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Trump Calls Obama’s Comment That Women-Led Governments Would Be Better ‘Ridiculous’

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets across the spectrum.

6 articles in total, 2 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Former President Barack Obama said at an event at Salem State University that he had “fantasized” about putting women in charge of every government for two years, adding that things “would be better” though “not perfect.” Asked about the remark on Saturday, President Trump responded, “I love women, I think they’re great, but what a ridiculous statement that is, right?” Some coverage also reported that Trump told a female reporter to be “quiet” during the same exchange. Commentary from right-leaning outlets questioned both Obama’s claim about women leaders and a related statement he made about declining federal corruption.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Obama said he had “fantasized” about women running every government for two years and that things “would be better,” though “not perfect.”

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  2. Obama made the comment during an appearance at Salem State University.

    Reported byCenter

  3. Trump responded on Saturday, saying, “I love women, I think they’re great, but what a ridiculous statement that is, right?”

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  4. Trump told a female reporter to be “quiet” during the exchange.

    Reported byLeft

  5. Obama separately said the federal government is “so much less corrupt” than in the past.

    Reported byRight

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Whether Trump’s remark to the reporter was a notable or notable part of the story

    Left-leaning outlets highlight Trump telling a female reporter to be ‘quiet’ as a key element of the exchange; center and right coverage in this sample do not mention it.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The Independent published near-identical headlines (with a minor later revision) that lead with Trump telling a female reporter to be “quiet” before mentioning his dismissal of Obama’s claim.

    Trump tells female reporter to be ‘quiet’ and calls Obama’s claim that a world run by women would be better ‘ridiculous’
    The IndependentLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The Hill’s headline centers on Trump’s blunt dismissal of Obama’s comment, framed within their long-running rivalry.

    Trump Loaded verb“blasts”Characterizes Trump’s remarks as a forceful attack rather than neutrally reporting his comment.More neutral: criticizesDisagree with this highlight? Obama's 'ridiculous' take all-women governments would 'be better'
    The HillCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet · 2 opinion

    Coverage ranges from mocking treatments of Obama’s remark as a ‘fantasy’ (Daily Wire, PJ Media) to Reason’s more analytical critique questioning both the women-leadership claim and Obama’s corruption claim.

    ‘I Love Women, But…’: Trump Loaded verb“Shuts Down”Implies a decisive rebuttal rather than simply describing Trump's disagreement.More neutral: Responds ToDisagree with this highlight? Loaded modifier“Obama’s Two-Year Matriarchy Fantasy”"Matriarchy Fantasy" mocks and trivializes Obama's stated hypothetical rather than describing it neutrally.More neutral: Obama's Idea of Women Leading Governments for Two YearsDisagree with this highlight?
    The Daily WireFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left1

    tense exchange

  • Center2

    went afterblasts

  • Right3

    Shuts DownObama’s Two-Year Matriarchy Fantasysweeping claims

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    Shuts DownMore neutral: Responds To

    Implies a decisive rebuttal rather than simply describing Trump's disagreement.

    ‘I Love Women, But…’: Trump Shuts Down Obama’s Two-Year Matriarchy Fantasy

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    Obama’s Two-Year Matriarchy FantasyMore neutral: Obama's Idea of Women Leading Governments for Two Years

    "Matriarchy Fantasy" mocks and trivializes Obama's stated hypothetical rather than describing it neutrally.

    ‘I Love Women, But…’: Trump Shuts Down Obama’s Two-Year Matriarchy Fantasy

    Used byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    tense exchangeMore neutral: exchange

    Describes the interaction with a dramatic label rather than a neutral description of the questioning.

    President Donald Trump told a female reporter to be “quiet” in his latest tense exchange with the press, then separately dismissed the idea that women govern better than…

    Used byThe Independent (Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    sweeping claimsMore neutral: broad claims

    Labels Obama’s statements as excessively broad or exaggerated before evaluating them, prejudging the argument.

    There's a lot of flaws in both sweeping claims—and one that they have in common.

    Used byReason (Right)

Show 2 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    went afterMore neutral: responded to

    Frames Trump’s comment as an aggressive attack rather than a neutral response.

    President Trump went after former President Obama over the weekend for the latter’s claim that if the worlds’…

    Used byThe Hill (Center)

  • Loaded verb

    blastsMore neutral: criticizes

    Characterizes Trump’s remarks as a forceful attack rather than neutrally reporting his comment.

    Trump blasts Obama's 'ridiculous' take all-women governments would 'be better'

    Used byThe Hill (Center)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Absolutist framing

    Quoted

    indisputablyMore neutral: cite the evidence

    Announces certainty instead of demonstrating it.

    Obama felt that there would be better standards of living, and that women were "indisputably better" in the leadership department.

    Quoted byPJ Media (Far Right)

    Inside a quotation: the outlets are reporting someone else’s words.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Trump’s remark to a female reporter
  • Trump calling Obama’s statement ‘ridiculous’

Leaves out

  • Obama’s separate comment about declining government corruption

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Trump’s quoted reaction
  • history of Trump-Obama exchanges

Leaves out

  • Trump’s comment to a female reporter

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • The HillCenter

    Trump Loaded verb“blasts”Characterizes Trump’s remarks as a forceful attack rather than neutrally reporting his comment.More neutral: criticizesDisagree with this highlight? Obama's 'ridiculous' take all-women governments would 'be better'

    President Trump Loaded verb“went after”Frames Trump’s comment as an aggressive attack rather than a neutral response.More neutral: responded toDisagree with this highlight? former President Obama over the weekend for the latter’s claim that if the worlds’ governments were run entirely by women, it would lead to a “better” situation. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet · 2 opinion

Leads with

  • Obama’s claim as sweeping or implausible
  • comparison with his corruption statement
  • Trump’s dismissive response

Leaves out

  • Trump’s comment to a female reporter

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Daily WireFar Right

    ‘I Love Women, But…’: Trump Loaded verb“Shuts Down”Implies a decisive rebuttal rather than simply describing Trump's disagreement.More neutral: Responds ToDisagree with this highlight? Loaded modifier“Obama’s Two-Year Matriarchy Fantasy”"Matriarchy Fantasy" mocks and trivializes Obama's stated hypothetical rather than describing it neutrally.More neutral: Obama's Idea of Women Leading Governments for Two YearsDisagree with this highlight?

    Former President Barack Obama thinks the world would be better off if women ran every government on Earth for two years. President Donald Trump is not convinced. “I love women. I think they’re great,” Trump told reporters Saturday. …

    Read at The Daily Wire (opens in a new tab)
  • ReasonRightOpinion

    Obama Claims Government Is 'Less Corrupt' and Women Are Better Leaders. There's a Problem With Both Ideas.

    There's a lot of flaws in both Loaded modifier“sweeping claims”Labels Obama’s statements as excessively broad or exaggerated before evaluating them, prejudging the argument.More neutral: broad claimsDisagree with this highlight?—and one that they have in common.

    Read at Reason (opens in a new tab)
  • PJ MediaFar RightOpinion

    Obama Vs. What He's Talking About: A Retrospective

    Former President Barack Obama claimed that governments could be run better if women ran them every couple of years. Obama felt that there would be better standards of living, and that women were "Absolutist framing“indisputably”Announces certainty instead of demonstrating it.More neutral: cite the evidenceThis appears inside a quotation. The outlet is reporting someone else’s words.Disagree with this highlight? better" in the leadership department. …

    Read at PJ Media (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    7 hr 18 min later

    Its first report, Sep 26, 5:04 PM EDT

  • Center

    2 days 2 hr later

    Its first report, Sep 28, 12:26 PM EDT

  • Right

    First to report

    The Daily Wire, Sep 26, 9:46 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Daily WireFar RightSep 26, 9:46 AM EDT
  2. The IndependentLeftSep 26, 5:04 PM EDT
  3. The HillCenterSep 28, 12:26 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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