Trump downplays domestic violence in speech about religious freedom

"They said, 'Crime's down 87 percent.' I said, no, no, no - it's more than 87 percent, virtually nothing. And much lesser things, things that take place in the home they call crime. You know, 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. See? So now I can't claim 100 percent but we are. We are a safe city,"

"Next month marks the 25th annual Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which coincides with the 2000 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. The law increased federal funding to combat domestic violence and other crimes that disproportionately affect women, recognizing the matter as a public health and safety issue, not a private domestic matter."

"The federal government is by far the biggest source of funding for anti-domestic violence efforts, and since taking office, the Trump administration has sought to restrict nonprofits' access to federal domestic violence grants. They have also laid off a top official and several teams working on the issue, threatening"

President Donald Trump characterized many domestic incidents as household disputes, suggesting such incidents inflate crime statistics and exaggerate reported crime declines. Federal health data classifies domestic violence as a national public health and safety crisis; a CDC survey found four in ten women and one in four men experienced intimate-partner physical or sexual violence or stalking. The 25th Domestic Violence Awareness Month coincides with the 2000 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which increased federal funding and framed domestic violence as a public health and safety issue. The federal government remains the primary funder; the administration has sought to restrict nonprofits' grant access and cut staff.

Read at Advocate.com