Nicola Sturgeon on Donald Trump: 'Bully boy alpha males' are 'upending the world'

Nicola Sturgeon says “bully boy alpha male” leaders like Donald Trump are “upending” the world.

The former SNP leader has also spoken of her own experiences of sexism and misogyny, saying men would “talk over” her even when she was first minister.

Ms Sturgeon made the comments on Tuesday during a speech on what makes a good leader at Scotland’s Housing Festival in Edinburgh, only hours after President Trump paused all military aid to Ukraine.

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon speaks at Scotland’s Housing Festival. | Phil Wilkinson

She said: “We live in a word today where we see many examples of what I would describe as really bad leadership. Bully boy, alpha male leadership is upending the world we are living in today.

“For younger people, the role models they are looking to in leadership are not the role models we would like to see.”

The former first minister said she was keen to make sure she was distinct from her “alpha male” predecessor Alex Salmond, whom she took over from after the 2014 independence referendum.

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“You are always tempted to try to emulate,” she said. “I am a good example because I was deputy first minister for seven years to a very alpha male leader.

“I learned a lot of good stuff from him over the years, but I quickly learned we have very different personalities and needed to find a way that suited me.”

She added: “When you look back, you do change your views. We all lived through the Iraq War and most people thought George W Bush was not the best person to occupy the White House.

“But with the experience of Trump, you look back on Bush and think you wish he could come back.

“The political experiences of prime ministers in recent times make people think of Margaret Thatcher with rose-tinted specs. She decimated communities, but she was what motivated me into politics because I hated everything she did.”

During her speech, Ms Sturgeon encouraged women who want to become leaders to strive for success. Bu she warned they needed to develop a thick skin against unfair criticism and sexism.

“There is a gendered analysis when it comes to the perception of leadership, and I wish it was not like that,” she said. “There are attributes in men that are seen as characteristics of good, strong leadership, but as a woman it is bossy and screechy.

“If you are decisive as a man, you are a good, strong leader. But as a woman you are criticised for not listening and not being a team player. It is not fair, but it is a fact of life, and as a woman in leadership you can’t let it get under your skin and undermine your confidence.”

The former first minister added: “When I was leader of the country I still experienced that, and I was still talked over by men in a way they would never do to a man.

“You would sit in a room and be ignored and then a man would say the same thing and be told it was a good idea. It’s not women’s job to fix it, because sexism is endemic and it is going backwards right now.”

Ms Sturgeon told those at the conference to embrace their imposter syndrome, calling it a superpower.

She said: “It was my superpower - if you tell yourself all the time that you’re not good enough, you end up working harder and preparing harder, and then you perform better.

“Imposter syndrome is a good thing. What is much worse is having someone with no imposter syndrome, because they are the ones causing all the problems in the world.”