Trump frequently asks his aides why women don't like him: CNN

Former President Donald Trump is deeply confused in private conversation with aides and strategists why women aren't more supportive of his presidential campaign, reported CNN on Friday.

This comes amid reporting that Alexandra Cooper, the host of the wildly successful "Call Her Daddy" podcast, invited Trump to do an interview the same as she did for Vice President Kamala Harris, and he declined to do so.

Per the report, "on the phone with close allies, Trump will ask why women don’t like him, three sources familiar with the conversations said" — with one aide saying, “He thinks women want someone who will keep them safe. Keep their children safe."

In recent years, a gender divide in politics has grown starker than ever. As issues like the fall of Roe v. Wade have directly impacted women's health and freedom, and as Trump's extensive record of accusations of sexual misconduct and assault has been reported, women, and particularly educated suburban women, have been fleeing the GOP and reshaping the politics of regions around the country.

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Trump has often sought to portray his presidency as keeping women safe, including in race-baiting rhetoric about keeping undesirable people and low-income buildings out of "the suburbs." He also routinely posits that women are threatened by migrants and Central American gangs.

His staff has reportedly begged him to stop using this sort of "protector" rhetoric — which has led to Trump doubling down on it.

He caused controversy at his recent rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin when he said, "I’m president. I want to protect the women of our country. Well, I’m going to do it, whether the women like it or not."

The Harris campaign has seized on these words to portray Trump as uncaring about women's actual feelings or consent when he makes decisions that impact their lives.