Megyn Kelly on People's corroboration of alleged Trump assault: 'If this is a conspiracy, wow!'


On Tuesday evening, People magazine named six friends and colleagues who corroborated writer Natasha Stoynoff's account of being sexually assaulted by Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2005, and printed their own recollections. On Fox News Tuesday night, Megyn Kelly was impressed by People's "extraordinary response." "It's not just, 'we trust our writer' — it's 'Here are six people who she told the night of the alleged attack, the day after the alleged attack, an independent witness who says she was there for the Melania Trump exchange,'" she told guest Howard Kurtz. "I mean, if this is a conspiracy, wow, it's a really well organized by People."
"Well, I don't think the election's gonna turn on this," Kurtz said, but the fact that these six people can give a "detailed account" of this decade-old story "adds credibility to her account, because why would she make this up 10, 11 years ago?" This is mostly still in the news, he added, because Trump himself keeps on attacking his accusers as liars and attacking the media for carrying their allegations.
"And not just that," Kelly said. "He doesn't just come out and say, 'It isn't true, I'm not going to dignify this with a back-and-forth,' he attacks their looks. He's been pointing everybody... to pictures of this reporter, suggesting, 'I would never, I don't find her attractive.'" Whether or not Trump finds them attractive "just for the record makes no difference when it comes to harassment," Kelly said. "It's not about 'I'm so attracted to you I can't keep my hands to myself,' it's about power." Watch below. Peter Weber
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
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
June 1 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's golden comb-over, brain drain in America, and a new TACO presidential seal.
-
5 cartoons about the TACO trade
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on America's tariffs, Vladimir Putin waiting for taco Tuesday, and a new presidential seal
-
A city of culture in the high Andes
The Week Recommends Cuenca is a must-visit for those keen to see the 'real Ecuador'
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges