--- title: Mika Brzezinski Tweet: Donald Trump on Women and Blood description: Donald Trump brought up women's blood while making disparaging comments about Mika Brzezinski and Megyn Kelly. canonical: https://time.com/4839415/donald-trump-mika-brzezinski-women-blood/ author: Samantha Cooney article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-29T21:48:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:21:06.625Z og:title: Why Is the President So Disgusted By Women and Our Blood? og:description: His tweet about Mika Brzezinski wasn’t the first time he made a disparaging remark about women and blood og:url: https://time.com/4839415/donald-trump-mika-brzezinski-women-blood/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta5928b55b98ecd1c/6988d40b0b72e337c46ee75b/president-donald-trump-mika-brzezinski.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2100 og:image:height: 1181 og:image:alt: president-donald-trump-mika-brzezinski og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Is the President So Disgusted By Women and Our Blood? twitter:description: His tweet about Mika Brzezinski wasn’t the first time he made a disparaging remark about women and blood twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta5928b55b98ecd1c/6988d40b0b72e337c46ee75b/president-donald-trump-mika-brzezinski.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Is the President So Disgusted By Women and Our Blood? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=421276e2-b70d-4ece-8c65-fba0cdc352f3&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Twice a week | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=421276e2-b70d-4ece-8c65-fba0cdc352f3&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=421276e2-b70d-4ece-8c65-fba0cdc352f3&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=421276e2-b70d-4ece-8c65-fba0cdc352f3&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: White House Reiterates Defense of President Trump's Controversial Mika Brzezinski Tweet [Watch (HLS stream): White House Reiterates Defense of President Trump's Controversial Mika Brzezinski Tweet](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/6HukcMID.m3u8) (1:28)  _Published 2017-06-29. The White House continued its defense of President Trump following a pair of controversial tweets about Morning Joe co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, which included a widely condemned comment about the latter's appearance._  by [Samantha Cooney](https://time.com/author/samantha-cooney/)  ## Samantha Cooney Jun 29, 2017 9:48 PM UTC The White House continued its defense of President Trump following a pair of controversial tweets about Morning Joe co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, which included a widely condemned comment about the latter's appearance.  by [Samantha Cooney](https://time.com/author/samantha-cooney/)  ## Samantha Cooney Jun 29, 2017 9:48 PM UTC On Thursday, President Donald Trump [tweeted](http://fortune.com/2017/06/29/donald-trump-twitter-mika-brzezinski/?xid=homepage) that Mika Brzezinski [was](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/880410114456465411) “bleeding badly from a face-lift” in an attempt to insult the _Morning Joe_ co-host. > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/880408582310776832) > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/880410114456465411) The [much-criticized comment](http://time.com/4839060/donald-trump-republican-senators-mika-brzezinski-tweet/) was the latest bullet point in Trump’s history of [making disparaging remarks ](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trumps-long-history-calling-women-crazy-attacking-appearances/story?id=48348956)about women’s appearances. But it also wasn’t the first time Trump has made a disparaging remark about women [related to blood](http://motto.time.com/4526956/menstruation-election-day/). While Trump’s tweet about Brzezinski alleged she was bleeding because of a botched plastic surgery procedure, there is one thing that immediately comes to mind when women and blood are put in the same sentence: [periods](http://motto.time.com/4795611/menstrual-hygiene-day-period-education-resources/). During the first Republican presidential primary debate, Megyn Kelly questioned Trump about his [treatment of women](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/09/us/politics/trump-women-history.html). During [an interview with CNN](http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/08/politics/donald-trump-cnn-megyn-kelly-comment/) after the debate, Trump said Kelly had “blood coming out of her eyes…blood coming out of her wherever.” Trump said he was referring to [Kelly’s nose](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/629997060830425088?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref%5Furl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2015%2F08%2F08%2Fpolitics%2Fdonald-trump-cnn-megyn-kelly-comment%2Findex.html), but many others interpreted the comment as a sexist insult about the [journalist’s period. ](https://www.thecut.com/2016/05/trump-megyn-kelly-period-blood.html)And, during the campaign, a 1997 interview Trump gave to Howard Stern [resurfaced](http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/08/politics/trump-on-howard-stern/index.html) where Stern asked Trump whether he’d seriously have sex with a woman who was menstruating, as if it was gross to do so. “Well, I’ve been there. I have been there Howard, as we all have,” Trump told Stern. “Well, sometimes you get there by mistake.” > [](https://twitter.com/litallevy/status/880485904338624512) > [](https://twitter.com/rtraister/status/880427673218109440) > [](https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/880437591807602693) > [](https://twitter.com/chrisfarnsworth/status/880468523687923712) > [](https://twitter.com/xeni/status/880491356656775168) Trump’s invocation of blood evokes a [deep history](https://books.google.com/books?id=njfQfrMr31EC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs%5Fge%5Fsummary%5Fr&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false) of using menstruation against women. There’s the idea that women are moody, angry and irrational on their period, an archaic stereotype that some [used to argue why women](https://www.thecut.com/2016/10/letter-to-the-editor-worries-about-hillary-clintons-period.html) like Hillary Clinton [shouldn’t be president.](https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2008/03/11/marc-rudov-on-the-downside-of-a-woman-president/142850) There’s the [taboo that periods](http://time.com/4694568/meghan-markle-period-stigma/) are somehow shameful, which has historically prevented women from [working during their period ](http://motto.time.com/4246662/period-policies-at-work/)and still causes [girls ](http://time.com/4339388/kenya-menstruation-education/)in some parts of the world [miss or drop out of school](http://blogs.worldbank.org/education/globally-periods-are-causing-girls-be-absent-school). And there’s the idea that menstruation is somehow disgusting and women are somehow uncouth during that time of the month. “Women face an onslaught of negative imagery about menstruation, as the media implies that menstruation makes women ‘unclean,'” [Breanne Fahs writes](https://books.google.com/books?id=CKUwDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA24&lpg=PA24&dq=menstruation+taboo+is+sexist&source=bl&ots=hNb2xs6Kir&sig=kJXkZw13%5FhwBEUwXi%5Fx-cORZm4U&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjij8uA6OPUAhVMOiYKHavLBE04ChDoAQhQMAc#v=onepage&q=menstruation%20taboo%20is%20sexist&f=false) in [_Out for Blood: Essays on Menstruation and Resistance_.](https://www.amazon.com/Out-Blood-Essays-Menstruation-Resistance/dp/1438462131/?tag=mottocom-20) “Even the phrase feminine hygiene, a relic from 1930s advertisements for birth control, connotes that women should construct menstrual blood as fundamentally dirty.” The taboo around menstruation plays into a larger cultural stereotype that [women’s bodies](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-thornton/vaginas-arent-gross%5Fb%5F6298116.html) — including their [hair, ](http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2014/06/why-were-grossed-out-women-pit-hair.html)their [fat ](https://theestablishment.co/why-are-fat-women-discriminated-against-more-than-fat-men-284137daa22)and [vaginal discharge](http://metro.co.uk/2016/07/02/why-we-need-to-talk-about-the-pantychallenge-discharge-and-womens-bodies-5980430/) —[ are somehow gross. ](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenny-block/womens-bodies-and-sexuality-are-not-gross%5Fb%5F5950122.html)And Trump has played into that idea on occasion as well. During a rally, he said it was “disgusting” his opponent Hillary Clinton used the bathroom [during a debate](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/12/21/donald-trump-calls-hillary-clinton-disgusting-for-using-the-restroom-during-a-debate/). Attorney Elizabeth Beck [claimed](http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/29/politics/trump-breast-pump-statement/index.html) Trump used the word in 2011 to describe her breastfeeding. (Trump’s lawyer did not dispute that he used the word and the Trump Organization’s general counsel said Beck was “disgusting” for allegedly breastfeeding in the middle of the room, [according to CNN](http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/29/politics/trump-breast-pump-statement/index.html).) In fact, “disgusting” is one of his choice insults toward women, as he’s thrown the word at former Miss USA [Alicia Machado](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/09/30/trump-falsely-cites-sex-tape-in-latest-attack-against-former-miss-universe/?utm%5Fterm=.5d556fd8030f), [Madonna](http://time.com/4651502/donald-trump-madonna-womens-march/) and [Rosie O’Donnell.](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/29/us/donald-trump-keeps-insulting-rosie-odonnell-heres-how-their-feud-started.html) Trump has repeatedly said that he [respects women.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/03/08/21-times-donald-trump-has-assured-us-he-respects-women/) But in order to truly do that, President Trump needs to keep women, their faces and their bodies out of it. ## Transcript Did the president go too far with his tweet in it's deeply caution measure? I don't think so, I mean I think the president has been attack [ UNKNOWN ] on personal accounts by [ UNKNOWN ] on that program and I think he's been very clear that when he gets attacked, he is gonna hit back. I think the American people elected somebody who's tough, who's smart, and who a fighter and that'd Donald Trump And I don't think that it's a surprise to anybody that he fights fire with fire. The things that this show has called him, and not just him but numerous members of his staff, including myself and many others, are very deeply personal. So to then turn and pretend like This approaches I guess it's kind of like we're living in the twilight zone. I do this day after day after day and then the president responds and defends himself and everybody is uphold and blown away. Frankly, if this had happened in the previous administration, the type of attacks launched on this program, the things they say, utterly stupid, personality disorder, mentally ill. Constant personal attacks, calling multiple members liars. Liars to their faces, while they're sitting on their programs. The rest of the media would have said, guys! No way, hold on, but nobody does that but the President, he's not going to step back, he's showed that and that's exactly what he did today. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4839415/donald-trump-mika-brzezinski-women-blood/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4839415/donald-trump-mika-brzezinski-women-blood/"},"headline":"Why Is the President So Disgusted By Women and Our Blood?","datePublished":"2017-06-29T21:48:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-08T09:21:06.625Z","description":"His tweet about Mika Brzezinski wasn’t the first time he made a disparaging remark about women and blood","url":"https://time.com/4839415/donald-trump-mika-brzezinski-women-blood/","keywords":["motto","sexism","Donald Trump","periods"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta5928b55b98ecd1c/6988d40b0b72e337c46ee75b/president-donald-trump-mika-brzezinski.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Samantha Cooney","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/samantha-cooney/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta5928b55b98ecd1c/6988d40b0b72e337c46ee75b/president-donald-trump-mika-brzezinski.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"president-donald-trump-mika-brzezinski","caption":"","creditText":"Reuters; AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4839415/donald-trump-mika-brzezinski-women-blood/","name":"Why Is the President So Disgusted By Women and Our Blood?"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"White House Reiterates Defense of President Trump's Controversial Mika Brzezinski Tweet","description":"The White House continued its defense of President Trump following a pair of controversial tweets about Morning Joe co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, which included a widely condemned comment about the latter's appearance.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/6HukcMID/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-06-29T19:29:35.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/6HukcMID.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4839415/donald-trump-mika-brzezinski-women-blood/","duration":"PT1M28S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4839415/donald-trump-mika-brzezinski-women-blood/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```