Donald Trump’s Mother’s Day proclamation is straight out of The Handmaid’s Tale – Quartz

As is customary for a sitting US president, Donald Trump proclaimed today Mothers Day. As is customary for Donald Trump, the proclamation is light on substance, and also treats mothers as people who belong first and foremost in the home.

Our deep appreciation for the strength and spirit of mothers and their resolve to do what is right for their children and families cannot be overstated. They are often the first to lend a hand during hard times and the first to celebrate our proudest victories. The boundless energy of our mothers inspires us to be people of action, people who strive relentlessly toward our goals. Above all, they teach us the power and joy of unconditional love.

Compare that to the Mothers Day proclamation Barack Obama issued in 2012, which contains a lengthy paragraph on the challenges faced daily by working moms in America, as well as his administrations efforts to improve their lot:

Mothers raise children under an array of circumstances, and many work long hours inside and outside the home balancing myriad demands. Mothers are leaders and trailblazers in every part of our societyfrom classrooms to boardrooms, at home and overseas, on the beat and on the bench. We celebrate the efforts of all our Nations mothers, and we recognize that when more households are relying on women as primary or co-breadwinners, the success of women in our economy is essential to the success of our families, our communities, and our country. That is why I created the White House Council on Women and Girls as one of my first acts in officeto ensure we integrate the needs of women and girls into every decision we make. I was proud to sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which continues to help women secure equal pay for equal work, and my Administration continues to promote workplace flexibility so no mother has to choose between her job and her child. And because of the Affordable Care Act, women finally have more power to make choices about their health care, and they have expanded access to a wide variety of preventive services such as mammograms at no additional cost.

Or even this one from George W. Bush in 2001, which nods to the many women who are heads of their household:

Many American families are now headed solely by women, and these women shoulder enormous responsibilities. For the good of their families and our Nation, we must strive to provide support and assistance to those mothers, such as, opportunities for training and employment; early childhood education for their young ones; and safe, affordable, and high-quality childcare.

(It goes on to call for fathers to fulfill their financial and nurturing responsibilities, but points for trying.)

That Trump fails to celebrate mothers for anything other than their role in bearing and nurturing children is hardly surprising: His comments about women include, among other things, I think that putting a wife to work is a very dangerous thing. Since ascending to the presidency, Trump has wrenched aid from organizations that provide family planning and basic womens health care, and championed a health care bill that promises to revert the US to a time when being a womanand especially a mother!was essentially a pre-existing condition.

The bill passed on May 4 by the US House of Representatives would waive protections that keep insurance companies from charging higher premiums to women who have been sexually assaulted, domestically abused, pregnant, infertile, or even had a C-section. The legislation has drawn comparisons to The Handmaids Tale, Margaret Atwoods dystopian-novel-turned-TV-series about a futuristic US that strips women of their rights and relegates them to reproductive slavery, all while preaching the value of child-bearing women to society.

Blessed be the fruit, they say in The Handmaids Tale. Whether by birth, adoption, or foster care, our Nations mothers give selflessly of themselves for the wellbeing of the lives and futures of others, says Trump in his Mothers Day proclamation. We humbly thank them for this greatest gift.

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Donald Trump's Mother's Day proclamation is straight out of The Handmaid's Tale - Quartz