Dear Donald,

The final debate was your opportunity to make a case to the American people; to tell us what you would do once elected, to inspire us with your vision of a thriving America. You needed to “project the image of a possible commander in chief, and offer a good answer to the accusations of sexual misbehavior.”

For thirty entire minutes you were restrained, you answered the questions, you followed the rules and you looked almost presidential. You looked like you prepared for this final performance and the media noticed.

But then it all fell apart. You began interrupting instead of listening and your interjections of “wrong” without any explanation were simply disrespectful. You need the support college-educated white women to win this election and the debate only made it worse. You had to know that unless you change your tone, women will hand Clinton a decisive victory in battleground states. And yet you didn’t seem to care.

Women are keenly attuned to references about our sexuality and gender. We notice when you mansplain and dismiss the woman on the stage. Interjecting “wrong” when you don’t agree doesn’t help you win us over. Neither does calling Clinton a “nasty woman” under your breath.

What Mr. Trump doesn’t seem to understand is that when men talk about what women look like, what women hear is somebody saying, “There’s something wrong with you. (Susan Chira, NYT)

Using the term “nasty” to describe a woman is a punch in the gut, it cuts to the deep insecurities at the core of our beings; yet you used it – in a public setting, on national TV. Woman are bombarded by expectations - about our appearances, how we should act and the social roles we play. We are told that our natural selves are not acceptable without myriad products, specific grooming practices and the right clothes. Your phrase “nasty woman” uses this expectation as a weapon to cut down a woman. It was a ballsy move and one that you will lose by. Instead of debating the ideas, you reacted in the most despicable way. There is no place for you in the White House.  

Hillary Clinton was right in her portrayal of you in this ad. The debate was a time for you to espouse an inclusive message and make your case. You failed. There is no place for me in your campaign rhetoric; one that shows such a blatant degradation of women.

Sincerely,

The white college-educated woman voter