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Fact check: Was Geraldo Rivera a judge in trumps teen beauty pageant

Checked on May 25, 2025

1. Summary of the results

None of the provided sources confirm that Geraldo Rivera was a judge in Trump's teen beauty pageant. While Rivera and Trump had professional connections, including Rivera's appearance on Celebrity Apprentice [1], there is no evidence in the provided sources supporting the claim about Rivera's involvement as a pageant judge.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The sources reveal several important contextual elements absent from the original question:

  • Trump and Rivera had a complex professional relationship, particularly strained after the 2020 election [1]
  • Multiple controversies surrounded Trump's involvement in teen beauty pageants:
    • Several former Miss Teen USA contestants alleged Trump entered their dressing rooms while they were changing, with some contestants as young as 15 [2]
    • A specific incident was recalled by contestant Mariah Billado, who quoted Trump saying "Don't worry, ladies, I've seen it all before" [2]
    • However, 11 contestants did not recall such incidents [2]
    • Trump admitted to entering dressing rooms, but specifically referred to adult pageants (Miss USA and Miss Universe), not teen pageants [3]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question appears to conflate several different aspects of Trump-related controversies:

  • While Rivera had connections to Trump through Celebrity Apprentice [1], there's no evidence of his involvement in the beauty pageants
  • The question diverts attention from the documented controversies surrounding the pageants, including:
    • Multiple allegations from contestants about inappropriate behavior [4]
    • A 2016 BuzzFeed investigation featuring testimonies from nearly half a dozen former contestants [3]
    • The distinction between Trump's admitted behavior at adult pageants versus alleged behavior at teen pageants [3]

The focus on Rivera's potential role might inadvertently minimize the more substantial documented concerns about the pageants' management and contestant treatment.

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