Did Trump say he entered changing rooms of Miss Teen USA contestants? New pageant post surfaces

Claims that President Donald Trump admitted to entering the changing rooms of Miss Teen USA contestants have resurfaced on social media

Published on: Jul 11, 2025, 21:15:51 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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Claims that President Donald Trump admitted to entering the changing rooms of Miss Teen USA contestants during his ownership of the pageant (1996–2015) have resurfaced on social media. The claims mainly stem from a 2016 BuzzFeed News report and a 2005 Howard Stern interview. This week several X users brought up Trump's alleged statement.

Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House (Bloomberg)

Trump’s statements and allegations

2005 Howard Stern Interview: In an April 2005 interview on The Howard Stern Show, Trump, who owned the Miss Universe Organization (including Miss USA and Miss Teen USA), bragged about entering pageant dressing rooms, stating, “I’ll go backstage before a show and everyone’s getting dressed, and everything else, and you know, no men are anywhere, and I’m allowed to go in because I’m the owner of the pageant and therefore I’m inspecting it… You know, they’re standing there with no clothes… And so I sort of get away with things like that." He was referring to Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, where contestants are 18 or older, not Miss Teen USA.

Miss Teen USA Allegations: In 2016, BuzzFeed News reported that five women from the 1997 Miss Teen USA pageant, including Mariah Billado (former Miss Vermont Teen USA), alleged that Trump entered their dressing room while contestants, some as young as 15, were changing.

Billado recalled Trump saying, “Don’t worry, ladies, I’ve seen it all before."

Three others, anonymously, described the incident as “shocking” and “creepy,” while a fifth later corroborated.

Victoria Hughes (Miss Teen New Mexico 1997) said reports were exaggerated, noting chaperones warned contestants to cover up.

Trump Campaign Response: In 2016, Trump’s campaign denied the allegations, calling them meritless, but provided no evidence to disprove them. The president has not directly addressed the allegations.

A post by @charise_lee this week claims Trump "admittedly stated” on The Howard Stern Show that he entered Miss Teen USA dressing rooms, linking it to #EpsteinCoverUp hashtags.

The post includes a link to a video, likely the 2005 Stern interview, but misattributes Trump’s quote to Miss Teen USA, not Miss USA or Miss Universe.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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