In just six days, Donald Trump, who has been legally recognized as a sexual assailant, is set to be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.

If Trump gets his way, his Cabinet will include individuals with concerning pasts. Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense, has acknowledged using a nondisclosure agreement to conceal a rape accusation.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated for Secretary of Health and Human Services, faces allegations of sexual assault made by a woman who once cared for his children.

Linda McMahon, Trump’s choice for Secretary of Education, is implicated in a lawsuit that claims she enabled the sexual abuse of young boys during her time with World Wrestling Entertainment, where her husband Vince has also faced sexual misconduct allegations.

To make matters worse, recent reports indicate that former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, widely regarded as a sexual predator, participated in a meeting with Trump’s Cabinet at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. O’Reilly has been accused of sexual harassment by six women and has been known to force one of them into arbitration to prevent her from speaking out about her experiences.

We Risk Losing the Progress Achieved by Women and Lawmakers

It seems we are a far cry from the early days of the #MeToo movement, which was sparked by our lawsuits against Fox News and its former chairman Roger Ailes. Our legal actions ignited discussions around sexual misconduct in the workplace, prompting many other women to share their experiences with predatory behavior.

While high-profile individuals like Harvey Weinstein have received much media attention, we continue to hear from countless women who tell harrowing stories about how their lives and careers have been adversely impacted by predators in their work environments.

It wasn’t just women who recognized that something needed to change. Over the last few years, Congress partnered with us to pass bipartisan laws aimed at eliminating forced arbitration and nondisclosure agreements related to sexual misconduct.

The nullification of these silencing tactics, achieved through the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act and the Speak Out Act, has been essential in restoring survivors’ voices and empowering them to confront their abusers and the workplaces that seek to silence them. Legislation’s advancement is central to the #MeToo movement, helping to rebalance justice between those in power and the victims.

We have consistently reminded lawmakers and corporate leaders that this movement isn’t going away, so it would serve them better to align themselves with the course of history.

Is Trump’s Presidency the End of the #MeToo Movement?

With Trump’s return to the presidency, many are questioning whether the #MeToo movement is now a thing of the past. After all, if a large portion of Americans still elected him in light of his treatment of women, one could argue that progress for women over the past eight years has stalled.

However, the reality is quite different.

In the wake of Trump’s first term, advocates mobilized to push for legislative advancements at both state and federal levels to protect women from workplace misconduct.

It took six years to enact the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, but the groundwork for this law was laid during Trump’s initial campaign.

Following a sexual assault scandal under Governor Phil Murphy, New Jersey became the first state in the U.S. in 2019 to prohibit nondisclosure agreements for various workplace misconduct issues.

Other states, including California and Washington, followed suit, spurred by local incidents of workplace abuse. It is crucial to recognize that these initiatives were ignited during Trump’s previous time in office.

Progress isn’t always straightforward. Changing laws to protect women in the workplace amidst unprecedented political polarization is a challenge, but transforming cultural attitudes is even tougher. Significant change often happens when society reaches a tipping point.

It’s possible that by appointing individuals with questionable pasts to his Cabinet, Trump has inadvertently catalyzed a cultural shift towards lasting change. We are committed to ensuring that change happens.

Gretchen Carlson and Julie Roginsky are the co-founders of Lift Our Voices, a nonprofit organization focused on eliminating silencing practices in the workplace.