--- title: Access Hollywood Confirms Leaked Donald Trump Tape Was Real description: Access Hollywood set the record straight Monday about recent reports that President Trump now claims the infamous leaked tape was fabricated canonical: https://time.com/5038934/donald-trump-access-hollywood-authentic-tape/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-11-28T13:14:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:32:56.372Z article:section: Politics og:title: Access Hollywood Hits Back After Report that President Trump Says Leaked Tape Is Fake og:description: “Let us make this perfectly clear — the tape is very real" og:url: https://time.com/5038934/donald-trump-access-hollywood-authentic-tape/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt225d215fe1f16cc9/6988e7088fd2ee4ade359c3e/access-hollywood-trump-tape.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: "Celebrity Apprentice" Red Carpet Event og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Access Hollywood Hits Back After Report that President Trump Says Leaked Tape Is Fake twitter:description: “Let us make this perfectly clear — the tape is very real" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt225d215fe1f16cc9/6988e7088fd2ee4ade359c3e/access-hollywood-trump-tape.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # _Access Hollywood_ Hits Back After Report that President Trump Says Leaked Tape Is Fake > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=77889041-da9c-4f02-b035-3b76f1a7ff01&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Donald Trump's Facebook Statement [Watch (HLS stream): Donald Trump's Facebook Statement](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MLqKZLTC.m3u8) (1:31)  _Published 2016-10-08. The bombshell dropped on the Washington Post’s website : a video of Donald Trump, in 2005, using extremely vulgar language to describe women, detailing his attempt to bed a married woman and bragging that he can grope women because he is a celebrity._  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Nov 28, 2017 1:14 PM UTC  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Nov 28, 2017 1:14 PM UTC _Access Hollywood_ set the record straight on Monday about recent reports that President Trump now claims the [leaked tape](http://time.com/4523526/donald-trump-women-leaked-audio/) in which he bragged about groping women was fabricated. Trump suggested to a Senator and an adviser this year that [the _Access Hollywood_ tape](http://time.com/4523755/donald-trump-leaked-tape-impact/) — in which he said he “can do anything” to women because he’s a celebrity — was not authentic, the [New York _Times_ reported](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/25/us/politics/trump-roy-moore-mcconnell-alabama-senate.html?%5Fr=0) on Saturday. Shortly after it was leaked in October 2016, Trump acknowledged his comments and apologized for them. “We wanted to clear something up that has been reported across the media landscape,” _Access Hollywood_ host [Natalie Morales](http://time.com/4320554/natalie-morales-today-show-access-hollywood-co-host/) said during the show on Monday. “Let us make this perfectly clear — the tape is very real. Remember his excuse at the time was ‘locker-room talk.’ He said every one of those words.” Asked during Monday’s press briefing whether Trump believes the tape is real, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders avoided a direct answer. “Look, the President addressed this. This was litigated and certainly answered during the election by the overwhelming support for the President and the fact that he’s sitting here in the Oval Office today,” she said. Asked again whether Trump’s apology for the tape indicated that he believes it’s authentic, she said: “No. Like I just said, the President hasn’t changed his position. I think if anything that the President questions, it’s the media’s reporting on that accuracy.” ## Transcript I've never said I'm a perfect person nor pretended to be someone that I'm not. I've said and done things I regret and the words released today, on this more than a decade old video, are one of them. Anyone who knows me knows these words don't reflect who I am. I said it. I was wrong and I apologize. I've traveled the country talking about change for America but my travels have also changed me. I've spent time with grieving mothers who've lost their children, laid off workers whose jobs have gone to other countries, and people from all walks of life who just want a better future. I have gotten to know the great people of our country and I've been humbled by the faith they placed in me. I pledge to be a better man tomorrow and will never ever let you down. Let's be honest we're living in the real world. This is nothing more than a distraction from the important issues we are facing today. We are losing our jobs. We are less safe than we were eight years ago and Washington is totally broken. Hillary Clinton and her kind have run our country into the ground. I've said some foolish things but there is a big difference between the words and actions of other people. Bill Clinton has actually abused women and Hillary has bullied, attacked, shamed and intimidated his victims. We will discuss this more in the coming days. See you at the debate on Sunday. 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