As he was pelted with boos during his speech at the Libertarian Party’s national convention on Sunday, Donald Trump rattled off a list of supposed political victories he thought the crowd would like to hear.
One that stood out in particular was his boast about having weakened protections against sexual assault on college campuses. Continuing a routine he has adopted during daily breaks in his election interference trial in New York, Trump read an article praising his administration for weakening guidelines that universities must follow after receiving an allegation of sexual assault.
In 2020, the Trump administration required colleges and universities to adopt stricter standards for what qualifies as sexual assault and reformed the adjudication process in ways seen as more favorable to those accused. The changes were widely promoted among conservatives as a means to protect men wrongly accused of sexual assault, and men’s rights groups reportedly played a role in drafting the changes.
In April, the Biden administration officially rolled back Trump-era rules and instituted more protections for prosecutors.
During Trump’s speech on Sunday, he said:
“Who else would do that for you?” is an appropriate question. Indeed, it is no surprise that Trump, a man who has been on record admitting to sexual abuse and who has repeatedly mocked a woman found liable in court for sexual abuse, has weakened the guardrails designed to prevent sexual prevent and punish violence.
And those changes appear to have had an impact.
As USA TODAY reported:
Trump’s boast last weekend is further indication that his campaign, and today’s conservative movement, is built primarily around hyper-masculine politics and, in particular, the idea of male victimhood.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
