Nearly four dozen female founders, executives and CEOs of tech-focused companies signed a sharply worded letter in Business Insider condemning a sitting president who “denigrates women” — and announcing support for Joe Biden for commander in chief.
The entrepreneurial women did not hold back in their contempt of President Trump, who has proclaimed himself a self-made billionaire while riding on the coattails of his father into the family business.
“Donald Trump came to office promising that his business ‘know-how’ would help America,” wrote the women, from companies including Microsoft, SiriusXM, Rent the Runway, Hello Alice and Girls Who Code. “With all due respect, Mr. President, we know business.”
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Invoking the recent death of feminist icon and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and a pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Americans, the 46 signatories said women and small businesses have disproportionately endured severe economic devastation in the past several months — and one person is to blame.
“Working women are bearing the brunt of Trump’s mismanagement,” they wrote.
They added that Trump has “rolled back protections against discrimination and harassment in the workplace, called pregnancy an ‘inconvenience’ for employers, openly mocked professional women, and denigrated his own female staff.”
“This kind of behavior from a president undermines the contributions of over half of our nation,” they continued. “Without the backbone of women workers and leaders, America will not thrive.”
Meanwhile, Biden’s plan to fight Covid-19 — calling for a national mask mandate, providing free testing and treatment, and offering enough Personal Protective Equipment for healthcare workers — “will give us a shot at getting businesses and families back to normal,” they said.
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“Joe Biden treats women with the dignity and respect we deserve,” they wrote, noting the former vice president’s work around the Violence Against Women Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act.
“We feel particular urgency because as women, we have worked hard to be seen, to be heard, and to succeed — and we won’t go back.”