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Obama Accuses Men Who Aren't Voting for Clinton of Sexism: 'There's a Reason Why We Haven't Had a Woman President'

November 2, 2016

President Obama suggested sexism was to blame for Hillary Clinton's close race with Donald Trump on Tuesday night, saying "there's a reason why we haven't had a woman president before."

Speaking at a rally in Ohio on Tuesday, Obama gave a message to "the guys out there."

"I want to be honest," he said. "You know, there's a reason why we haven't had a woman president before ... And we have to ask ourselves as men, because I hope my daughters are going to be able to achieve anything they want to achieve, and I know that my wife is not just my equal but my superior."

The crowd roared its approval.

"And I want every man out there who's voting to kind of look inside yourself and ask yourself, if you're having problems with this stuff, how much of it is that we're just not used to it?" Obama asked. "When a guy is ambitious and out in the public arena and working hard, well that's OK, but when a woman suddenly does it, suddenly you're all like, 'Well, why's she doing that?' I'm just being honest."

Obama called Clinton "so much better qualified than the other guy," referring to Trump. Obama has slammed Trump as unfit to lead, making frequent appearances on the campaign trail in October to try to push his former secretary of state to victory.

Obama made similar comments in a friendly interview that aired Monday with late-night host Samantha Bee. Asked by the sympathetic host what sort of personal attacks Clinton could expect to face as president, Obama suggested stereotypes of women, like "she's tired, she's moody, she's being emotional."