Trump cites "tremendous lack of talent", not sexism for end of Elizabeth Warren's campaign

"Lack of talent." Unlikable. "Mean." President Donald Trump laced into former Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren on Friday, insisting that sexism wasn't to blame for the end of the Massachusetts senator's presidential campaign, even as he used attacks often directed at female politicians. Speaking to reporters as he signed an emergency $8.3 billion funding package to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak, Trump was asked whether he thought sexism had anything to do with Warren's departure from the Democratic presidential race.

"No, I think lack of talent was her problem. She has a tremendous lack of talent," Trump responded. The president commended her debate performances, saying she "was a good debater" who had "destroyed" the candidacy of former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg "like it was nothing."

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"But people don't like her," he went on to say. "She's a very mean person. ... People don't want that. They like a person like me, that's not mean."

It's the kind of attack often directed at female politicians, including when former President Barack Obama condescendingly called his then-rival Hillary Clinton "likable enough" during the 2008 Democratic primary campaign. And Trump, of course, has a long history of making less-than-kind comments himself. While he has defended himself as an equal-opportunity insulter, Trump has made particularly harsh comments about women, going after their physical appearances, comparing them to animals and seeming to dwell on their attacks on him.

After moderator Megyn Kelly confronted Trump during the first Republican debate of the 2016 cycle over his comments about women, Trump later said of her: "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever."

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Warren Ends 2020 Presidential Bid

Elizabeth Warren, who electrified progressives with her “plan for everything” and strong message of economic populism, dropped out of the Democratic presidential race on Thursday, according to a person familiar with her plans. The exit came days after the onetime front-runner couldn’t win a single Super Tuesday state, not even her own.

The Massachusetts senator hasn’t endorsed Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden, the remaining candidates in the race. But she has talked to both campaigns in recent days and is assessing who would best uphold her agenda, according to another person who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations.

(With AP inputs) 

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