<em>The Atlantic</em> Daily: ‘A Mere Allegation’
What We’re Following
Debating #MeToo: Amid the outcry over the White House’s handling of former Staff Secretary Rob Porter’s alleged history of domestic violence, President Trump expressed his indignation on Twitter over “peoples lives ... being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation.” The tweet drew criticism because of Trump’s own history of both alleged sexual misconduct and false accusations against others—which in turn feeds into a dishonesty problem that now seems to permeate his White House. It also illustrated how the backlash against the #MeToo movement has tended to assume the male perspective as its default—even as most of the voices arguing over how the movement should proceed belong to women.
Trump’s 2019 budget proposal renews many of his last year’s. Yet with a two-year budget agreement that calls for increased spending reached only last week,
