Twitter was stunned by the irony on Friday when President Donald Trump declared April to be “National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.”
“We remain steadfast in our efforts to stop crimes of sexual violence, provide care for victims, enforce the law, prosecute offenders, and raise awareness about the many forms of sexual assault,” a White House memo stated. “We must continue our work to eliminate sexual assault from our society and promote safe relationships, homes, and communities.”
The announcement came as a slap in the face in light of accusations of sexual assault and harassment against Trump. At least 16 people have said Trump engaged in some sort of sexual misconduct with them in the past, and three women who say Trump harassed assaulted them have called upon Congress to investigate the incidents.
The president and the White House have repeatedly denied the accusations and said women who made the claims are lying.
Facetious comments on Twitter pointed to the hypocrisy and the irony of Trump’s declaration to dedicate April to “respond to sexual assault,” including “identifying and holding perpetrators accountable.”
https://twitter.com/CrazyLikeMoose/status/979827711375020033
https://twitter.com/Linda1746/status/979831591898959874
https://twitter.com/MollyJongFast/status/979836316383875073
The statement to many seemed too ludicrous to not be satire—or an April Fool’s prank in time for April 1.
https://twitter.com/TheTruthQuester/status/979831904655544320
Is this an effing April Fools joke?!?
— Bebe 🇺🇦 (@lovinbebemocha) March 30, 2018
The White House memo goes on to say the administration is committed to supporting survivors.
“We must encourage victims to report sexual assault and law enforcement to hold offenders accountable, and we must support victims and survivors unremmittingly,” it states.
Some people tried to find hope in the announcement—but not hope that the announcement means the White House will actually hold its foremost member accountable for sexual assault accusations.
https://twitter.com/HoratioCorn2/status/979834081008586752
The outcome of “National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month” is yet to be seen—but some people are already looking forward to May.
Oh, I love this game. Can May be National Treason Awareness Month??
— Kathi Domalski (@katdomalski) March 30, 2018
