Trump Promises to Empower Women in Business

President Donald Trump, joined by first daughter Ivanka Trump, addressed a group of women small business owners in a roundtable panel discussion Monday, stating that empowering women in business, and removing the barriers they face, are priorities in his administration.

“Empowering and promoting women in business is an absolute priority in the Trump administration because I know how crucial women are as job creators, role models, and leaders all throughout our communities,” Trump said.

Held at the culmination of Women’s History Month, the White House event included 10 female entrepreneurs from across the United States and a variety of industries. The President quoted statistics on women in business, stating that companies that promote women to senior leadership roles realize significantly better profits than their competitors, and that women are the primary source of income in 40 percent of American households with children under the age of 15.

Vice President Mike Pence also addressed the business owners, saying the White House continues to advance an agenda of less regulation, less taxes, investments in infrastructure, fair trade and addressing health care costs for small business owners and their employees.

“We will continue to address the barriers faced by women professionals and entrepreneurs, including access to capital, access to markets, and access to networks. We will make it very easy,” Trump told the group.

Trump also said the administration is pushing for policies that support working families, including making childcare more affordable and accessible.

Last month, the President signed two executive orders that support women in business: the Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act which encourages entrepreneurial programs that recruit and support women, and the Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers and Innovators and Explorers Act that directs NASA to encourage women and girls to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics and to pursue careers in aerospace.

Members of the roundtable panel, organized through the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, also met with Ivanka Trump earlier this month. During Monday’s discussion, The President acknowledged the role of his daughter in the administration’s push for women’s equality in the workforce. Ivanka Trump is set to attend a global summit on women’s empowerment and economic development next month in Berlin.