Say this about President Donald Trump: When he dismissed the severity of domestic violence during a speech this week, he echoed a sentiment shared by plenty of Americans. Far too many are willing to waive away the severity of this very real, insidious and often fatal crisis in their communities.
Nearly one-third of women and 10% of men endure emotional, psychological or physical threats or harm from a spouse or partner in their lifetimes, events that often leave lifelong scars. Rather than minimizing the effects of domestic violence, this should serve as a lever to increase awareness and support those organizations doing the difficult work of helping victims.
At a meeting of the president’s Religious Liberty Commission on Monday, Trump delivered rambling remarks that touched on a multitude of topics, including his decision to federalize the Metropolitan Police Force and deploy National Guard troops in Washington, D.C.
Speaking at the Museum of the Bible, of all places, Trump claimed, without evidence, that crime in the District had been reduced to nothing … or virtually nothing if domestic violence wasn’t included in those statistics.
“Things that take place in the home they call crime,” Trump said. “They’ll do anything they can to find something. If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say this was a crime scene.”
While those are shocking words to hear from the president of the United States, it reflects a common excuse for those who would dismiss domestic violence or the very real harm it inflicts.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls domestic violence a significant public health issue, and reports that “61 million women and 53 million men have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime.” One in 5 homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner and more than half of female homicide victims are killed by a current or former male intimate partner.
The effects of this abuse, intimidation, stalking and outright violence inflicts a lasting toll. Again, from the CDC: “The lifetime economic cost associated with medical services for intimate partner violence-related injuries, lost productivity from paid work, criminal justice and other costs, is $3.6 trillion. The cost of IPV over a victim’s lifetime was $103,767 for women and $23,414 for men.”
According to reports to the Virginia General Assembly, the statewide domestic violence hotline handled 72,831 calls in 2023, the most recent year for which there are available statistics. A total of 5,700 adults and children received 230,759 nights of emergency or temporary shelter due to domestic violence.
This isn’t about the president’s words, but rather the pervasive and inexcusable beliefs they represent. Domestic violence is a serious problem — morally, socially and economically — and addressing it begins with recognizing its severity and standing up for victims.
It’s also worth noting that Trump, as commander in chief of the armed forces, sets the tone for how issues are addressed by the Pentagon. At a time when sexual assault and other gender-based violence continues to be an issue in our military, a clear and unambiguous message of zero tolerance would be helpful and protect those who wear the uniform and serve this country.
Thankfully, there are good people and sound organizations doing what they can to raise awareness and support victims. Those in crisis should call the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance toll-free hotline at 1-800-838-8238, text 804-793-9999 or visit the website at vsdvalliance.org. Counselors are available at all hours and the hotline has translators who speak 200 languages.
It’s terrifying to know that, right now, there are people living in fear of their spouse or partner, worried about saying or doing the wrong thing and terrified that they won’t escape. The president’s offhand remarks offer an opportunity to stand up for these Virginians, to support organizations supporting victims and work to address this unacceptable scourge plaguing our communities.
