John Kerry mocked Trump by comparing him to a teenage girl and people aren't happy

Former US secretary of state and presidential candidate John Kerry is facing criticism for mocking president Trump by comparing him to a teenage girl.

During an interview promoting his memoir, Kerry said:

He’s the first president that I know of who spends more time reading his Twitter ‘likes’ than his briefing books or the Constitution of the United States

Discussing the effect of Trump’s lies on democracy, Kerry then asserted that Trump has “the insecurity of a teenage girl. It’s just who he is”.

While it is not unusual to criticise Trump, many have found the method of mocking Trump by comparing him to a girl distasteful.

Others have pointed out that girls often mature quicker than some boys, so the comparison is unfair.

Some also highlighted teenage girls who are doing incredible things to change the world, such as gun control activist Emma González and Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.

This is not the first time that the methods of criticising Trump have come under scrutiny. Members of the LGBT+ community have frequently complained at attempts to mock Trump by insinuating that they are in a gay relationships with other leaders, such as Russian president Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.

In July, the New York Times faced criticism for portraying Trump and Putin in a “forbidden romance”.

These instances highlight that it is important to be mindful of the language that we use when criticising Trump. Even if well intentioned, some ways of calling Trump out or mocking him actually reinforce the prejudices and privileges that are associated with his presidency. It's easy to rebuke Trump's actions and policies without also mocking minorities - so let's focus on what really matters.

More: The New York Times joked Trump and Putin were gay and people are furious