Did Trump admit to entering beauty pageant contestants’ locker rooms?

In 2024, viral social networks posts has reignited rumors that former US President Donald Trump bragged about passing naked beauty pageant contestants in their locker rooms. Some messages claims that he had specifically bragged about entering the locker rooms of Miss Teen USA contestants, many of whom were minors.

A job of May 2024, claimed to have quoted Trump telling radio host Howard Stern on “The Howard Stern Show” that he had met Miss Teen USA contestants who were between 14 and 16 years old at the time: “J ‘will go backstage before a Miss Teen’. American show and everyone is getting dressed and getting ready and everything and no man is anywhere and I have the right to enter because I am the owner of the pageant (…).

(User X @AymannJames)

Many of these articles pointed out that Trump owned a number of beauty pageants, including Miss USA, Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA, but did not specify which pageant venues he boasted of entering.

(User X @stephen64171396)

We’ve taken a close look at Trump’s past comments, as well as actual allegations made by former beauty pageant contestants from the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA competitions. Trump indeed boasted of having encountered candidates, but was referring to the Miss USA or Miss Universe competitions, whose candidates are 18 years or older. The quote above in which he appeared to brag about meeting Miss Teen USA contestants misrepresented a real comment he made to Stern.

That said, there have been many serious allegations about Trump from Miss USA and Miss Teen USA contestants, reporting that decades ago he entered their dressing rooms while they were partially naked (which Trump’s spokesperson denied in 2016). We can’t prove or disprove their exact accounts, and while Trump hasn’t admitted to crossing over with underage candidates, he certainly admitted to Stern about his inappropriate behavior in other contests.

What exactly did Trump say to Stern?

From 1995 to 2015, Trump was co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, which included the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants. In 2016, CNN reviewed excerpts of his numerous conversations with Stern and said they depicted Trump as frequently demeaning toward women. CNN also released sections of the audio clips, and the quote in question can be heard at 1:40:

In an April 2005 episode, Stern asked Trump if he had ever had sex with Miss USA or Miss Universe contestants, according to the CNN report, to which Trump responded: “I never comment on things like that. »

They continued to chat for a few minutes, when co-host Robin Quivers asked Trump if he thought sleeping with the candidates was a conflict of interest. Trump said: “It could be a conflict of interest. But, you know, that’s the kind of thing you worry about later, you tend to think about the conflict a little later.”

Stern then used a fake foreign accent – ​​referring to international contestants in the Miss Universe pageant – and said, “Some of these foreign girls” say hello to their country “with a vagina.” Trump then said, “Well, what you could also say is that as the owner of the pageant, you have an obligation to do this.”

He then described how he was able to get away with it backstage while the contestants were naked:

Well, I’ll tell you the funny thing is, before a show, I go backstage and everyone’s getting dressed and everything else, and you know, there’s no men nowhere, and I have the right to enter because I am the owner of the competition and therefore I inspect it. You know, I inspect because I want to make sure everything is okay. (…) You know, the dresses. “Is everyone okay?” You know, they are there, without clothes. “Is everyone okay?” And you see these amazing women, and so, I kind of get away with things like that. But no, I was very good.

According to the Miss USA and Miss Universe websites, contestants must be at least 18 years old. In the above conversation with Stern, Trump was referring to these contests. He did not reference Miss Teen USA in his comments, indicating that the X post above edited his comments.

Did Trump pass partially dressed candidates?

Trump, in his own words from 2005, admitted to doing so in regards to certain pageants (referring to either Miss USA or Miss Universe). However, his representatives would deny years later that he behaved in this way.

But some former Miss Teen USA pageant contestants accused him of entering their dressing room. In a 2016 Buzzfeed News investigation, nearly half a dozen former Miss Teen USA contestants claimed that Trump caught them changing — some of the girls in those rooms would have been 15 when it happened. is produced.

An incident allegedly occurred during the 1997 Miss Teen USA beauty pageant. Mariah Billado, the former Miss Vermont Teen USA, recalls: “I remember putting my dress on really quickly because I was like, ‘Oh my God , there is a man here’.” She then recalled Trump saying, “Don’t worry, ladies, I’ve seen all this before.” Four other women also claimed Trump entered the locker room; Eleven candidates contacted by Buzzfeed said they did not remember him in the locker room.

In 2016, a former Miss USA contestant, who was 18 at the time, said Trump walked into their dressing room: “Our first meeting with him was when we were at the dress rehearsal and half naked putting on our bikinis. “

She said they were told to greet him in an uncomfortable position where “the owner (waltzed in) while we were naked or half naked in a very physically vulnerable position and then to be pressured by people who worked to tell us.” go flatter him, go towards him, talk to him, attract his attention.

In a statement to the media in October 2016, in the middle of the presidential campaign, Trump’s spokesperson denied all of the former candidates’ allegations: “These accusations have no basis and have already been refuted by many others present. Seeing questionable attacks like this magically unfold in the final month of a presidential campaign makes you wonder what the political motivations are and why the media is pushing them. »

In summary

It’s clear that Trump himself bragged about going into contestants’ locker rooms, but those comments came during a discussion about Miss USA and Miss Universe, not Miss Teen USA. However, real allegations from former Miss Teen USA and Miss USA contestants reinforced claims that Trump behaved inappropriately. However, given that the events occurred decades ago and we only have conflicting accounts from Trump himself, as well as statements from his accusers, we are unable to say with certainty whether he actually entered the locker room or not.