The US President can be a convicted felon, sexual predator and serial liar as long as 1 he's a man. America has a woman problem

THE Democrats' eve-of-election plea came from Modern Family star Ed O'Neill: "It's time to be a man. Vote for a woman."

- ROS WYNNE-JONES

Whatever else ails the United States, America has a woman problem. With Trump's resurrection, the "grab 'em by the p***y" boys finally triumphed over the "childless cat ladies".

The Democrats spent the final days of the campaign desperately trying to appeal to men to think of the women in their lives. While the Republicans effortlessly capitalised by just letting Trump be Trump - a brand soaked in machismo and misogyny.

Time and again I heard it in Pennsylvania about Kamala Harris: "She's not strong enough." "She doesn't have what it takes." "She can't stand up to Putin."

Never mind that Putin is a friend of Trump, who sent him personal covid tests during the pandemic. What they meant was: "She's a woman." "She's a Black woman."

Harris's supporters were in tears and stunned by the result as they waited in vain for her to address them at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington. For months we heard this historic election was "on a knife-edge", which was true unless you broke things down by gender. A late New York Times poll had Trump leading with male voters by 14% and Harris with women by 12%.

For each man who told me Harris was too weak, a woman said she was ready to vote Harris - including staunch Republicans.

A woman in a wealthy enclave of Chester County told me that despite registering to vote in the Republican primary, she "could not vote for that man" in the Presidential election. But she looked grim when she said her husband had agreed to vote Democrat too, and we both knew she didn't believe him.

Voters always tell you they are voting on the economy. But voting is an emotional act and this was a gender election.

The second time in eight years that America has failed to elect a woman.