Melania Trump Came Up With Idea Of Calling ‘Access Hollywood’ Tape ‘Locker Room Talk,’ Michael Cohen Says In Court Testimony

In court testimony on Monday, Michael Cohen, the former attorney and key witness in the Manhattan trial against Donald Trump, claimed that Melania Trump, then-candidate Trump’s wife in 2016, referred to his controversial comments on the infamous Access Hollywood tape as “locker room talk” after it leaked before the election.

Cohen, who played a pivotal role in Trump’s alleged hush money scheme, stated that he became aware of the tape, which features Trump making inappropriate remarks about touching women without their consent, when he received a call from the campaign’s press secretary, Hope Hicks, during the 2016 campaign.

The former president’s ex-fixer expressed concern about the tape and promptly sent emails to the campaign manager at the time, Steve Bannon, to safeguard Trump’s interests.

After multiple conversations with Trump and other campaign staff members, Cohen revealed that there was a concerted effort to “spin” the narrative around the tape. He testified, “The spin he wanted put on it was that this is ‘locker room talk,’ something that Melania had recommended, or at least he told me that’s what Melania had thought it was, and use that in order to get control over the story and to minimize its impact on him and his campaign.” 

Reporters in the room noted that Trump shook his head in disagreement when Cohen mentioned his wife.

The phrase “locker room talk” was also employed by the 2016 Trump campaign as a defense for his remarks, as they sought to reshape public perception of his candidacy, which the tape’s revelations had severely undermined.

Cohen also testified that Trump said there would be “many women” coming forward with stories about him. 

Trump is currently on trial for an alleged $130,000 payment made in the 2016 campaign to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about allegations of an affair. Trump has consistently denied the affair and any wrongdoing.

Since her husband departed from the White House in 2021, Melania has maintained a low profile and has not been observed at the New York courthouse since the trial commenced approximately one month ago.

In an October 2016 interview conducted shortly after the release of the Access Hollywood tape, Melania disclosed to CNN that she was surprised by the language used in the recording. She remarked, “I heard many different stuff — boys talk…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.”