Melania Trump is finally discussing husband Donald Trump‘s lewd conversation with then-Access Hollywood host Billy Bush from 2005.
In a teaser of the interview set to air Monday, October 17, the supermodel, 46, said during a sit-down with CNN’s Anderson Cooper that the Republican presidential nominee, 70, was “egged on” by Bush to engage in the sexually explicit remarks.
“I said to my husband that, you know, the language was inappropriate. It’s not acceptable. And I was surprised, because that is not the man that I know,” the former model tells Cooper. “And as you can see from the tape, the cameras were not on — it was only a mic. And I wonder if they even knew that the mic was on.”
The potential future first lady defended her husband’s remarks, saying that it was “boy talk, and he was led on — like, egged on — from the host to say dirty and bad stuff.”
Melania said that she’s never personally experienced the business mogul engage in that type of vulgar conversation. “That’s why I was surprised, 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,” she said.
“I heard many different stuff — boys talk,” she continued. “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. But yes, I was surprised, of course.”
Donald was caught bragging about groping women and flirting with a married woman, later identified as TV host Nancy O’Dell. “You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them,” he said in the 2005 tape. “It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything.”
The presidential hopeful’s wife of 11 years has stayed mum on the controversy since she released a statement on October 8. “The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me,” she said at the time. “This does not represent the man that I know. He has the heart and mind of a leader. I hope people will accept his apology, as I have, and focus on the important issues facing our nation and world.”
The former Apprentice star has been plagued by allegations of sexual misconduct in the past week as several women have come forward after he denied during the second presidential debate that he had ever sexually assaulted women.
However, the businessman turned politician, who brushed off the comments from the Access Hollywood video as “locker-room talk,” said during a speech in West Palm Beach, Florida, on October 13 that his relationship with his wife is better than ever. “We are stronger today than we ever were before,” he said.
The full interview with Anderson Cooper is set to air on CNN Monday, October 17, at 8 p.m. ET.
