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Melania says sexual assault survivors should really have "hard evidence" before they come forward

“You need to have really hard evidence, if, you know, if you’re accused of something, show the evidence,” the first lady said.

Melania Trump, the wife of a president accused of sexual misconduct by more than a dozen women, says accusers need “really hard evidence” if they’re going to come forward against an alleged aggressor. In an interview with ABC filmed during her trip to Kenya and Egypt, the first lady was asked about the #MeToo movement and whether she believes women who come forward about their experiences with sexual assault and harassment. The full interview will air Friday on ABC. “I support the women, and they need to be heard,” Melania said in a clip from the interview released Wednesday. “We need to support them, and also men, not just women.” “Do you think men in the news that have been accused of sexual assault, of sexual harassment, have been treated unfairly?” ABC's Tom Llamas asked. “You need to have really hard evidence, if, you know, if you’re accused of something, show the evidence,” Melania said.

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Mrs. Trump, who also asked the media to focus less on her outfits during a trip in which she color-coordinated with the Egyptian pyramids, was on her first solo trip abroad during the vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court amid allegations of sexual assault and harassment. During those events, Donald Trump had said it was a “scary time” for young men in America and had mocked Kavanaugh’s most public accuser, Christine Blasey Ford. Mrs. Trump ultimately skipped Kavanaugh's swearing-in ceremony, citing a prior engagement.

Cover image: US First Lady Melania Trump stands in front of the Great Pyramid in Giza, Egypt, October 6, 2018, the final stop on her 4-country tour through Africa. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)