Donald Trump thinks the Women's March is about celebrating him

From claiming to invent the word "fake" to “being, like, really smart”, Donald Trump may already have a reputation as the most deluded president in history, but this weekend, it’s fair to say that he managed to take it to whole new levels.

Ahead of the 2018 Women’s March, as women and men all across America prepared their placards, ready to take to the streets and demand better from their government, Trump showed that his notorious Twitter habit wasn’t going to wane anytime soon, posting: “Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March."

Now, politicians are known for putting a positive spin on bad press but he then went one better, appearing to imply that the point of the March was to celebrate his actions as President, telling women to: "Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!"

Errrr, there’s just one problem here, Don: the Women’s March was created, in a large part, in protest against to your own policies, bills and p***y-grabbing attitudes. No, this wasn’t a celebration, but hundreds of thousands of women joining together to express their dismay at you. The tweet also comes at a time when Trump's approval rating with women is in freefall. In February 2017, it stood at 38 per cent. It now stands at 33 per cent.

Funnily enough, it didn’t take the internet long to catch on to this unashamed bit of irony, either.

First, let’s all take a moment to appreciate this genius, who apparently saw all of this coming:

Nancy Sinatra didn't need 140 characters to make her feelings heard:

And a few other highlights, too:

And I’m willing to bet that even if the weather wasn’t beautiful, they’d still be out there. Oh wait, Alaska already proved that:

It is estimated that 100,000 protesters turned out in New York City alone, with a further 300,000 marching in Los Angeles. There were also sister rallies across Europe and Asia. The marches also attracted a number of celebrity speakers, including Scarlett Johansson, Eva Longoria and Natalie Portman, the last of whom addressed the crowd to speak about the need for women to make themselves heard.

But Trump’s belief that his “achievements” were being celebrated seems even more absurd when you look at his track record on women’s issues, which leaves a lot to be desired. In his first year in office, Trump has redacted the Fair Pay and Workplaces Order, which was designed to ensure companies observe pay transparency, banned transgender people from joining the military and unsuccessfully endorsed Roy Moore in the Alabama US Senate election, despite claims of sexual harassment and child molestation.

He has also put forward a budget proposal that specifically withholds funds from Planned Parenthood and any health provider that provides abortions, unless there is a danger to the mother’s life, or the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest. Just to clarify, abortion is perfectly legal in every US state. Similarly, in restoring the Global Gag order, which prevents any international organisations that offer abortions from receiving federal funding, it is estimated that more than two million women worldwide will miss out on sexual and reproductive health services.

Between the erosion of women's rights, the threat to women's healthcare, and the public support given to men accused to sexual assault, it's fair to say that it isn't an easy or a reassuring time to be a woman in the United States. The fact is that the Women's March was only organised last year as a quickly put-together reaction to Trump’s becoming President and fear of what this means for women; that there has even been a second year at all says that, if anything, women are less sure than ever. So yes, Donald, you can take some kind of credit for the fact that thousands of women are marching across the United States. But no, it’s probably not the kind you’d want to.