Bono urges Trump to prioritize gender equality
U2 frontman Bono has urged President-elect Donald Trump to make gender equality the priority of his presidency as the singer received Glamour magazine's inaugural Man of the Year award in Los Angeles.
Bono received the award for the Poverty is Sexist movement, which was launched by his One campaign in 2015.
"I say to the president-elect: look across to women, make equality a priority, it is the only way forward," the singer said, as reported by BBC.
Trump has received criticisms for his demeanor towards women. Several women have come out to accuse him of sexual assault which he denied, saying, "no one respects women more than I do."
During the campaign period, Trump threatened to sue the twelve women who made allegations of sexual assault against him. However, the business magnate withdrew his plans to take legal action against the women after he won the election.
Feminist groups are planning a mass demonstration against the president-elect on Jan. 21, the day after his inauguration, in Washington D.C.
In his speech at the Glamour awards ceremony, Bono stressed the importance of addressing the issue of gender equality.
"As my daughter Jordan says, there is nowhere on earth where women have the same opportunities as men. Unless we address this problem, both men and women together, the world will continue down this misogynistic, violent and impoverished path. The train is leaving the station, be on it or be under it," Bono said.
The singer had previously described Trump as "potentially the worst idea that ever happened to America," during an interview with CBS's Charlie Rose in September. He had repeatedly criticized the president-elect for his proposal to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border in order to curb illegal immigration.
Trump revealed in the interview with Lesley Stahl on "60 Minutes" that he intends to pursue his plan to build the wall although he noted that there might be some fencing in some areas of the border. He stated that he will focus on deporting up to three million illegal immigrants who have criminal records.
