The War on Women is in full force under the Trump administration. We refuse to go back, and we refuse to let the administration quietly dismantle the progress we’ve made. We are watching.
This is the War on Women Report.
Since Our Last Report
+ In a New York magazine excerpt from her new memoir, renowned advice columnist E. Jean Carroll recalled the day Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in the 1990s. Carroll is the 22nd woman to accuse Trump of sexual harassment or assault. In a statement, Trump claimed to have “never met this person in my life,” and implied her allegations were an attempt to garner attention for her memoir.
Saturday, 7/6
+ After billionaire Jeffrey Epstein was arrested Saturday on charges of sex trafficking, a web of his high profile acquaintances were loosely incriminated—including President Trump. In a Vox article, Andrew Prokop summarized the contact between Trump and Epstein since the 1980s, including Trump’s alleged sexual assault on a 13-year-old girl at an Epstein party that resurfaced during the 2016 election. Trump was quoted in a 2002 New York magazine article praising Epstein, and remarking that he likes “beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” He has since denied having a close relationship with Epstein.
Sunday, 7/7
+ The U.S. Women’s National Team brought home the World Cup for the fourth time, but were met with animosity by President Trump. When asked if the World Cup champions would be invited to the White House, Trump replied: “We haven’t really thought about it. We’ll look at that.” The snub comes less than a month after Trump unleased a Twitter storm on player Megan Rapinoe for saying she would never visit the White House. “Megan should WIN first before she TALKS!” he posted on the platform. “Finish the job!” (She did.)
Tuesday, 7/9
+ In a Washington Post piece published Tuesday, writer Jennifer Rubin dissected a long-standing pattern of the Trump White House: one where “an abusive bully coddles other abusive bullies” at the expense of women and trans people. The involvement of Trump’s Labor secretary, Alexander Acosta, in the lenient plea deal brokered to benefit Epstein is not the first or last incident, she warns, in “a long string of implications of Trump officials.”
Thursday, 7/11
+ The Trump administration finally relented in their fight to add a citizenship question to the U.S. Census Thursday. But the President’s announcement was by no means a graceful exit from his xenophobic battle: “We are not backing down,” he insisted, calling the challenges to his question, which would have deterred full participation in the Census at a critical political moment, “part of a broader left-wing effort to erode the rights of the American citizen.” Trump’s actions toward immigrant communities, for reference, have been called humanitarian crises by the UN.
Friday, 7/12
+ Another report by government officials Friday highlighted the damage of the Trump administration’s so-called “zero-tolerance” policy at the U.S. / Mexico border that left thousands of children separated from their families and housed in makeshift prison centers. According to USA Today, the report found:
“At least 18 infants and toddlers under two years old were taken away from their parents at the border and kept apart for 20 days to half a year.”
“At least 241 separated children were kept in Border Patrol facilities longer than the 72-hour” maximum allowed under federal law.
“At least 679 were held for 46 to 75 days, more than 50 were held for six months to a year and more than 25 were held for more than a year.”
“Even after being reunited with their parents, hundreds of separated children continued to be detained for months in family detention facilities—far longer than the 20-day limit under the Flores case.”
“…At least 10 separated children were sent to the ‘tent city’ in Tornillo, Texas, the notorious emergency influx facility near El Paso.”
“At least 30 children separated from their parents under the zero-tolerance policy remain separated.”
+ In a statement Friday, President Trump announced that widespread raids by border agents targeting undocumented immigrants will begin this weekend. The announcement comes after previous backpedaling on the threat from the administration, and in the wake of two years of disastrous anti-immigrant policies that have sparked a series of humanitarian crises at the border. “Every person in America has rights,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in response to the announcement. “These families are hard-working members of our communities and our country. This brutal action will terrorize children and tear families apart.”
