Melania Trump says her husband was 'egged on' into 'boy talk'


Melania Trump has forgiven her husband for the "boy talk" he engaged in with Access Hollywood's Billy Bush in 2005, and she wants the rest of America to do the same.
"It was many, many years ago," she told CNN's Anderson Cooper in an interview airing Monday. "He's not the man that I know." Earlier this month, The Washington Post and other media organizations published a video featuring Donald Trump and Bush engaged in conversation, with Trump making crude comments about women and bragging about groping and kissing women without their consent. Melania Trump said she was "surprised" by the words her husband used, but he was "egged on from the host to say dirty and bad stuff" and making "boy talk" with Bush. Cooper helpfully pointed out that Trump was 59 at the time of the incident.
In the wake of the tape's release, several women have come forward and accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct, and Melania Trump said they were "all organized from the opposition. Did they ever check the background of these women? They don't have any facts." She said she believes "every assault should be taken care of in a court of law," but to accuse anyone "without evidence is damaging and unfair." Like him or not, Donald Trump is "real," Melania Trump said. "He's raw. He tells it like it is. He's kind. He's a gentleman. He supports everybody. He supports women. He encourages them to go to the highest level, to achieve their dreams." Catherine Garcia
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star program
speed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
Supreme Court allows transgender troop ban
speed read The US Supreme Court will let the Trump administration begin executing its ban on transgender military service members
-
'You might be surprised by how much you find yourself cheering for them'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Supreme Court allows transgender troop ban
speed read The US Supreme Court will let the Trump administration begin executing its ban on transgender military service members
-
Hollywood confounded by Trump's film tariff idea
speed read President Trump proposed a '100% tariff' on movies 'produced in foreign lands'
-
Trump offers migrants $1,000 to 'self-deport'
speed read The Department of Homeland Security says undocumented immigrants can leave the US in a more 'dignified way'
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
-
Trump blames Biden for tariffs-linked contraction
speed read The US economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábrego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies