President Donald Trump downplayed the severity of domestic violence during remarks at the Museum of the Bible on Sept. 8. His characterization of intimate partner incidents as “lesser” crimes and mere “little fights” has drawn immediate backlash from advocates, lawmakers and community leaders.
In his speech on religious liberty, Trump praised his crime-fighting efforts in Washington, D.C. He claimed violent crime rates had dropped sharply. “Crime’s down 87 percent,” he said. “I said, no, no, no—it’s more than 87 percent. Virtually nothing.” He then referenced domestic incidents:
“And much lesser things—things that take place in the home, they call ‘crime,’” he said. “If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say this was a crime. See? So now I can’t claim 100 percent but we are. We are a safe city.”
Swift Backlash to Donald Trump’s Words
Domestic-violence organizations were quick to condemn his remarks. The DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence asserted that “intimate partner violence is a crime and more than a ‘little fight with the wife’.” They noted that domestic violence often precedes more serious crimes, including homicide.
The White House later attempted to clarify the president’s remarks. Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Trump was not downplaying domestic violence. She maintained that he meant some crimes are being “made up” to skew crime statistics. “He wasn’t referring to crime,” Leavitt insisted.