President Trump on Thursday said he believes former Vice President Joe Biden should respond to sexual assault allegations from a former Senate aide.
“I don’t know anything about it. I don’t know exactly. I think he should respond,” Trump told reporters at an East Room event on protecting seniors from the coronavirus.
“It could be false accusations. I know all about false accusations. I’ve been falsely charged numerous times,” added Trump, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than a dozen women.
The president pointed to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexual assault by multiple women during his confirmation process last year, to suggest men can be falsely accused of wrongdoing. Trump has repeatedly called Kavanaugh’s treatment a “disgrace” and dismissed the veracity of the claims against him.
Tara Reade’s allegations against Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, have gained traction in the media in recent days.
Reade is one of several women who accused Biden last year of inappropriate touching. Biden apologized to the women and said he would adjust his behavior.
Last month, Reade said for the first time in public that Biden had also sexually assaulted her in a secluded place on Capitol Hill in 1993. She is the only woman to accuse Biden of assault.
Biden’s campaign has denied the allegations, though the former vice president has yet to address them himself publicly.
He is scheduled to appear on “Morning Joe” on Friday to answer questions about Reade’s claims.
Trump has previously attacked Biden over complaints that he behaved inappropriately around women, tweeting out a doctored video mocking the former vice president.
But attacking his presumptive general election opponent on allegations of sexual misconduct is perilous terrain for Trump. The president has been accused repeatedly of behavior ranging from unwanted kissing and touching to rape, and he was caught on an “Access Hollywood” tape from 2005 bragging about groping women.
Trump has denied the allegations, saying his accusers are lying.