It’s clear that President Donald Trump has left shame way back in the place where his top hairs used to be—the distant past. But seriously, what shame? The ease with which lies roll off his forked tongue, and the fact that he chooses his advisers and Cabinet with the same criteria for a stay at a Holiday Inn Express, prove that he has none.
On Friday, Trump had the unmitigated gall to actually issue a typo-filled statement proclaiming April 2018 National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Under normal circumstances—not the nadir that we now find ourselves in—this would be yet another normal release from the White House. But these times are, in fact, anything but.
This is a president who has been accused of inappropriate touching by more than a few women and who infamously bragged in 2005 that he is all for grabbing women “by the pussy.”
And yet shameless Don actually signed his name to a proclamation about sexual assault that reads in part (note the spelling of “assault” as “assult,” twice):
We must respond to sexual assault by identifying and holding perpetrators accountable. Too often, however, the victims of assault remain silent. They may fear retribution from their offender, lack faith in the justice system, or have difficulty confronting the pain associated with the traumatic experience. My Administration is committed to raising awareness about sexual assault and to empowering victims to identify perpetrators so that they can be held accountable. We must make it as easy as possible for those who have suffered from sexual assault to alert the authorities and to speak about the experience with their family and friends.
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Together, during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we recommit ourselves to doing our part to help stop sexual violence. We must not be afraid to talk about sexual assualt and sexual assult [sic] prevention with our loved ones, in our communities, and with those who have experienced these tragedies. We must encourage victims to report sexual assault and law enforcement to hold offenders accountable, and we must support victims and survivors unremmittingly. Through a concerted effort to better educate ourselves, empower victims, and punish criminals, our Nation will move closer to ending the grief, fear, and suffering caused by sexual assult [sic]. The prevention of sexual violence is everyone’s concern.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2018 as National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. I urge all Americans, families, law enforcement, healthcare providers, community and faith-based organizations, and private organizations to support survivors of sexual assault and work together to prevent these crimes in their communities.
It is certainly not lost on me that the beginning of the month is April Fools’ Day.