Vermont Speech: Former Gov. Madeleine Kunin on Trump’s next presidency

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America elected a strong man with an emphasis on “the man.”

Donald Trump has bet that the key to victory is appealing to men. His misogynistic comments, his disdain for social and political norms, his embrace of authoritarian dictators around the world were aimed at winning over men, especially young men without a college education. It worked: 2024 election results reflected a historical gender gapThe majority of men voted for Trump, while the majority of women voted for Vice President Kamala Harris.

The two-century-old tradition of electing men to lead the United States continues for at least another four years.

At 91 years old, Governor Madeleine Kunin has a unique and lengthy perspective on politics. She is the only woman elected governor in Vermont, serving three terms from 1985 to 1991. He later served as U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Deputy Minister of Education reporting to Pres. Bill Clinton. Kunin founded Emerge Vermont to recruit and train Democratic women to run for office.

Kunin’s politics have long been shaped by his personal experience with authoritarianism. A Swiss Jew, his family fled Europe with the spread of Nazism in 1940.

“My proximity to the Holocaust inspires me in a strange way,” he said the morning after Trump’s election. “We have to raise our voices. We have to participate. We can’t just sit back and close the door and stay by the fire. We have to fight harder than ever and figure out how we can be most effective.”

“From now on, we will have to fight hard to protect democracy.”

Kunin, herself a pioneering politician, said she was “very excited about the possibility of electing the first female president.” “I was hoping I would live that long.”

But he thought: “In a time of uncertainty, the people like dictators.”

Kunin mentioned that we need to “have more dialogue with young men so they start to understand who we are.” “This division, this gap between men and women is not good for democracy.”

After defeat, “your first reaction would be to retreat,” Kunin admitted, “but I don’t think we can afford to retreat. We still have to be activists. We still have to participate and make our voices heard… We have to keep democracy alive, express our political and social views, and stay active as women.” “We need to push.”

Kunin’s advice to women is: “Keep doing what you’re doing… I encourage women to continue to strive for high-level positions and not be completely discouraged by this choice.”

Kunin admitted the morning after the election: “I felt the real doom and gloom. But as the day goes by and I talk to you, the fighting spirit struggles back into my mind, into my soul. I know we can’t give up.”