girl Scouts survey finds
By Catherina GioinoMay 12, 2026
6 hours ago
klein
CommentarySoftware
SAP CEO: the AI race is being fought in the wrong place 
By Christian KleinMay 12, 2026
7 hours ago
longevity
CommentaryLongevity
Your employees are going to live to 100. Is your benefits package ready?
By Kate Winget and Anthea Tjuanakis CoxMay 12, 2026
8 hours ago
AI strategy
CommentaryStrategy
Your company already has an AI strategy. You just didn’t choose it
By Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Tami Rosen and Darko LovricMay 12, 2026
9 hours ago

Most Popular

Forget U.S. debt, China's total borrowing is in 'a league of its own'—much worse and deteriorating faster, analyst says
Economy
Forget U.S. debt, China's total borrowing is in 'a league of its own'—much worse and deteriorating faster, analyst says
By Jason MaMay 11, 2026
1 day ago
Microsoft’s CFO admits she joined the tech giant without even knowing her salary—and then missed her first day of work
Success
Microsoft’s CFO admits she joined the tech giant without even knowing her salary—and then missed her first day of work
By Preston ForeMay 11, 2026
1 day ago
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says Gen Z and millennials are using ChatGPT like a 'life advisor'—but college students might be one step ahead
Tech
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says Gen Z and millennials are using ChatGPT like a 'life advisor'—but college students might be one step ahead
By Sydney LakeMay 10, 2026
2 days ago
U.S. hotels are calling the World Cup a 'non-event' and 80% warn bookings are falling short of expectations, report finds
North America
U.S. hotels are calling the World Cup a 'non-event' and 80% warn bookings are falling short of expectations, report finds
By Sasha RogelbergMay 12, 2026
11 hours ago
Trump Mobile quietly rewrote its fine print to say the gold Trump phone may never be made, a year after taking $100 deposits
North America
Trump Mobile quietly rewrote its fine print to say the gold Trump phone may never be made, a year after taking $100 deposits
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 11, 2026
20 hours ago
Current price of oil as of May 11, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 11, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 11, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.