Iowa Democratic Debate 2020: Gender issue pops up over reports that Sanders told Warren a woman can't become president
One of the major issues that stole the limelight in the seventh Democratic debate in Des Moines, Iowa, on Tuesday, January 14, was gender. It all started over the reports that Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders had told one of his female opponents -- Elizabeth Warren -- at a private meeting in end 2018 that a woman cannot become the president of the US. There were differences of opinions over the confirmation of the news and at the Drake University podium on Tuesday, the question popped up.
When moderator Aby Phillip asked Sanders about the authenticity of the report, the 78-year-old fell short of denying the statement. He said it was something President Donald Trump and some sections of the media wanted to see cause a rift and stressed that he had always spoken positively about a woman’s ability to become the country’s commander-in-chief, even three decades ago.
Sanders tries to prove he is not gender-biased
“Well, as a matter of fact, I didn't say it. And I don't want to waste a whole lot of time on this, because this is what Donald Trump and maybe some of the media want. Anybody knows me knows that it's incomprehensible that I would think that a woman cannot be president of the United States. Go to YouTube today. There's a video of me 30 years ago talking about how a woman could become president of the United States. In 2015, I deferred, in fact, to senator Warren. It was a movement to draft senator Warren to run for president. And you know what, I stayed back. Senator Warren decided not to run, and I then did run afterwards,” the veteran said.
He also pointed to the fact that his party opponent Hillary Clinton had won the popular vote in the the 2016 election.
Klobuchar debuted gender was a concern
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, the only other woman apart from Warren in the fray, was also asked about the reports involving Sanders’ alleged ‘sexist jibe’ aimed at his opponent. The 59-year-old responded saying she has heard about it and added that one doesn’t have to have any other characteristics apart from competency to hold the highest office in the country.
“I hear that. People have said it. That's why I've addressed it from this stage. I point out that you don't have to be the tallest person in the world — James Madison was 5'4". You don't have to be the skinniest person in the room. You don't have to be the loudest person. You have to be competent,” she added.
Emphasizing her own winnability despite being a woman, Klobuchar said she has won “every race, every place, every time”.
Trump surprisingly backs Sanders
Sanders, however, found an unlikely ally in President Trump in this case. Speaking at a rally in Milwaukee on the same day, the mercurial Republican said he didn’t believe that Sanders said such a thing. But he also called the veteran senator a “nasty guy”.
“According to (Warren), Bernie said — and I don’t believe that he said this because you know, I don’t know him, I don’t particularly like him, he’s a nasty guy, but I don’t believe he said it. It’s not his deal,” Tump said, adding: “She said that Bernie stated strongly that a woman can’t win for president. … I don’t believe that Bernie said that. I really don’t. … It’s not the kind of a thing he’d say.”