Donald Trump said it once. Then he said it again. Then a third time.
Trump has repeatedly commented on women’s appearances in professional settings, including from podiums, in the Oval Office and during press briefings.
That uncomfortable setting unfolded again as the president blurted out something he’s repeatedly been warned not to.
The POTUS was speaking to law enforcement officials on Long Island Friday, Aug. 14, when he veered from crime statistics into a story about who has been stopping him at the White House.
His speech randomly veered from crime statistics into a story about who has been visiting him at the White House.
“These young, beautiful girls, these young, beautiful girls, these young, beautiful girls in the White House,” Trump said. “You know, they come in.”
Then he caught himself, saying something he knows he shouldn’t say, considering.
“Now, I’m not supposed to say ‘beautiful,’ but what the hell,” he continued. “These young, these gorgeous, beautiful girls, they’re young. They wanna be safe, and they come, ‘Mr. President, may I speak to you?'”
Trump went on to act out both sides of the exchange. “Thank you, sir. Thank you.” he said, imitating the woman. “I said, ‘Why are you thanking me?’ ‘Because a year and a half ago, I was afraid to leave. I was afraid to open the door of my apartment, and now I walk to the White House every morning, and I have absolutely no… thank you, sir.’”
“Now, I get it all the time. Men, women, older men, younger men, older women, and younger women, they’re all saying thank you. And I know exactly what they mean.
The account HQNewsNow posted the video clip to X, and while the audience clapped… many people on the internet did not. Replies piled up fast, and several people zeroed in on the repetition.
“Bro said it 3 times in a row. Anybody else try speaking in public like that – you will creep everyone out,” one user wrote.
The framing drew its own scrutiny, too. Several replies also noted who was standing behind him. Rows of uniformed officers filled the room throughout the speech, and yet the reaction was laughter.
“If only he could say beautiful women. Nope, young, beautiful girls. And all the fathers behind him clap. This country is loosing it,” one person posted.
Someone who was disgusted by the view wrote, “Ewww. Makes my skin crawl.”
One commenter went after the applause, writing, “I cannot believe anyone would support this nonsense.” Another user wrote, “He just can’t help himself.”
Trump had appeared alongside Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Republican candidate for New York governor, plus Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel.
The pitch was crime. Trump described “very little crime” in Washington, D.C., adding, “It was so bad when I got there.”
He later said, “We lived in a hell hole. Two years ago, we were in a hell hole. And now we have one of the safest cities.”
Last August, Trump had declared a crime emergency in the nation’s capital. He then deployed a federal law enforcement task force to work alongside Washington police and sent out-of-state National Guard members into the city.
He has claimed credit for the results ever since.
The numbers complicate that story. The Washington Post analyzed more than 16,000 arrest records and reported Tuesday that Trump’s claims about his impact on Washington crime “oversimplify and overstate the impact of the federal intervention.”
Not his first time using the word “beautiful”
Social media users argue a sitting president describing young women who approach him for help as “beautiful” is out of line.
Trump couldn’t resist during a briefing with DRC’s White House reporter, Hariana Verás Victória.
“That’s so nice,” he said, revealing former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had warned him not to comment on the reporter’s looks.
“She did say that I shouldn’t say this because it’s politically incorrect,” Trump said. “She said, ‘She’s beautiful.’ And you are beautiful!”
He ignored the warning anyway, prompting the reporter to laugh as others in the room smiled, framing it as something that could get him fired.
“I’m not allowed to say that, you know that?” Trump added. “It could be the end of my political career, but I’ll say it anyway.”
He previously used the line on former Attorney General Pam Bondi, repeating the same version. “I would never say she’s beautiful, because that’s gonna be the end of my political career,” Trump said last August.
Trump used the same word while trying to charm Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at last year’s Middle East peace summit.
“I’m not allowed to say it because usually it’s the end of your political career if you say it — she’s a beautiful young woman,” Trump told the crowd.
He then turned to Meloni, the only female leader among the 30 world leaders, and asked, “You don’t mind being called beautiful, right? Because you are.”
Yet he still uses the word a year later.
Trump’s use of “beautiful” has also raised eyebrows when he directs it at those he may envy. He once called NFL quarterback Jaxson Dart “a handsome guy, like a beautiful guy” — then praised his “legs like tree trunks” days later.
