--- title: Melania Trump: Donald's Comments on Video Were 'Boy Talk' description: Melania Trump called her husband Donald Trump's lewd comments about women on a leaked 2005 tape "boy talk" canonical: https://time.com/4534216/melania-donald-trump-billy-bush-boy-talk/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-17T22:08:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T17:31:24.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Melania Trump Says Donald's Comments in Leaked Video Were 'Boy Talk' og:description: Trump said her husband was "egged on" by Billy Bush og:url: https://time.com/4534216/melania-donald-trump-billy-bush-boy-talk/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfc0551bc1d44a77d/6988aa66428a9e1ef1cd4a9a/melania-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Campaign 2016 Debate og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Melania Trump Says Donald's Comments in Leaked Video Were 'Boy Talk' twitter:description: Trump said her husband was "egged on" by Billy Bush twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfc0551bc1d44a77d/6988aa66428a9e1ef1cd4a9a/melania-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 02:39 video:published: 2016-10-18 section: politics topics: Access Hollywood tape, Donald Trump lewd comments, boy talk, Billy Bush, press credibility, accusations without evidence, social media and children, women's and children's advocacy genre: interview, political news tones: defensive, measured, personal, critical emotions: surprise (medium), disapproval (medium), defensiveness (medium), concern (low) sentiment: neutral audience: US voters, political news readers, parents, followers of the 2016 presidential campaign people: Melania Trump, Donald Trump, Anderson Cooper, Billy Bush organizations: Access Hollywood products: Twitter content_suitability: sexual content [00:00-01:35]; politics [00:00-02:39]; profanity [00:00-00:43] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Melania Trump Says Donald's Comments in Leaked Video Were 'Boy Talk' > Sponsored content. 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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=a41a84b5-41fe-4fdc-9c8f-94bcd86cca6d&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Melania Trump Interview with Anderson Cooper [Watch (HLS stream): Melania Trump Interview with Anderson Cooper](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FXzLk3Uz.m3u8) (2:39)  _Published 2016-10-18. Melania Trump called her husband Donald Trump’s lewd comments about women on a leaked 2005 tape “boy talk,” and said he was “egged on” to say “dirty and bad stuff” by Billy Bush, host of Access Hollywood at the time._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary Melania Trump is interviewed by Anderson Cooper about the leaked 2005 Access Hollywood tape featuring her husband Donald Trump's lewd comments about women. She says the language was not what she knew of him, describes the remarks as boy talk, and says Billy Bush egged him on. She also discusses the damage of accusations without evidence, the dishonesty of the press, her focus on helping children and women, and the harms of social media for children. ## Key points - Melania Trump said she told her husband the language on the tape was inappropriate and not acceptable. (00:10) - She said she was surprised because the language was not from the man she knows and she had never heard him use such language. (00:19) - She said the cameras were not on during the recording and only a microphone was capturing audio. (00:24) - She described the conversation as boy talk and said Billy Bush was leading on and egging Donald Trump on to say dirty and bad stuff. (00:43) - She said accusing anyone, man or woman, without evidence is damaging and unfair. (01:35) - She criticized the press as dishonest and said it has written many lies, including about her and her husband. (01:41) - She said she sees social media as very damaging for children and that they need guidance on it. (02:00) - She said she advised her husband not to tweet so much, but that he is an adult who decides for himself. (02:14) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:19] Reaction to the leaked tape. Melania Trump describes when she first heard the tape and her initial response to its language. - [00:19 to 00:43] Doubts about the tape's context. She says the language is unlike her husband and suggests the tape was recorded without cameras and possibly unknowingly. - [00:43 to 01:35] Billy Bush and boy talk. She characterizes the exchange as boy talk and says Billy Bush egged her husband on to use crude language. - [01:35 to 02:00] Criticism of the press and her priorities. She calls accusations without evidence unfair, criticizes the press as dishonest, and describes her focus on children and women. - [02:00 to 02:39] Social media and her husband's tweeting. She warns that social media harms children and says she advised her husband about his tweeting, though he decides for himself. ## Key quotes - [00:10] Melania Trump: "I said to my husband that the language is inappropriate, it's not acceptable" - [00:19] Melania Trump: "that is not the man that I know." - [00:43] Melania Trump: "there were kind of a boy talk" - [01:35] Melania Trump: "To accuse, no matter who it is, a man or a woman, without evidence, it's damaging and it's unfair." - [02:00] Melania Trump: "It's very damaging for the children." ## Questions this video answers - When did Melania Trump first see or hear the Access Hollywood tape and how did she react? [00:00] - Does Melania Trump think the tape reflects the Donald Trump she knows? [00:19] - Was Billy Bush encouraging Donald Trump's comments on the tape? [00:43] - What does Melania Trump say about accusations made without evidence? [01:35] - What does Melania Trump think about social media's effect on children? [02:00] - Did Melania Trump advise her husband about his use of Twitter? [02:14] ## Content suitability - sexual content [00:00-01:35]: Discussion of lewd comments about women recorded on a leaked tape, referred to as dirty and bad stuff. - politics [00:00-02:39]: Interview about a presidential candidate's leaked remarks and his campaign context. - profanity [00:00-00:43]: References to crude language used on the tape without explicit words quoted in the interview. by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Updated: Dec 13, 2023 5:31 PM UTCPublished: Oct 17, 2016 10:08 PM UTC Melania Trump called her husband Donald Trump’s lewd comments about women on a leaked 2005 tape “boy talk,” and said he was “egged on” to say “dirty and bad stuff” by Billy Bush, host of Access Hollywood at the time. by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Updated: Dec 13, 2023 5:31 PM UTCPublished: Oct 17, 2016 10:08 PM UTC Melania Trump called her husband [Donald Trump’s lewd comments](http://time.com/4523755/donald-trump-leaked-tape-impact/) about women on a leaked 2005 tape “boy talk,” and said he was “egged on” to say “dirty and bad stuff” by Billy Bush, host of Access Hollywood at the time. “You can see from the tape, the cameras were not on—it was only a mic,” Trump told [CNN’s Anderson Cooper](http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/17/politics/melania-trump-interview/index.html) in an interview set to air at 8 p.m. ET Monday. “And I wonder if they even knew that the mic was on. Because they were kind of, ah, boy talk. And he was led on. Like egg on from the host to say, uh, dirty and bad stuff.” In the video, Trump boasts that his star power allows him to “do anything” to women. “I just start kissing them,” he said. “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you. You can do anything…Grab ’em by the p—y. You can do anything.” Trump said the Republican presidential nominee’s comments on the tape were surprising. “I said to my husband that, you know, the language is inappropriate,” she said. “And I was surprised, because that is not the man I know.” Trump defended her husband, saying she had not heard him use such language to describe women before. “That’s why I was surprised,” she said. “Because I said, like, I don’t know that person that would talk that way. And that he would say that kind of stuff in private. I’ve heard many different stuff, boys talk. I — the boys, the way they talk when they grow up and they want to sometimes show each other ‘oh this and that’ and talking about the girls and, but I was surprised, of course.” During the interview, Trump repeatedly accused the media of being “dishonest” and “mean,” saying no honest stories have been published about her or her husband during the election season. She maintained Hillary Clinton’s campaign is working with the media to “organize” against her husband’s candidacy. Trump said the accusations of sexual assault lobbied at her husband were “all organized by the opposition.” “Every assault should be taken care of in a court of law,” she said. “To accuse without evidence—it’s damaging and it’s unfair.” When asked by Cooper about what she made of her husband saying his comments were “locker room talk,” Trump called them “two teenage boys.” “Actually, they should behave better,” she said before Cooper interrupted to point out that Donald Trump was 59 when he made the comments. She quipped, “I say sometimes I have two boy at home. I have my young son and my husband.” Trump said that were she to become First Lady, she would focus fighting online “negativity” and bullying on social media in an effort to help children. Asked if she tells her husband to not tweet so much, Trump said, “Yes, but that’s his decision. He’s an adult. He knows the consequences.” ## Transcript [00:00] It was ten days ago that Access Hollywood released [00:02] that tape and I'm wondering when you first saw it, [00:04] when you first heard it what did you think? I [00:10] said to my husband that the language is inappropriate, [00:14] it's not acceptable and. I [00:19] was surprised because that is not the man that I know. [00:24] And as you can see from the tape, the cameras were [00:28] not on. It was only a mic. And I wonder [00:34] if they even knew that the mic was on because [00:38] there were kind of a boy talk and he was [00:43] Lead on like egg on from [00:48] the host to say dirty and bad [00:52] stuff. You feel the host, Billy Bush was sort of egging [00:55] him on? Yes. Yes. Is that language you had heard [00:59] him use before? No. No that's why I was surprised, [01:04] because like I said, I don't know that person that would [01:07] talk that way. And that he would say that [01:11] kinda stuff in private. I heard many different stuff. Boys [01:16] talk. The boys, the way they talk when [01:20] they grow up and they wanna sometimes [01:25] show each other, this and that. And talking about the [01:28] girls and But, yeah [01:32] I was surprised, of course. To accuse, no matter who it [01:35] is, a man or a woman, without evidence, it's [01:41] damaging and it's unfair. It's hard because press, [01:45] it's very dishonest And it's a lot of lies that they have [01:49] written, also about me, as my husband. And my [01:52] passion is the same, helping children and helping [01:56] women. And also, I see now, in [02:00] 21st century, the social media. It's very damaging [02:04] for the children. We need to guide them and teach [02:07] them about social media because I see a lot of [02:10] negativity on it and we need to help them. Did [02:14] you told Mr. Trump to not tweet so much? Yes, [02:20] but that's his decision. He's an adult. He knows the [02:22] consequences. I. I give him many [02:26] advices. But sometimes he listens, sometimes he [02:30] doesn't. And, [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [02:34] He will do what he wants to do on the end, as I will do [02:37] what I want to do. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4534216/melania-donald-trump-billy-bush-boy-talk/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4534216/melania-donald-trump-billy-bush-boy-talk/"},"headline":"Melania Trump Says Donald's Comments in Leaked Video Were 'Boy Talk'","datePublished":"2016-10-17T22:08:56.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T17:31:24.000Z","description":"Trump said her husband was \"egged on\" by Billy Bush","url":"https://time.com/4534216/melania-donald-trump-billy-bush-boy-talk/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfc0551bc1d44a77d/6988aa66428a9e1ef1cd4a9a/melania-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mahita Gajanan","jobTitle":"Gajanan is an editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfc0551bc1d44a77d/6988aa66428a9e1ef1cd4a9a/melania-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Campaign 2016 Debate","caption":"Donald Trump kisses his wife Melania Trump after the presidential debate with Hillary Clinton at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., on Sept. 26, 2016.","creditText":"David Goldman—AP","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":"https://time.com/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4534216/melania-donald-trump-billy-bush-boy-talk/","name":"Melania Trump Says Donald's Comments in Leaked Video Were 'Boy Talk'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Melania Trump Interview with Anderson Cooper","description":"Melania Trump called her husband Donald Trump’s lewd comments about women on a leaked 2005 tape “boy talk,” and said he was “egged on” to say “dirty and bad stuff” by Billy Bush, host of Access Hollywood at the time.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/FXzLk3Uz/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-10-18T13:21:41.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FXzLk3Uz.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4534216/melania-donald-trump-billy-bush-boy-talk/","duration":"PT2M39S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4534216/melania-donald-trump-billy-bush-boy-talk/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```