I have one of those decorative light boxes in our house, which reads: “Be Kind Always” and has unintentionally become something of a family motto. You could call it an affirmation and yet it didn’t start out as such, or indeed as any kind of instruction for living; it was merely a fun way for me as, a self-confessed bibliophile, to add them into our lives, with the possibility that they may enrich them in some little way. We’ve had lots over the last year or so including ‘Be Merry and Bright’, which was the reminder to enjoy the fun and joy of Christmas with an excitable toddler instead of getting caught up with the materialistic aspects. The there was ‘The Beans’ll be Worth It’ when we were putting every single penny we had into our house renovation and it felt like we may never get over the finish line. Now that the renovation has been completed ‘Be Kind Always’ is a statement that’s stuck and we – if not mostly jokingly –find each other referring to it during many conversations.

Admittedly, I don’t always manage to show kindness all of the time, but those three words, which sit illuminated on a bookshelf in my house, are a little reminder of the ideal. After all, who doesn’t need a little more generosity, friendliness or consideration in their lives?

Someone who would surely benefit from such a reminder is U.S. President Donald Trump, who seems to thrive on nastiness and unkindness, as most recently evident from his mocking of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused the president’s U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, of sexual assault, an allegation that he denies.

During a rally in the state of Mississippi, Trump imitated Ford, just days after she gave her testimony to the U.S. Senate judiciary committee, mocking her for not knowing the answers to questions such as how she came to be at the party where she alleged Kavanaugh assaulted her.

"I had one beer. Well, do you think it was -- nope, it was one beer," Trump told the jeering crowd.

"How did you get home? I don't remember. How did you get there? I don't remember. Where is the place? I don't remember. How many years ago was it? I don't know.”

The crowd laughed as the President continued: “I don't know. I don't know. What neighbourhood was it in? I don't know. Where's the house? I don't know. Upstairs, downstairs -- where was it? I don't know -- but I had one beer. That's the only thing I remember." He then went on to allege that Ford was part of a conspiracy of “evil people”.

Whatever your preferences, whether they are conservative or liberal, religious or agnostic, your moral code alone should tell you that this is no way to talk about someone who has come forward with allegations of sexual assault.

I set out to watch both Kavanaugh and Ford’s testimonies to the U.S. Senate Committee with an open mind. I felt she told her story with dignity, composure and used her intellect as a psychologist to explain why she could remember certain details of the alleged assault, but not others. Conversely, Judge Kavanaugh came across as spoiled, impatient and erratic. Irrespective of whose testimony I believed, he certainly didn’t display the characteristics of a man who deserves to hold such a powerful and influential role in America’s highest court for the rest of his life. The overwhelming majority of victims of sexual assault have nothing to gain when reporting their stories. But as the circus on display over the past few weeks in the US has shown, they have everything to lose.

Honestly, I don’t expect empathy or compassion from Trump, a man who has reviled countless sections of society at his whim. But more saddening are the ever-present numbers of those who deride and mock along with him; that the so-called Trump effect is giving a voice to nastiness, to intolerance, and allowing it to become an increasingly accepted, normalised narrative. Trump’s mockery of Ford has hurt every victim of sexual assault. That is a regression that should worry us all.