Trump Abandons His Defense Of Roger Ailes Amid Growing Sexual Harassment Allegations

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump refused to comment on the ongoing allegations of sexual harassment against ousted Fox News CEO Roger Ailes amid during an interview with Newsmax.

Ailes resigned from Fox after allegations surfaced that Ailes sexually harassed at least 25 women, including Fox host Megyn Kelly and former hosts Gretchen Carlson and Andrea Tantaros.

Trump defended Ailes in a July interview, saying he “always found him to be just a very, very good person.” Trump also questioned the motives of Ailes' accusers, criticizing them for “saying these horrible things” “all of a sudden” about Ailes.

During Trump’s August 11 Newsmax interview, however, he said Ailes’ success at Fox News was “the only thing” he knew and refused to comment on the validity of the allegations brought against Ailes, while noting that he continues to speak to Ailes on occasion:

J.D. HAYWORTH (HOST): All the allegations against [Roger Ailes], do you buy those?

DONALD TRUMP: Well I just don’t know anything about it. I speak to Roger on occasion now, but Roger has -- look, the job he’s done at Fox is probably unprecedented in television history. That’s the only thing I know.