Trump Downplays Domestic Violence

President Trump raised eyebrows Monday with a speech in Washington, DC, questioning whether domestic violence should count as a crime. Trump spoke about his crime-fighting record in the capital at the Museum of the Bible, claiming that crime has essentially disappeared under his watch. Trump falsely claimed Washington had been "the worst, the most violent city" in America before his intervention, and that now "there's no crime… virtually nothing," per the New York Times. While DC's mayor has credited an increased federal law enforcement presence with helping drive down crime, in reality, police data shows that robberies, assaults, and thefts remain routine.

Where things got a little sticky: Trump appeared especially irked that "things that take place in the home, they call crime," using the example of "a little fight with the wife" to argue that his rivals are artificially inflating crime stats to undermine his efforts. Those remarks drew swift pushback, with Republican strategist Sarah Longwell criticizing what she described as Trump's "casual dismissal of domestic violence as a crime."

Asked Tuesday what crimes Trump was referring to, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed "he wasn't referring to crimes, that's exactly the point he was making," though she then described the acts Trump was referring to as "crimes," per the Daily Beast. Trump, himself, has faced numerous accusations of abuse toward women, including his first wife, Ivana, who alleged domestic violence and sexual assault in a 1989 divorce deposition before later walking her claims back.