Melania Trump, the former First Lady, renowned for her modeling career in the 1990s, has recently maintained a low profile amidst her husband Donald Trump’s legal issues. Despite typically refraining from commenting on these matters, she has historically been vocal in her support of him, particularly during a period of intense scrutiny in 2016 when he faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct.
In a 2016 CNN interview, Melania broke her silence on these allegations for the first time. Speaking with Anderson Cooper, she expressed her belief in her husband and suggested that the accusations were orchestrated by his political opponents. When asked about Donald Trump’s private conversations and whether he had made derogatory remarks about women, Melania responded with surprise, stating that she did not recognize him in the descriptions of such conduct.
She further downplayed her husband’s comments, famously caught on the Access Hollywood Tape of 2005, as “boy talk.” Melania described this kind of language as typical among men bragging about their conquests, although she admitted to being taken aback by it. The tape, which became a significant point of controversy, featured Donald Trump making sexually aggressive comments about women, as per The Washington Post.
Addressing this incident, Melania recalled telling her husband that his language was inappropriate and unacceptable. She emphasized that the man she knows is different from the one portrayed in the tape. She also pointed out that the recording occurred without her husband’s knowledge, suggesting that he was provoked into making those remarks by the show’s host, as per Time Magazine.
Moreover, Melania continued to note how the “cameras were not on” while her husband was being recorded. Additionally, she proclaimed the twice impeached former President was involved in “boy talk, and was led on – like, egged on – by the host to say dirty and bad stuff.”
In her defense of Donald Trump, Melania also referenced former First Lady Michelle Obama, underscoring the inappropriateness of touching, kissing, or groping a woman without consent. She concluded her interview by stating that all assault allegations should be handled legally and that accusing anyone, man or woman, without evidence is both damaging and unfair. This perspective aligns with her broader stance of standing by her husband while navigating the complexities of public scrutiny and political controversy.