What did Donald Trump do today?

He mocked a woman for coming forward with her story of sexual assault.

Earlier in the week, Trump had managed to stay more or less out of the fray around his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Today he reverted to form and attacked Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Kavanaugh of drunkenly attempting to rape her when he was 17 and she was 15. Trump sarcastically tweeted he has "no doubt" that Dr. Ford "or her loving parents" filed a police report after she was sexually assaulted as a 15-year-old at a rowdy party.

Studies estimate that 70% of rapes and sexual assaults are never reported to the police. 

Survivors of these crimes often say they didn't go to the police for fear of retaliation or public shaming, or because they believed that the perpetrator would not be punished.

Trump has been accused of sexual assault or harassment by 19 different women, including his first ex-wife, Ivana Trump, who said he raped her in a deposition taken during their divorce. He has publicly defended a number of friends and political allies who harassed or assaulted women or children, including Bill O'Reilly, Roy Moore, Mike Tyson, Roger Ailes, Corey Lewandowski, and Rob Porter. 

Why does this matter?

• A president who mocks survivors of sexual violence for political gain doesn't deserve to hold office.

• It's bad if the President of the United States can't seem to believe women reporting abuse under any circumstances.

• Sexual assault survivors will be more afraid and less likely to come forward as a result of what Trump did today.