A Woman President? 30 Women Now Head Governments, But Not in the United States

Freedom and Democracy
Written By Sadie Cornelius

With the June 2024 elections of Claudia Sheinbaum as president of Mexico and Halla Tómasdóttir as prime minister of Iceland, there are now thirty women who are heads of state or heads of government. In the United States, just two women have been the nominees for a major political party. Former First Lady and New York senator Hillary R. Clinton ran in 2016 and Vice President Kamala Harris ran in 2024; both were defeated by Donald Trump. Only two women, Alaska governor Sarah Palin in 2008 and California senator Kamala Harris in 2020 had been nominated by one of the two major parties in the United States to be vice-president. Harris was the only woman to serve as vice-president of the United States.

In the 2024 US presidential campaign, Donald Trump made it a point to demean, insult, and ridicule Harris, making crude sexist remarks, accusing her of sleeping her way to power and lacking the stamina and intelligence to lead the country. He routinely called her a “bad person,” someone who is “evil, sick, crazy.” Trump boasted that he would protect women, “whether the women like it or not.” Trump loyalists and rally-goers lapped it up. J.D. Vance, Trump’s running mate, and the newly elected vice-president, disparaged liberal women as “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable in their own lives.”

Source: Michael Gold, “Trump, Vance and Allies Hurl Insults at Women as Race Ends,” New York Times, November 5, 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/05/us/politics/trump-nancy-pelosi-liz-cheney-women.html

Sadie Cornelius

Sadie K Cornelius is a proud Longhorn and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin’s Moody School of Communications with a Bachelor's in Advertising and a minor in Business.

She has more than 15 years of experience in Squarespace website and graphic design for 200+ clients all over the world.

A fourth generation business owner Sadie is passionate about helping others through creating compelling visuals and cohesive brand identities. She’s been featured in Forbes as a female-owned company, has taught several digital marketing classes at General Assembly, is a volunteer for non-profit organizations.

Sadie enjoys traveling the world, spending time with her husband, King Charles Cavalier, and families in the Carolinas. Originally from Kansas City, Sadie resides in Washington DC (but is forever an Austin girl at heart).

https://www.skc-marketing.com
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