Trump’s Shocking Take On Teenage Rape Victim Resurfaces — Goes Viral Amid Summer Of Epstein

Tommy ChristopherAug 9th, 2025, 11:58 am

Then-future President Donald Trump’s shocking take on a teenage rape victim has gone viral amid the summer-long uproar over sex criminal-turned-mystery corpse Jeffrey Epstein.

Amid the heightened scrutiny of Trump’s past, a flood of unearthed recordings and quotes are being given new life and significance as critics try to paint the president as a longtime sex creep.

This week, it was a stunning clip of Trump defending boxer Mike Tyson following his rape conviction during which he repeatedly suggested the victim bore some responsibility for enticing the attack by “dancing.”

Clips from the interview have racked up millions of social media views this week.

In the full exchange, from the May 21, 1992 episode of Late Night with David Letterman, host David Letterman pressed Trump about his plan to secure leniency for Tyson after his conviction in the rape of 18-year-old beauty pageant contestant Desiree Washington.

Letterman quickly interjected both times Trump brought up the victim “dancing”:

DAVID LETTERMAN: Speaking of fights, explain to me now what you were thinking about the Mike Tyson situation. Shortly after the verdict was announced that he had been convicted, he was guilty of the crime, you had a plan. Now what were you thinking there?

DONALD TRUMP: What was I thinking? I was thinking that as soon as he gets out, he’s gonna fight at my casinos. Yeah, but you can’t buy your way through. Of course, I’m only kidding when I say that, folks.

DAVID LETTERMAN: I wish I could say that.

DONALD TRUMP: Mike Tyson was greeted at his door at one o’clock in the morning by a woman. He then…

DAVID LETTERMAN: Well, we don’t need to go through the case again. I mean–.

DONALD TRUMP: It’s ridiculous. The woman was dancing at eight o’ clock and this guy’s in jail for six years. I don’t understand it. I think it’s wrong. I think he had one of the worst…

DAVID LETTERMAN: Yeah, but due process of law prevailed–.

DONALD TRUMP: Well, I think he had one of worst defense lawyers I’ve ever seen. This was the worst defense… I mean, their defense essentially was that anybody that goes out with Mike Tyson knows she’s gonna be raped and therefore, Mike Tyson, this is his defense, I think it was a horrible job they did.

DAVID LETTERMAN: Well, everything you say may be true, but still and all, you can’t come in and say, okay, let’s put the decision of the court aside, here I have a plan.

DONALD TRUMP: I never said that.

DAVID LETTERMAN: Well, I think that was the impression people had of that.

DONALD TRUMP: What I said really is that Mike Tyson should fight. Mike Tyson should supply millions and millions and millions of dollars to rape victims, and I think that’s a hell of a lot better than him sitting in a jail house for six years.

Now, let him do some time, let them do some this, but this man could supply 30 million dollars just from one fight, and that solves a lot more problems than keeping him locked up in solitary confinement doing nothing. I think that Mike Tison had a horrible defense. I

DAVID LETTERMAN: Yeah, but again what you’re saying is that celebrities maybe should be treated differently than lay people.

DONALD TRUMP: I’m not saying that. And I say Mike should serve some time and everything else, but to keep a man, here’s a woman that was dancing at his door at one o’clock in the morning, dancing.

DAVID LETTERMAN: We don’t need to get into this, we don’t have to get in this.

DONALD TRUMP: But that’s an important thing.

DAVID LETTERMAN: Hey don’t get me hot, okay?

Trump also defended Tyson in a November 1992 episode of The Charlie Rose Show and said Washington “late in the evening knocked on his door, was taken in, was raped perhaps, perhaps not”: