Hate crimes under Trump reach highest level in 16 years: FBI

Under President Donald Trump, the United States is experiencing an epidemic of hate crimes. And according to the FBI's annual report, 2018 marked the worst year for hate-fueled violence in almost two decades.

As Axios noted, the report found that since 2017, aggravated assaults increased 4 percent, simple assaults increased 15 percent, and intimidation increased 13 percent. Attacks against Hispanics rose nearly 13 percent, attacks against transgender people rose 34 percent, and attacks against people with disabilities rose 37 percent.

The report did find a few bright spots, however: attacks against African-Americans, Arab-Americans, and Muslims have all declined somewhat.

The true numbers, however, may be larger — according to The New York Times, half of such assaults may go unreported.

Hate crimes also rose 17 percent in 2017, in the immediate aftermath of Trump's election. The president's supporters have engaged in hateful rhetoric against Hispanics and people of color, and Trump has allowed a Department of Homeland Security program tracking domestic extremists to lapse.