--- title: Melania Trump Says #MeToo Accusers Need to Show the Evidence description: First Lady Melania Trump spoke out about the #MeToo movement, saying she supports women but that accusers "need to show the evidence." canonical: https://time.com/5420453/melania-trump-metoo-evidence-africa/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-10-10T15:11:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T21:42:08.562Z article:section: Politics og:title: Melania Trump Says #MeToo Accusers 'Need to Show the Evidence' og:description: "You cannot just say to somebody, 'I was sexually assaulted.'" og:url: https://time.com/5420453/melania-trump-metoo-evidence-africa/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2ecbb62c4b4d5acc/69893c068fd2eeed7a35ccf5/melania-trump-kavanaugh-egypt.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4896 og:image:height: 2754 og:image:alt: melania-trump-kavanaugh-egypt og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Melania Trump Says #MeToo Accusers 'Need to Show the Evidence' twitter:description: "You cannot just say to somebody, 'I was sexually assaulted.'" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2ecbb62c4b4d5acc/69893c068fd2eeed7a35ccf5/melania-trump-kavanaugh-egypt.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Melania Trump Says #MeToo Accusers 'Need to Show the Evidence' > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### 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.  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Oct 10, 2018 3:11 PM UTC  U.S. First Lady Melania Trump visits the Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt on Oct. 6, 2018. U.S. First Lady Melania Trump visits the Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt on Oct. 6, 2018. MOHAMED HOSSAM/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Oct 10, 2018 3:11 PM UTC First Lady Melania Trump spoke out about the #MeToo movement, saying she supports women but that accusers “need to show the evidence.” [Speaking to ABC](https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/video/melania-trump-weighs-metoo-movement-58402076) on her recent trip to Africa, Trump said, “I do stand with women. But we need to show the evidence. You cannot just say to somebody, ‘I was sexually assaulted or you did that to me,’ because sometimes the media goes too far and the way they portray some stories, it’s not correct.” Trump’s trip to Africa, her first solo trip abroad, came as her husband’s Administration battled a high profile sexual assault allegation back home. California psychology professor [Christine Blasey Ford](http://time.com/5415027/christine-blasey-ford-testimony/) accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were both in high school. On Oct. 6, as Melania Trump flew back to D.C., Kavanaugh [was confirmed](http://time.com/5417538/bett-kavanaugh-confirmed-senate-supreme-court/) to the Supreme Court. During the Kavanaugh controversy, President Donald Trump [said](http://time.com/5412955/donald-trump-says-scary-time-men-sexual-assault-allegations/) that “it is a very scary time for young men in America.” (Multiple women have also accused Trump of sexual misconduct.) Melania Trump echoed her husband’s sentiment about how #MeToo affects men. “I support the women and they need to be heard,” she told ABC. “We need to support them. 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