--- title: #WhyIDidntReport Trends on Twitter in Response To Trump description: After President Donald Trump attacked Brett Kavanaugh's accuser, victims of sexual misconduct are explaining why they didn't report the incidents. canonical: https://time.com/5403523/trump-ford-tweet-sexual-assault/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-09-21T20:06:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T07:55:03.552Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Attacked Brett Kavanaugh's Accuser. Now People Are Revealing #WhyIDidntReport og:description: Approximately two of every three sexual assaults go unreported for a variety of reasons og:url: https://time.com/5403523/trump-ford-tweet-sexual-assault/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3ff74d7948282ffc/69893aea656a3f4675bd58be/brett-kavanaugh.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Brett Kavanaugh og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Attacked Brett Kavanaugh's Accuser. Now People Are Revealing #WhyIDidntReport twitter:description: Approximately two of every three sexual assaults go unreported for a variety of reasons twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3ff74d7948282ffc/69893aea656a3f4675bd58be/brett-kavanaugh.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump Attacked Brett Kavanaugh's Accuser. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=ecc15ff7-010d-4f5a-b85f-bab873c78c1e&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: The Kavanaugh Fight Is Straight From Trump's Playbook for Sexual Misconduct Claims [Watch (HLS stream): The Kavanaugh Fight Is Straight From Trump's Playbook for Sexual Misconduct Claims](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/569vd2U3.m3u8) (4:11)  _Published 2018-09-19. During the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump faced allegations of sexual misconduct from 19 women ranging from walking through dressing rooms to kissing and touching them inappropriately._ by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Sep 21, 2018 8:06 PM UTC by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Sep 21, 2018 8:06 PM UTC About one year after the #MeToo movement became a rallying cry for survivors of sexual harassment and assault to speak out, some victims are using another hashtag to explain why they stayed silent about their experiences. Twitter was aflame Friday with the hashtag [#WhyIDidntReport](https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhyIDidntReport?src=hash), which came in reaction to a tweet early in the day from President Donald Trump attacking Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party when they were in high school. Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied Ford’s story. It is well-documented that the [majority of sexual assaults are not reported to the police](https://www.rainn.org/statistics/criminal-justice-system), and that there are a variety of reasons why victims choose not to say anything. Trump, who has dismissed as liars the 19 women who have accused him of sexual misconduct, claimed in a tweet that Ford would have reported the alleged attack to authorities if it had been “as bad as she says.” > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1043126336473055235) According to the [Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network](https://www.rainn.org/statistics/criminal-justice-system) (RAINN), two out of every three sexual assaults are not reported to the police. Reasons for the lack of reportage vary; RAINN’s statistics say 20% of victims fear retaliation, 13% believe the authorities would not do anything to help and 13% believe it is a personal matter. Trump’s tweet prompted hundreds of people to share exactly why they did not report their rapes and assaults. Alyssa Milano, an actor and prominent #MeToo activist, addressed Trump directly. > [](https://twitter.com/Alyssa%5FMilano/status/1043162625733849089) > [](https://twitter.com/Alyssa%5FMilano/status/1043195443780313088) Ashley Judd, one of the high-profile actors who accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, also shared her story. Judd said she shared her experiences with adults who dismissed her by siding with her attackers. > [](https://twitter.com/AshleyJudd/status/1043186317381783554) Several of the accounts shared Friday echo Judd’s story. Abigail Hauslohner, a reporter for The Washington _Post_ and a former TIME correspondent, said the only person she ever told about her rape said to her, “He would never do that.” “I didn’t think anyone would help me,” she tweeted. > [](https://twitter.com/ahauslohner/status/1043173004505763840) Even more stories emerged as Friday went on, revealing how difficult it can be for victims to come forward. > [](https://twitter.com/tweetrajouhari/status/1043204249046245376) Others shared that even after they came forward, they received blame instead of help. The actor and activist Daryl Hannah said she did report her assault — and that it “didn’t matter.” > [](https://twitter.com/dhlovelife/status/1043177356142305280) “I was dismissed, disparaged, & I still get blamed,” she said. Stories from other people revealed a similar experience. > [](https://twitter.com/DeneeneeneD/status/1043191384218300416) > [](https://twitter.com/MichaelGrantBks/status/1043219859243319296) By Friday afternoon, #WhyIDidntReport was one of the top trending topics on Twitter as people came together in solidarity. ## Transcript Judge Kavanagh is one of the finest people that I've ever known. Never had even a little blemish on his record. Donald Trump doesn't just have a gender gap. He has a gender chasm. A recent poll by NPR found that 50 % of men approve of the job the president is doing while 62 % of women disapprove. One reason may be Trump's handling of sexual misconduct allegations, such as the one made recently about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Here's a closer look. [ MUSIC ] During the 2016 campaign, 19 women accused Trump of sexual misconduct, ranging from walking through dressing rooms to kissing and touching them without their consent. He responded by calling the women liars and threatening to sue them after the election. These people are horrible people. They're horrible, horrible liars. And interestingly, it happens to appear 26 days before our very important election. Isn't that amazing? But Trump's argument was undercut by an audio tape in which he admitted to misconduct. You know, I'm automatically attracted to beautiful, I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Whatever you want. grab them by the [ BLEEP ]. During the campaign Trump also defended former Fox New Chief Executive Roger Ailes. After he was accused of sexually harassing at least two dozen of women. And I can tell you that some of the women that are complaining, I know how much he's helped them, and now all of a sudden, they're saying these horrible things about him. It's very sad, cuz he's a very good person. I've always found him to be just a very, very good person. The pattern continued once Trump was elected. In 2017, he defended TV host Bill O'Reilly after it had emerged that FOX News paid $ 13 million to five women who accused him of sexual harassment or verbal abuse. [ MUSIC ] He defended former Staff Secretary Rob Porter after allegations that he physically abused both of his ex- wives. As you probably know, he says he's innocent. And, I think you have to remember that. He said very strongly yesterday that he's innocent. [ MUSIC ] And he used similar language when defending Alabama Senate member, Roy Moore who faced accusations from multiple women of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers If you look at what is really going on and you look at all the things that have happened over the last 48 hours, he totally denies it. He says it didn't happen, and you have to listen to him also. Professor came forward with the story that he attempted to sexually assault her as a teenager. I feel so badly for him, that he's going through this, to be honest with you. I feel so badly for him. There were two notable exceptions. Trump eagerly criticized Democratic senator Al Franken after he was accused of groping women. [ MUSIC ] And during the 2016 campaign, he attacked former President Bill Clinton over his history of improper behavior, bringing several of his accusers together for a press conference before a debate. Well I'm here to support Mr. Trump because he's gonna make America great again. But Trump had a much different reaction before he was running against Clinton's wife. In a 1998 interview, he made similar arguments to his other defenses of men. Coming so close to the midterm election however However, Trump's defense of Kavanaugh could motivate the women who disapprove of him to show up at the polls. As you know, Justice Kavanaugh has been treated very, very tough, and his family. I think it's a very unfair thing, what's going on. 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