Donald Trump has sparked a backlash after repeatedly referring to "young, beautiful girls" while praising his administration's efforts to tackle crime in Washington DC. The 80-year-old President made the comments while addressing a crowd of police officers at what was described as a de facto political rally, attended by Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel.
During his speech, Trump mentioned "young, beautiful girls" five times in just 30 seconds, leaving both critics and supporters questioning his choice of words.
Trump's Exact Words
"These young, beautiful girls. These young, beautiful girls. These young, beautiful girls at the White House, you know, they come in.
"Now, I'm not supposed to say beautiful, but what the hell? These young. These gorgeous, beautiful girls.
"They wanna be safe and they come, 'Mr. President, may I speak to you? Thank you, sir. Thank you.'
"I said, 'Why are you thanking me?'
"'Because a year and a half ago, I was afraid to leave. I was afraid to open the door of my apartment. And now I walk to the White House every morning and I have absolutely no fear. Thank you, sir.'"
Viral Clip Sparks Confusion
Clips of the speech have since circulated widely on social media, with users expressing their confusion over the comments.
One person wrote: "Saying young faaaaarrrrr too many times." Another asked: "How young specifically?"
A third commented: "He's over age 75, this makes it a lot worse." And another added: "What an incredibly strange thing to say."
Criticism Over 'Girls' vs 'Women'
While it is relatively common for adults to refer to women over the age of 18 as "girls", the choice of language attracts criticism. The term can be linked to perceived power dynamics or an attempt to make adult women seem younger, while adult men are less commonly described as "boys".
One woman discussing the issue online said: "Youth is valued to a ridiculous degree in women." Another added: "It's my hill to die on. Once a town official referred to his employees as the girls. Yes, he got a complaint. It's keeping grown women sweet and simple. I call people on it all the time and never going to stop."
A third person said: "Condescension, typically. Or an attempt to be cute or funny."
Trump's comments came as he praised his administration's response to crime in Washington DC. Earlier in the speech, he claimed the capital had become "one of the safest cities in the country" with "very little crime", crediting his administration's actions for the change. However, critics have pointed out that crime in the capital had already been falling for several years before Trump took office and has continued to decline, meaning the President's claims of responsibility have been disputed.
