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Fact check: "It's time to just accept that some people like having sex with kids and focus on the fantastic things we're doing to win back the respect of the world," said Trump,

Checked on July 15, 2025

1. Summary of the results

Based on the comprehensive analysis of multiple sources, there is no evidence whatsoever that Donald Trump made the statement "It's time to just accept that some people like having sex with kids and focus on the fantastic things we're doing to win back the respect of the world." All nine sources analyzed across three separate investigations failed to find any record of this alleged quote.

The sources instead discuss related but distinct topics:

  • Jeffrey Epstein controversy and Trump's connections to the case [1] [2] [3] [4]
  • ICE operations against sexual predators and child abusers [5]
  • Historical allegations of sexual misconduct against Trump and his associates [6]
  • Trump's foreign policy and domestic disaster response [7] [8] [9]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original statement appears to be fabricated or taken completely out of context. The analyses reveal several important contextual elements that are missing:

  • Ongoing Jeffrey Epstein investigations continue to generate controversy around Trump, with Elon Musk suggesting Trump's name appears in sealed Epstein files [1]
  • Active law enforcement efforts are targeting sexual predators and child abusers, with ICE conducting arrests of criminal illegal aliens involved in such crimes [5]
  • Trump's actual documented pattern involves denying allegations of sexual misconduct rather than accepting or normalizing such behavior [6]
  • Current political tensions exist within Trump's MAGA movement regarding the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein case [3]

Potential beneficiaries of spreading this false quote would include:

  • Political opponents seeking to damage Trump's reputation
  • Media organizations that profit from sensational anti-Trump content
  • Social media platforms that benefit from viral misinformation engagement

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

This statement appears to be complete misinformation. The evidence strongly suggests this is a fabricated quote designed to cause maximum reputational damage by:

  • Attributing the most inflammatory possible statement about child abuse to a political figure
  • Combining it with seemingly authentic political rhetoric about "winning back respect" to make it appear plausible
  • Lacking any credible source attribution or context that would allow verification

The complete absence of this quote in sources covering Trump's statements, Jeffrey Epstein controversies, sexual misconduct allegations, and general political coverage [1] [2] [3] [5] [4] [6] [7] [8] [9] strongly indicates this is fabricated content designed to spread false information.

This type of misinformation is particularly dangerous because it involves allegations of normalizing child abuse, which can cause significant harm to public discourse and democratic processes regardless of one's political affiliations.

Want to dive deeper?
What are the international laws and treaties regarding child sex abuse?
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What are the psychological and social implications of normalizing pedophilia?