Obama on election

Says sexism playing role in presidential race,

President Obama told Democratic donors in New York Sunday night that sexism is part of the reason why the 2016 presidential race is closer than it should be.

“This should not be a close election, but it will be and the reason it will be is not because of Hillary’s flaws, but because structurally, we’ve become a very polarized society,” Obama told a Clinton supporters at a $ 25,000- andup fundraiser in Manhattan.

“I will also say there is a reason why we haven’t had a woman president,” he said. “We as a society still grapple with what it means to see powerful woman. And it still troubles us in a lot of ways, unfairly. And that expresses itself in all sorts of ways.”

With less than eight weeks until the election, Obama has been stepping up his campaign for Clinton to succeed him.

In just the past week. he’s headlined a Philadelphia campaign rally, addressed two Democratic dinners in Washington and appeared at two New York fundraisers.

On Sunday, Obama also laid out his case against Republican nominee Donald Trump, who he said “shows no interest in even gaining the rudimentary knowledge required to make really tough decisions on a day to day basis.”

He called the Trump campaign an “infomercial” and a “reality show.”

But recognizing that he was in Trump territory, Obama told the guests, “some of you may have business with him. If you have, it doesn’t sound like it’s been a pleasant experience.”

Obama spoke to about 60 donors at the Gramercy Park home of restaurateur Danny Meyer and actress Audrey Meyer. Also spotted among the guests: White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, Clinton adviser Huma Abedin, and actor Michael Douglas.

The president arrived in New York Sunday for a three- day visit with world leaders at the United Nations. He’ll do another fundraiser for Senate Democrats Monday.