Don Jr. Triggers Whoopi After Recalling Her Defense of Child Rapist Roman Polanski

Donald Trump Jr.
Paul Sancya/AP
Hannah Knudsen

Donald Trump Jr. reminded the co-hosts of The View on Thursday of some of their regrettable actions of the past, including Whoopi Goldberg’s defense of convicted child rapist Roman Polanski.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle’s Thursday appearance on The View was met with contention, with Goldberg finding herself utterly unwilling to say the name “Trump” while introducing the pair:

At one point during the conversation, Trump reminded two of the hosts – Joy Behar and Goldberg – of some of the regrettable actions of their past in defense of his father.

“We’ve all done things we regret. If we’re talking about bringing discourse down – Joy, you’ve worn blackface,” Trump said, triggering Behar.

“No I have not,” she said.

“Whoopi, you said that Roman Polanski, it wasn’t ‘rape,’ rape, when he raped a child,” he continued:

While the conversation primarily delved into a defense of Behar’s use of blackface – with Goldberg coming to her defense and proclaiming that her co-host was “not in blackface” – Trump’s reminder to Goldberg prompted flashbacks to her disturbing defense of Polanski.

Goldberg issued a bizarre defense of the director and convicted child rapist in 2009.

Polanski famously pleaded guilty to drugging and raping 13-year-old Samantha Geimer in 1979 before fleeing to France, and other women have accused him of sexual assault since. In 2017, artist Marianne Barnard accused Polanski of taking pictures of her naked and molesting her when she was only ten years old.

Goldberg addressed the former accusation in the 2009 clip, suggesting that Polanski’s rape was not “rape” as modern American society knows it because “we see things differently.”

“I know it wasn’t rape-rape… All I’m trying to get you to understand is when we’re talking about what someone did, and what they were charged with, we have to say what it actually was not what we think it was,” she stated.

She continued:

Initially he was charged with rape, and then he pled guilty to having sex with a minor, okay. And then he went to jail, and when they let him out, he said “you know what, this guy’s going to give me a hundred years in jail, I’m not staying.” And that’s why he left…

What we were talking about was what he did, and that’s what I wanted to clear up, and that’s all I wanted to clear up. ‘Cause I don’t like it when we’re passionate about something and we don’t have all the facts…

We’re a different kind of society. We see things differently. The world sees 13 year olds and 14 year olds in the rest of Europe… not everybody agrees with the way we see things…

Watch the full exchange below:

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.