--- title: Billy Bush Confirms It Was Trump on 'Access Hollywood' Tape description: Former NBC interviewer lashes out at Trump in an NYT op-ed for reportedly casting doubt on the authenticity of the now infamous tape. canonical: https://time.com/5047223/donald-trump-access-hollywood-tape-billy-bush/ author: Laignee Barron article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-12-04T05:37:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:33:46.454Z article:section: Politics og:title: Billy Bush Confirms It Was Trump on 'Access Hollywood' Tape og:description: "Of course he said it," Bush writes in a New York Times op-ed og:url: https://time.com/5047223/donald-trump-access-hollywood-tape-billy-bush/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1121b8a91c0baee1/6988f374e76ad22a4b630273/gettyimages-533368972.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Kaleidoscope Ball - Arrivals og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Billy Bush Confirms It Was Trump on 'Access Hollywood' Tape twitter:description: "Of course he said it," Bush writes in a New York Times op-ed twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1121b8a91c0baee1/6988f374e76ad22a4b630273/gettyimages-533368972.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Of Course He Said It.' Billy Bush Hits Back at Trump’s _Access Hollywood_ Tape Claim > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1538ba5b-4000-4eaf-b152-63430330c6bd&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Twice a week | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1538ba5b-4000-4eaf-b152-63430330c6bd&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=1538ba5b-4000-4eaf-b152-63430330c6bd&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1538ba5b-4000-4eaf-b152-63430330c6bd&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 1 Year Later: President Donald Trump's Most Controversial Remarks [Watch (HLS stream): 1 Year Later: President Donald Trump's Most Controversial Remarks](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/KXGhnVO8.m3u8) (3:29)  _Published 2017-11-08. 1 Year Later: President Donald Trump's Most Controversial Remarks_ by [Laignee Barron](https://time.com/author/laignee-barron/) ## Laignee Barron Dec 4, 2017 5:37 AM UTC by [Laignee Barron](https://time.com/author/laignee-barron/) ## Laignee Barron Dec 4, 2017 5:37 AM UTC Former NBC host Billy Bush has lashed out at President Donald Trump for trying to cast doubt on the authenticity of the now infamous “Access Hollywood” tape, which captured Trump boasting about sexually assaulting women. “Of course he said it,” Bush wrote in a New York _Times_ [op-ed](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/03/opinion/billy-bush-trump-access-hollywood-tape.html) Sunday titled, “Yes, Donald Trump, You Said That”. Bush said he felt compelled to speak out after the president reportedly began telling aides and fellow politicians that the [tape was fabricated](http://time.com/5038934/donald-trump-access-hollywood-authentic-tape/?iid=sr-link1). “President Trump is currently indulging in some revisionist history,” Bush said. “This has hit a raw nerve in me.” In the [2005 recording](http://time.com/4523526/donald-trump-women-leaked-audio/?xid=homepage), which [resurfaced](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-recorded-having-extremely-lewd-conversation-about-women-in-2005/2016/10/07/3b9ce776-8cb4-11e6-bf8a-3d26847eeed4%5Fstory.html?tid=sm%5Ftw&utm%5Fterm=.f3c6df9ac7e5) during the [final moments](http://time.com/4523755/donald-trump-leaked-tape-impact/) of last year’s presidential campaign when it was published by the Washington _Post_, Trump is heard lewdly bragging to Bush about groping and kissing women without their consent. Trump, on a hot mic, tells the _Access Hollywood_ anchor about unsuccessfully trying to have sex with a married woman and how “you can do anything” to women “when you’re a star.” He said he was able to [“grab them by the pussy.”](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/08/us/donald-trump-tape-transcript.html) After the recording’s release, Trump, then a presidential candidate, issued an apology and dismissed the talk as [“locker room” banter](http://time.com/4525201/donald-trump-kelly-oxford-sexual-assault/?iid=sr-link9). More recently, Trump has [revisited the tape](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/28/us/politics/trump-access-hollywood-tape.html) to question whether the voice heard is actually his, according to the New York _Times_. Bush, who was [fired by NBC](http://time.com/money/4422137/billy-bush-severance-packages-mayer-ailes/?iid=sr-link4) after the tape’s release, confirms the voice is undoubtedly Trump’s, but adds that he only recently realized that the talk could be more than “hypothetical hot air from America’s highest-rated bloviator”. “There were seven other guys present on the bus at the time, and every single one of us assumed we were listening to a crass standup act,” Bush wrote. His perspective changed when he read an account of 20 women who accused Trump of inappropriate sexual behavior. One woman’s story, about being pushed against a wall and groped, made “the whole ‘better use some Tic Tacs’ and ‘just start kissing them’ routine real,” Bush said. “I believe her”. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Do you want to include the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional [ CROSSTALK ] Well, I would. I tell you what. Do you want to set up the meeting? Do you want to set up the meeting? No, no, no. I'm just a reporter. Are they friends of yours? No, set up the meeting. I know some of them. [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] The past 17 years Obamacare has wreaked havoc on the lives of innocent hard- working Americans. [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] Best not make anymore threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. I think there's blame on both sides, and I have no doubt about it. And you had some very bad people in that group. But you also had people that were Very fine people on both sides. The only people giving a platform to these hate groups is the media itself and the fake news. Sheriff Joe, he's done a great job for the people of Arizona. He is very strong on borders. [ MUSIC ] I thought he was treated unbelievably unfairly. Wouldn't you love to see one these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say get that son of a [ BLEEP ] off the field right now. Out. He's fired. He's fired. If you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina and you look at the tremendous hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people that died. Now what is your death count as of this moment? 17. 16 certified. Sixteen people certified. 16 people versus in the thousands. Obamacare's finished, it's dead, it's gone. It's no longer, you shouldn't even mention it. Mention it, it's gone. There is no such thing as Obamacare anymore. If you look at President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn't make calls, a lot of them didn't make calls. I like to call when it's appropriate, when I think I am able to do it. Earlier you said that President Obama never called the families of fallen soldiers, how can you make that claim? I don't know if he did did, no, no, no. Between 1 and 10, how would you grade the White House response so far to [ UNKNOWN ] I'd say it was a 10. This is a mental health problem at the highest level. This isn't a guns situation, I mean we could go into it, but it's a little bit soon to go into it, but Fortunately somebody else had a gun that was shooting in the opposite direction. Otherwise it wouldn't have been as bad as it was, it would have been much worse. [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5047223/donald-trump-access-hollywood-tape-billy-bush/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5047223/donald-trump-access-hollywood-tape-billy-bush/"},"headline":"'Of Course He Said It.' Billy Bush Hits Back at Trump’s Access Hollywood Tape Claim","datePublished":"2017-12-04T05:37:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-12T08:33:46.454Z","description":"Former NBC interviewer Billy Bush said he felt compelled to speak out after the president reportedly began claiming the tape was fabricated","url":"https://time.com/5047223/donald-trump-access-hollywood-tape-billy-bush/","keywords":["Donald Trump","2016 Election","Sexual Assault","White House","sexual harassment","People","trump","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1121b8a91c0baee1/6988f374e76ad22a4b630273/gettyimages-533368972.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laignee Barron","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laignee-barron/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1121b8a91c0baee1/6988f374e76ad22a4b630273/gettyimages-533368972.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Kaleidoscope Ball - Arrivals","caption":"Kaleidoscope Ball - Arrivals","creditText":"Emma McIntyre—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5047223/donald-trump-access-hollywood-tape-billy-bush/","name":"'Of Course He Said It.' Billy Bush Hits Back at Trump’s Access Hollywood Tape Claim"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"1 Year Later: President Donald Trump's Most Controversial Remarks","description":"1 Year Later: President Donald Trump's Most Controversial Remarks","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/KXGhnVO8/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-11-08T17:27:07.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/KXGhnVO8.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5047223/donald-trump-access-hollywood-tape-billy-bush/","duration":"PT3M29S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5047223/donald-trump-access-hollywood-tape-billy-bush/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```