Melania: Women who accuse men need evidence United States
Women who make accusations of sexual abuse against men should back their claims with solid evidence, according to Melania Trump.
The US first lady, whose husband has faced allegations of inappropriate behaviour, said she stood with women who came forward but that men should also have a chance to be heard.
‘‘I support the women, and they need to be heard,’’ she said in a rare solo interview. ‘‘We need to support them, and also men, not just women.’’
Melania Trump entered the fray at a pivotal moment, days after her husband won a bruising battle to install judge Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court despite allegations of sexual assault.
Both Kavanaugh and Trump have both denied all the accusations made against them.
At the same time, the president is stepping up his attacks on Democrats ahead of next month’s midterm elections. He used a USA Today article yesterday to criticise their healthcare plans, accusing them of pursuing Venezuela-style socialism.
But it is the #MeToo movement that appears to be galvanising his Republican supporters, as they accuse Democrats of fabricating the claims against Kavanaugh for political reasons.
In a rare interview, to be broadcast today in full by the US television network ABC, Melania Trump said women had a responsibility to back accusations with evidence. ‘‘I do stand with women, but we need to show the evidence,’’ she said. ‘‘You cannot just say to somebody, I was sexually assaulted, or you did that to me, because sometimes the media goes too far.’’
Trump also revealed how America’s polarised political climate was affecting her efforts to promote good causes. She Melania Trump said several organisations had refused her invitations to work together, decisions she ascribed to attitudes towards her husband’s administration. ‘‘I feel like they’re choosing the politics over helping others,’’ she said. ‘‘I don’t want to put them out in front of the world, but they know who they are.’’
Meanwhile, Donald Trump used a newspaper article to paint his Democratic opponents as extremists whose plans threaten the provision of healthcare to America’s senior citizens. ‘‘The truth is the centrist Democratic Party is dead,’’ he wrote. ‘‘The new Democrats are radical socialists who want to model America’s economy after Venezuela.’’
Trump focused on plans to expand Medicare – the national health insurance programme for Americans aged over 65 – which he said would bring rationing and hospital closures.
‘‘The Democrats’ plan means that after a life of hard work and sacrifice, seniors would no longer be able to depend on the benefits they were promised,’’ he claimed.
However, health policy analysts said the president’s warning to senior citizens lacked evidence.
Tricia Neuman, who studies Medicare at the Kaiser Family Foundation non-profit organisation, said: ‘‘If true, that would be a serious concern for seniors, but it’s not clear how that would happen.’’ – Telegraph Group
‘‘You cannot just say to somebody, I was sexually assaulted, or you did that to me, because sometimes the media goes too far.’’