Dr Phil is famous for the line: "The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior." In terms of Trump, I think that statement is absolutely spot on. Without even going into the failure of his previous marriages, it would appear that Trump is, was, and probably always will be a misogynist. His response to Megyn Kelly would validate that:
KELLY: Mr. Trump, one of the things people love about you is you speak your mind and you don't use a politician's filter. However, that is not without its downsides, in particular, when it comes to women. You've called women you don't like "fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals. Your Twitter account has several disparaging comments about women's looks. You once told a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees. Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president, and how will you answer the charge from Hillary Clinton, who was likely to be the Democratic nominee, that you are part of the war on women?
TRUMP: "I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct. I've been challenged by so many people, and I don't frankly have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn't have time either. This country is in big trouble. We don't win anymore. We lose to China. We lose to Mexico both in trade and at the border. We lose to everybody. And frankly, what I say, and oftentimes it's fun, it's kidding. We have a good time. What I say is what I say. And honestly Megyn, if you don't like it, I'm sorry. I've been very nice to you, although I could probably maybe not be, based on the way you have treated me. But I wouldn't do that. But you know what, we -- we need strength, we need energy, we need quickness and we need brain in this country to turn it around. That, I can tell you right now."
But beyond that exchange, three recent quotes would be a good point of departure to validate Dr Phil's bromide:
"All of the women on The Apprentice flirted with me--consciously or unconsciously. That's to be expected."
and
"I think the only difference between me and the other candidates is that I'm more honest and my women are more beautiful."
and
"You know, it doesn't really matter what [the media] write as long as you've got a young and beautiful piece of ass."
What stands out in these quotes (as well as his thin-skinned reaction to Kelly) are two major points: 1) the notion of political correctness and 2) the notion of beauty. As to the first, Trump clearly confuses the notion of respect for women with political correctness. There is nothing respectful about calling women "fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals." I'm not sure how those derogatory and misogynistic statements could be confused with political correctness. A politically correct comment would be (from Trump's POV) that women are "overweight Sus omnivores, canines, unattractive females and unpleasant animals." Those would be politically correct comments. I'm not sure Trump would countenance someone calling his daughter, Ivanka, an "anorexic-looking kike" and then defending oneself by saying "I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct."
But what's clearly implied in these quotes about women is the notion of "beauty." Trump has a specific notion of what beautiful women should look like and his quotes don't belie that notion. He uses the word "slob" and the phrase "piece of ass" without ever reflecting on what they actually mean. Because a woman doesn't fit his notion of beauty does that make her a "slob?" Does he really think his current wife is a "beautiful piece of ass"? Does he address her in those terms? In 2006, he even opined: "I've said if Ivanka weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her." That statement alone should have been enough to have gotten him an invitation to Dr. Phil.
Given his penchant for beauty and his aversion to women who don't fit into his category, what might happen if Trump became president and had to meet heads of state who were women? For example, what would Trump say to Angela Merkel or Dilma Rousseff or Michelle Bachelet or Cristina Fernández de Kirchner or Park Geun-hye? And what if he had to talk seriously to Janet Yellen or Christine Lagarde (presuming he knows who they are)?
My sense is that none of those women would fall into Trump's Pantheon of Beautiful Women so how would he deal with them? Would he call Merkel a "slob" to her face because he didn't have the time to be "politically correct?" Perhaps, Lagarde is too tall for him and he'd call her something like "money stick" or if he didn't believe in IMF policies he might call her "Euro trash." The list is endless.
The fact that he was disinvited to speak at an upcoming conservative event in Atlanta may be a portent of things to come; however, Trump apparently has "double-down" on his misogyny by stating: "This is just another example of weakness through being politically correct," his campaign said in a statement."
It's obvious to anyone who can read his discourse that Trump has no intention of being anything other than what he is; namely, a boorish misogynist. If he or his campaign believes that insulting women is the right thing to do because he doesn't have time to be "politically correct," then the Republican Party might want to make that a plank in a platform that is decidedly warped to begin with.