Melania Trump sat down on Monday evening with CNN’s Anderson Cooper for a much anticipated first interview in the wake of the groping and kissing allegations against her husband.
Cooper asked Melania about the string of allegations of sexual misconduct against Donald Trump, and she said she believed his denials. Cooper said, “He has said they’re lying. Do you believe him?”
Melania responded, “I believe my husband. This was all organized from the opposition. With the details.. did they ever check the background of these women? They don’t have any facts.”
Melania also discussed how she wants to combat negativity on social media to help women and children:
She called her husband a gentleman and said she felt the accusations were organized by the Clintons and media, whom she accused of working together.
Melania also discussed partially naked photos of her that were published and accused the media of dishonesty.
She said she has a “great marriage.”
Melania also commented on Trump’s lewd comments in the 2005 Billy Bush tapes, calling Trump’s comments “boy talk” and saying that Bush had “egged” him on.
Donald Trump has forcefully denied the allegations of non-consensual physical contact with a string of women. He has also accused the media of bias for highlighting unproven allegations and has fought back hard at specific claims. For example, he released an email showing that accuser Summer Zervos had written him a positive email in April, and her cousin has said Zervos spoke positively about Trump until he declined an invite to come to her restaurant.
However, Melania had remained largely silent about the allegations, other than to announce that her lawyer had sent a legal notice to People Magazine demanding a retraction of the claim by accuser Natasha Stoynoff about an alleged encounter Stoynoff says she had with Melania. Melania denies that encounter occurred. Stonoff was writing a feature story about the Trumps when she claims Trump made a physical overture to her.
After the release of the Billy Bush tapes, on which Trump was captured talking in a lewd manner about women in 2005, Melania released a written statement that said she considered the words “unacceptable and offensive” but adding that the words did “not represent the man that I know.” She also wrote that she had forgiven Trump and hoped the public would too.
Some of the women, including Stoynoff, claim that Trump subjected them to unwanted physical contact after Trump’s marriage to Melania. The Trumps married in a star-studded affair on January 22, 2005. That has heightened interest in what Melania’s reaction to all of the claims will be, and Cooper secured a sit down interview.
Trump has also denied that claim, and he’s accused the news media of trying to “rig” the presidential election with the series of accusations that have dominated news coverage the past few days.
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