Last month, a young woman filed a lawsuit against Cornell University, alleging that two years ago the university had failed to protect her from being raped by seven men at a fraternity house near the university campus. She also sued the fraternity.

The lawsuit has plunged the university into a crisis and invited criticism of the district attorney, Matthew Van Houten, who decided there wasn’t enough evidence to bring criminal charges against the seven men.

At this point, we can only guess why neither Cornell nor Van Houten did more in response to the young woman’s allegations. But there’s little question that we’re living through a time when men feel some impunity when it comes to attacking women.

Violence against women is hardly new. Nor is the impunity that some men feel in attacking them.

But the man now occupying the White House has contributed to a lower and more dangerous standard for what men can do to women with impunity.

Trump was found in civil court to have sexually abused the writer E. Jean Carroll. He has repeatedly insulted the physical appearance of female journalists, politicians and public figures. He was caught on a hot microphone boasting about using his fame to forcefully kiss and grope women without consent, stating that being a star allows men to “do anything” and “grab ’em by the pussy.”

When women have spoken out against him, Trump has resorted to smear campaigns, as he did with Carroll, Stormy Daniels and Hillary Clinton. When women have stood up to him, he has exploded in anger against them, as he did with Megyn Kelly, Rosie O’Donnell, Kamala Harris,........

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