Donald Trump’s Federal Reserve Board Nominee Has a Particularly Terrible History of Gross, Sexist “Jokes”

When Donald Trump sets out to nominate someone for a position in his cabinet or another office, it often feels like his goal is to find the absolute worst person for that particular job. Such is the case with Stephen Moore, his recent pick for the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors.

Betsy DeVos, his pick to run the Department of Education, famously had zero experience with the public school system. His nomination to run the Department of the Interior was, at the time of that nomination, embroiled in at least 17 active corruption scandals. His first Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, is the living embodiment of civil liberties restrictions. And it seems like Trump simply refuses to consider any appointments to federal courts unless the prospective nominee has expressed some terrible opinions about women.

Trump’s nominee for the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors—an incredibly powerful position—is no different. Stephen Moore is under fire for some articles he wrote back around 2000 to 2003, and while that was a while ago (he was only a young man of 40 at the time, after all!), the articles are bad enough that even the White House is, well, not denouncing him, but “sending conflicting signals,” as CNN writes.

Some of Moore’s past opinions he felt comfortable sharing in the conservative shit-rag National Review included complaining that his wife was voting Democrat and saying “Women are sooo malleable! No wonder there’s a gender gap.” He also said that female athletes don’t deserve pay equality with male athletes, and that that would be “equal pay for inferior work.” He called it a “travesty” that women and girls want to play co-ed sports and also bemoaned the mere presence of women at sporting events in the form of coaches, referees, and even bartenders, asking if there was no place “where men can take vacation from women.”

When CNN’s KFile dug up the old stories, Moore told them, “This was a spoof. I have a sense of humor.” To that first point, I don’t doubt that these were intended to be humorous. To the second point, he absolutely does not. And filing this poorly written dreck under “humor” does not exonerate him from criticism. In fact, that he would find this level of misogyny grounds for repeated mockery says all we need to know about him.

Moore has also repeatedly said that the media is “pulling a Kavanaugh against me,” so clearly, he’s a classy guy.

At a press briefing Monday, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said of Moore’s articles, “Certainly we’re reviewing those comments and when we have an update on that front we’ll let you know.” That’s a nothing comment but it may very well be the hardest stance the White House has ever taken regarding the terrible opinions and actions of a Trump nominee.

But then a few hours later, National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow said Trump was still 100% behind Moore. “He still supports Steve’s (nomination),” Kudlow told reporters. “People are being awfully hard on him. We are fully behind him.”

By the way, it’s not just Moore’s views on women that should be disqualifying. He also has terrible opinions about the economy!

(image: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

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Vivian Kane

Vivian Kane (she/her) is the Senior News Editor at The Mary Sue, where she's been writing about politics and entertainment (and all the ways in which the two overlap) since the dark days of late 2016. Born in San Francisco and radicalized in Los Angeles, she now lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she gets to put her MFA to use covering the local theatre scene. She is the co-owner of The Pitch, Kansas City’s alt news and culture magazine, alongside her husband, Brock Wilbur, with whom she also shares many cats.

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