Despite being found liable for sexual abuse by a jury and being a convicted felon on 34 counts, Donald Trump was elected president by both the electoral college and popular vote. He won the popular vote by more than 2 million votes and had over 77 million votes in total. The disregard of his history by millions of Americans undermines the seriousness of these abuses, making it substantially harder for victims across the country to stand up against their abuses.
As the U.S. president, Trump has widespread influence. His policies are encroaching on constitutional limits. This includes his efforts to make voting harder for married women and black Americans, which opposes the 15th and 19th amendments. Many of his own actions violate the law, including falsifying business records, conspiracy against the rights of citizens and conspiracy to defraud the U.S.. His victory in the 2024 election despite his unpunished criminal history has facilitated the creation of an environment where a convicted felon found liable for sexual abuse is among the most powerful people in the world. The disregard of his criminal history inaccurately puts forward the idea that his crimes are minor. That said, the overlooking of his past by millions of his supporters conveys his crimes as insignificant to discrediting his validity as a presidential candidate.
Many members of Trump’s cabinet have faced allegations or charges of some sort themselves. Pete Hegseth, who was nominated by Trump to be the U.S. Secretary of Defense, paid a woman whom he allegedly sexually assaulted $50,000 as a part of their confidentiality agreement. Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, was accused of sexual assault by a former babysitter.
Trump’s non-governmental associates have also faced charges and allegations relating to sexual abuses. Trump had a relationship with financier Jeffery Epstien, who was arrested for sex trafficking of minors in 2006. Other associates of his include Elon Musk, who was sued in 2021 for alleged sexual harassment by eight previous workers who said they were fired after writing an open letter with complaints regarding Musk’s behavior. Additionally, Trump’s former nominee for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, has faced allegations of sexual misconduct, and in an investigation by the House Ethics Committee, the committee found he participated in sexual activity with an underage girl in 2017.
Along with Trump, many of the people he chooses to associate himself with have either committed sexual assault crimes or have been accused of committing them. In most cases, these allegations have played minimal roles in preventing their leadership and have been majorly overlooked by his supporters. Because of this, these crimes now seem as though they can go unpunished, which is unfair and takes away from the legitimacy of victims.
As of 2010, of American victims of physical violence, stalking and/or rape from an intimate partner, around 6 in 10 women and 1 in 6 men felt concerned for their safety as a result of the violence occuring in their relationship. Additionally, 18.3% of women and 1.4% of men in the U.S. have been raped at some point in their lives.
Many of the most powerful people in the country have either committed or allegedly committed these sexual crimes. Essentially, the people required to ensure our welfare through their positions in the U.S. government are the same people who have committed these extreme offences. The overlooking of these allegations by millions of his supporters presents the illusion that these crimes are normal, especially considering that the U.S. president is one of the people who has committed them.
It is already difficult for victims to speak out against abuse, but the prevalence and representation of these crimes further dissuades people from fighting back.
Because of the leniencies Trump has allowed and recieved, sexual abuse has become increasingly normalized. Many of the people holding nationally-regarded positions are accused of committing these abuses, but these allegations have had a minimal effect in preventing their placement. If these abuses continue to be disregarded in governmental areas, it will characterize sexual abuses as insignificant and illustrate them as a minor offence. In reality, sexual abuse is extremely traumatizing and a major violation on multiple levels. That said, sexual abuse needs to be correctly regarded and addressed properly.
