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Not long before Trump delivered a speech to empower women, he rescinded an order that forced companies to be open about pay disparities and sexual harassment claims.Â
Three days into Donald Trump's presidency and two days after the record-breaking Women's March protests, he made it more difficult, if not impossible for women around the world to gain access to reproductive health care when he flagrantly signed an executive order that bans U.S. aid to overseas nongovernmental organizations that provide or advise on abortions. So it's no surprise that when he spoke to a roomful of women last week with the ostensible purpose of "empowering" them and declared April Sexual Assault Awareness Month (let that irony sink in), he also quietly rolled back protections for women in the workplace, the revelation of which occurred on the annual #EqualPayDay on Tuesday.
As Trump's daughter, Ivanka, who became a de facto White House staffer last week, was tweeting about closing the gender pay gap, news that Trump had rescinded President Barack Obama's 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces order began to surface. The repeal of the order negatively impacts women when it comes to the gender pay gap and harassment suits, according to NBC.
Under the order, companies with federal contractors were beholden to paycheck transparency, which helped women in terms of pay parity and in closing the pay gap. Without it, companies can pretty much pinky swear that they're paying women fairly without presenting proof. He did the same thing recently by rescinding guarantees that federal contractors won't discriminate against LGBT workers.
Additionally, Trump, who famously admitted that he likes to "grab 'em by the pussy" without consent, made it easier for companies to bury sexual harassment suits since the now repealed order called for an end to forced arbitration. Thanks to Trump, companies can once again force claims of sexual harassment, assault, and violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act into private arbitration rather than into a public court of law, allowing a culture of harassment and repeat offenses to thrive.
"We want every daughter in America to grow up in a country where she can believe in herself, believe in her future, and follow her heart, and realize her dreams. And we want a country that celebrates family, that celebrates community, and that creates a safe and loving home for every child, every child. That's what we want," Trump told a roomful of women at the State Department last week as the ink was drying on repealing workplace protections for women.
To add insult to injury, the next day Trump patted accused sexual predator Bill O'Reilly on the back, saying of the Fox News talking head, "I don't think Bill did anything wrong."
