On Monday, President Trump stood at the Museum of the Bible in Washington and dismissed domestic violence as “a little fight with the wife,” suggesting that offenses “that take place in the home” should not be counted as crimes.

Rather than walking back this dangerous statement, the White House doubled down the next day. During a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed: “He wasn’t referring to crime. That’s exactly the point he was making. The president is saying, in fact, is that these crimes will be made up and reported as a crime to undermine the great work that the federal task force is doing to reduce crime in Washington, D.C.”

These attempts to minimize domestic violence are dangerous and uninformed.

For far too long, domestic violence was treated as a private matter, kept behind closed doors, ignored by law enforcement, and excused by society. That silence left survivors — mostly women and children — without protection, justice, or support.

At Sanctuary for Families, we recognize domestic violence for what it is: both a crime and a public health crisis. Every year in the United States, more than 12 million people are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner. This reality demands societal attention and a public response.

The stakes could not be clearer. Studies suggest that in the United States, more than half of female homicides are perpetrated by a current or former intimate partner. This type of violence — also known as femicide — is the most extreme consequence of a society that still struggles to take domestic abuse seriously.

Every day at Sanctuary, we work alongside survivors to ensure they are believed, protected, and supported as they rebuild their lives following abuse.

When someone in a position of great power speaks about abuse in such dismissive terms, it emboldens abusers, denies the very real suffering of survivors, and chips away at hard-won progress toward building a system that responds to survivors’ needs.

We believe that those in positions of leadership have a responsibility to speak truthfully and with care.

Domestic violence is not “a little fight.” It is a matter of life and death.

Words matter.

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