Trump is tone deaf on domestic violence, women's issues

Bruce Lowry | The (Bergen County, N.J.) Record

First there was Roy Moore, now there is Rob Porter.

President Trump, our “tell it like it is” tough-guy, president, seems to have an affinity for men who reportedly act out inappropriately, or even violently, against women.

Maybe he feels their pain. The men’s “pain,” that is.

Our president, who refuses to stand up for a single Syrian refugee who came to this country to flee war, or for “Dreamers” who have made the best of their situations and want only the chance to achieve the American Dream, has now twice publicly stood up for men facing serious allegations of either sexual or physical abuse against women.

Friday, after the departure of Porter, the White House staff secretary accused of physical abuse by two ex-wives — including one who produced photos of a black eye she said Porter gave her — Trump had only glowing reviews for the former aide.

“We found out about it recently and I was surprised by it, but we certainly wish him well and it's a tough time for him," Trump said. “He did a very good job when he was in the White House.”

Trump went on to say that Porter “says he’s innocent and I think you have to remember that” and that “we absolutely wish him well.” Porter has indeed denied the accusations.

The Porter story was reported first in the British tabloid, The Daily Mail. One ex-wife claimed Porter choked and punched her during their marriage, while the other said he dragged her wet and naked out of the shower and was verbally abusive.

Whether Trump believes these accusations verbatim should have nothing to do with whether he could perhaps bring himself to show a smidgen of sympathy for possible victims of domestic violence.

Or how about the slightest recognition that such violence is a longtime problem in this country, and a daily nightmare for millions of women who feel trapped in their circumstance.

Instead of gushing praise for an aide accused of horrible behavior, why not temper it a little by saying something, geez I don’t know, like “Rob did a good job in the White House, but these are troubling allegations, and we take the issue of domestic violence seriously. If there is truth to these reports, our hearts go out to the victims and are sorry for the pain they endured. No one should ever have to go through that.”

According to the Violence Policy Center, nearly three women are murdered every day in the United States by current or former romantic partners. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence says that on average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. The NCADV also reports that one in three women and one in four men have been victims of (some form of) physical violence by an intimate partner within their lifetime.

We recall Trump steadfastly defended Moore, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Alabama whose candidacy was derailed after multiple, credible reports that he engaged in sexual misconduct with young girls early in his career. Trump stuck with his man Moore all the way to the finish line.

In fact, roughly a week before that election, Trump let it be known that his dislike of Democrats was more important than allowing an accused child molester to serve in the U.S. Senate, tweeting “Democrats refusal to give even one vote for massive Tax Cuts is why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama.”

Our president, he of Access Hollywood fame, can’t seem to bring himself to even consider that Moore or Porter might be the monsters they are portrayed to be, who may well have preyed upon women. All that matters, apparently, is that they share the Trump worldview, and presumably, his view toward women in general.

No one was going to mistake Trump for being a flag waver in the #MeToo movement. But you might think that any decent person, much less the president, might have the strength of character to at least acknowledge that domestic violence is a pressing problem that too often goes unreported and too often ends in death.

Trump’s tone deafness, again, speaks volumes.

Many have criticized Trump for what he says, or what he tweets. In this case, he should get an earful of protest about what he never had the courage to say.

Bruce Lowry is an editorial writer for The (Bergen County, N.J.) Record.