• 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
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • 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
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

© 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.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Commentary
Yes, you're getting a bigger tax refund. Your kids won't thank you for the $3 trillion it's adding to the deficit
By Daniel BunnJanuary 26, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Despite running $75 billion automaker General Motors, CEO Mary Barra still responds to ‘every single letter’ she gets by hand
By Preston ForeJanuary 26, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
An unusual Fed ‘rate check’ triggered a free fall in the U.S. dollar and investors are fleeing into gold
By Jim EdwardsJanuary 26, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, January 26, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJanuary 26, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, January 27, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJanuary 27, 2026
24 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
As AI wipes out desk jobs, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser says the company is training 175,000 employees to ‘reinvent themselves’ before their roles change forever
By Emma BurleighJanuary 27, 2026
21 hours ago

Latest in Leadership

NewslettersCEO Daily
CEO of Glassdoor and Indeed parent says AI is not replacing workers: ‘We’re not seeing that kind of data at all’
By Diane BradyJanuary 28, 2026
2 hours ago
EuropeSAP
SAP boss Christian Klein has seen the AI future. What you say will be more important than what you type 
By Kamal AhmedJanuary 28, 2026
2 hours ago
SuccessCareers
This millennial quit her corporate 9-to-5 to pet sit for $70 per day— she ended up richer because she lives rent-free and gets to travel the world
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJanuary 28, 2026
3 hours ago
MagazineHyatt Hotels
Hyatt’s high-end makeover: How Mark Hoplamazian built the Berkshire Hathaway of luxury hotels
By Matthew HeimerJanuary 28, 2026
3 hours ago
reem
Commentaryhunger
How to fight child hunger in a time of foreign aid cuts
By Reem Alabali Radovan, Rajiv J. Shah and Mads Krogsgaard ThomsenJanuary 28, 2026
3 hours ago
C-Suitechief executive officer (CEO)
Fortune 500 CEOs are no longer giving employees an A for effort. Now they want proof of impact
By Claire ZillmanJanuary 28, 2026
5 hours ago